The Wellington Comic Lover's Guide to... Supergirl

By Gus

Your go-to site for the Maid of Might, it's the Wellington Comic Lover's Guide to Supergirl!

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Who is Supergirl?

Kara Zor-El is the older cousin of Superman, sent from Krypton as a teenager to look after the baby Kal-El once he landed on Earth. However, due to her ship going through a time warp, she arrived when Superman was already an adult. Lacking a purpose, Kara struggles to adapt to a planet that is less technologically advanced than Krypton, but this in no way deters her from following Superman's example as a hero. Gaining superpowers under Earth’s yellow sun, she now protects Metropolis while trying to find a place in her strange new home as Supergirl.

Supergirl Origins

The details of Supergirl's origin have varied across DC's publishing history, including her civilian identity, when she was discovered on Earth, and even whether she is Kryptonian or not. Her origins have been recounted in Being Super, the ‘Supergirl from Krypton’ arc of Superman/Batman, and the acclaimed Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, which is being adapted into a feature film.

The House of El graphic novels and World of Krypton series explore Krypton's history immediately prior to its destruction.

Krypton was eventually reborn as 'New Krypton', a planet on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth, which also brought back Kara's parents, Zor-El and Alura.

Pre-Crisis Supergirl

In the Pre-Crisis timeline, Kara Zor-El landed on Earth and was discovered by Superman, who learned that they were cousins and then took her under his wing as Supergirl. In her headline series from this era, Kara moves to Chicago, enrols in university, and gains an archnemesis, the nuclear-powered Reactron.

Pre-Crisis Supergirl appearances

Post-Crisis Supergirl

In the Post-Crisis era, an editorial rule at DC meant that Superman had to be the only survivor from Krypton, which presented problems for introducing Supergirl. In this continuity, Supergirl is Linda Danvers, a human teenager who can transform into a superhero with powers similar to Superman.

Supergirl Linda Danvers appearances

The Last Daughter of Krypton... At Last!

Eventually, Kara Zor-El was reintroduced to Post-Crisis continuity, with her spaceship being discovered at the bottom of the Gotham River. After meeting Superman, Supergirl travels to the future to join the Legion of Super-Heroes, fights a mysterious Superwoman, and sees the birth of a New Krypton and the resurrection of her parents.

Post-Crisis Supergirl reading order

The New 52

The New 52 reset the histories of most DC characters back to square one, and Supergirl was no exception. Here, Kara is a loner who only occasionally runs into Superman. In her journey to find a home and community, she briefly befriends Superman villain Silver Banshee, joins the rage-powered Red Lantern Corps, and attends the intergalactic Crucible academy.

New 52 Supergirl reading order

DC Rebirth

Taking inspiration from the Supergirl TV show, the DC Rebirth era has Supergirl move to National City, teaming up with the Department of Extranormal Operations to help stem the city's various alien threats.

DC Rebirth Supergirl

'Bendis era' Supergirl reading order

During the reinvigoration of the Superman books by Brian Michael Bendis, Supergirl got a new series that saw Kara setting off on an intergalactic manhunt for the dreaded Rogol Zaar, a Kryptonian-hating alien mercenary with a mysterious connection to Kara's uncle (and Superman's father) Jor-El.

Infinite Frontier - The Woman of Tomorrow

In the Infinite Frontier era, Kara continued to protect Earth during the Warworld Saga and the Lazarus Planet event.

Infinite Frontier Supergirl appearances

Dawn of DC

Along with the rest of the Super-Family, Kara helps protect Metropolis from an anti-alien movement, a reinvigorated Metallo, the House of Brainiac, and the nightmarish Cyborg Superman.

Based on the TV show

The long-running CW Supergirl show starring Melissa Benoist has also been adapted into its own comics.

Supergirl's Teams

Supergirl has rarely been a team player outside of her immediate Super-Family, having only brief tenures on the Teen Titans, the Legion of Super-Heroes, and the Justice League. She was also briefly inducted into the Red Lantern Corps, a crimson version of the Green Lantern Corps.

Supergirl in the Legion

Supergirl as a Teen Titan

In the Justice League

As a Red Lantern

Power Girl

Kara Zor-L is Power Girl, the Supergirl from Earth-2 (home to the original Justice Society) who wound up on the mainstream DC Universe (Earth-0) after the destruction of her Earth. While Supergirl is eager to adapt to her adopted home, Power Girl bears a chip on her shoulder for having lost both Krypton and her original adopted Earth, manifesting in her brash, 'punch first and ask questions later' attitude.

Post-Crisis, Power Girl took on the secret identity of 'Karen Starr', and split her time between running a tech start-up and serving on the Justice Society of America.

Part of Power trip is also collected in Power Girl : a new beginning

Power Girl in the JSA

Just a Girl in the Worlds' Finest

In the New 52, a new Earth-2 is created with a new Kara Zor-L, who gets sent to Earth-0 along with Earth-2's Robin (Helena Wayne, the daughter of Batman). The pair take on the new aliases of Power Girl and Huntress and try to find a way home to Earth-2 in the series Worlds' Finest.

Upon returning to Earth-2, Kara helps her fellow heroes save the world from an invasion by Darkseid, and after the planet is regenerated (a literal 'Earth 2'), she strikes up a romance with its new Superman, Val-Zod.

Power Girl Returns

The Post-Crisis Power Girl eventually returns in Infinite Frontier. After burning out of the corporate grindset as a head of an 'Uber but for superheroes' service in One-Star Squadron, she moves to Metropolis, gains new telepathic powers in the Lazarus Planet event and rejoins the Justice Society.

Power Girl in the Justice Society of America

Supergirl Across The Multiverse

Power Girl isn't the only alternate Supergirl out there in the infinite Multiverse of DC Comics.

  • Crime Syndicate / Schmidt, Andy - On Earth-3, where the roles of heroes and villains are reversed, a treacherous Ultragirl tries to take out her cousin Ultraman.
  • Multiversity : teen justice / Cohen, Ivan - On the matriarchal world of Earth-11, Supergirl is the daughter of Superwoman and fights alongside the young super-team Teen Justice.
  • Kingdom come / Waid, Mark - In a possible future, an older Karen Starr (now Power Woman) joins a new Justice League, led by an elder Superman trying to bring order to a world full of unruly metahumans.
  • Supergirl adventures : girl of steel - In the world of the DC Animated Universe, Supergirl is Kara In-Ze from Argo, a 'sister planet' to Krypton that was similarly devastated. Discovered in cryogenic stasis by Superman, Kara is brought to Earth, where she becomes gains powers similar to her 'cousin' and becomes Supergirl.
  • Injustice 2. Vol. 1 / Taylor, Tom - The Injustice universe's version of Supergirl first appears in its sequel comic, where she arrives on Earth not knowing her cousin has taken over the world.
  • Bombshells. Volume 2, Allies - Here, Kara's ship lands in Soviet Russia instead of the USA. When she comes of age in the midst of World War II, she defects and joins a team of heroines determined to end the conflict.
  • Dark Knights of Steel. Vol. 1 / Taylor, Tom - Transporting the heroes of the DC Universe into a medieval world of knights and nobility, the Supergirl here is Zala Jor-El, the princess of the realm's ruling family, the House of El.
  • Supergirl : cosmic adventures in the 8th grade / Walker, Landry Q. - In this cartoon-influenced series, a young Kryptonian named Linda Lee struggles to balance schoolwork with being Supergirl.