Supergirl (Kara Zor-El)
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Kara Zor-El is a fictional DC Comics superhero and the cousin of Superman. She first appeared in Action Comics #252 (May 1959) and was the first of several people to use the name Supergirl. She was killed during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, then retconned out of existence. Kara was recently reintroduced in the Superman/Batman comic book series.
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[edit] Character history
[edit] Silver age
Kara Zor-El was the last survivor of Argo City of the planet Krypton, which had survived the explosion of the planet and had drifted through space. When the soil of the colony was turned into Kryptonite, lead sheeting was placed on the ground. But meteorites pierced the sheeting and the Kryptonians began to die of radiation poisoning.
Kara was sent to Earth by her parents Zor-El and Allura to be raised by her cousin Kal-El, known as Superman. So Superman would know Kara was his cousin, her parents provided a costume based closely on the Man of Steel's.[1]Upon meeting Kara (who had begun to display powers similar to those of Kal-El), Superman decided she would become his secret weapon, and explained that her presence on Earth must be kept confidential while he trained Kara in the use of her new powers.
Kara adopted the identity of Linda Lee, an orphan at Midvale Orphanage, hiding her blonde locks beneath a brunette wig. During this period and for two full years, Linda interacted with humans mainly on a person-to-person basis performing good super-deeds on a save-the-world one at a time ratio, using clever schemes while trying to avoid becoming adopted before her time came. A distant precursor for her worldwide -even galactical fame- that was to come soon. Travel to other times or worlds came easy, since it permitted her to be openly seen then.
While temporarily un-super-powered due to the scheming of Kandorian scientist Lesla-Lar who was out to supplant her on Earth, Linda allowed herself to be adopted by engineer & rocket scientist Fred Danvers and Edna Danvers his wife. She revealed her secret identity to both on the same day her Cousin Superman finally introduced her to an unsuspecting world in the finale of then-DC's longest series ever published aptly titled "The World's Greatest Heroine".
Changing her name to Linda Lee Danvers (later known as just Linda Danvers), she became a student at Midvale High School, from where she graduated in time (1965). During this period she befriended telepath and Luthor's sister Lena Thorul (who had first appeared in Lois Lane's series and changed her name from Lena Luthor) who became a helper and confidant to both her secret identities apart until she married. In 1966 Linda went on to study an unrevealed BA in Stanhope College until she graduated there in 1971. She even gained Streaky, a pet cat that also possessed superpowers, an equine companion named Comet was a magical superpowered pet once described by Superman as "the mightiest Super-Creature on Earth" and joined the Legion of Super-Heroes. Comet the Superhorse became her inseparable companion awhile who was secretely in love with Kara and could romance her while he became human whenever a real Comet passed near Earth, in accordance with Circe's hex. His invulnerability to kryptonite allowed Supergirl to be saved many times. But both grew distant when she went on to College.
When dreams about her Kryptonian parents Zor-El and Allura being still alive alerted her, she built a machine and brought both back safely from the survival zone (where they had teleported during Argo's final moments) with the help of her adopted father's engineering talent. Eventually, they settled in Kandor, and when the city in the bottle was enlarged they lived on New Krypton/Rokyn.
Always popular with boys and fond of romances, Kara enjoyed many boyfriend-girlfriend relationships, like her Midvale orphanage friend Richard (Dick) Malverne, her merboy friend from Atlantis Jerro, and the many-time leader of the Legion of Super-Heroes Brainiac 5, but she always shunned a serious commitment that would translate into marriage, putting her super-career first.
When DC Editor Mort Weisinger retired in 1971 Julius Schwartz re-vamped the Superman Comics, and (under Mike Sekowsky) Kara was given a big set of mod threads to wear, some to the liking of fans, others not much. Technically more powerful than the 1/3 depowered Superman, and with no peril in sight due to the absence of green kryptonite, she was given a potion that made her at times non-powered and other times powered for two years, a formula that soon became tired routine. But the great Editing of Joe Orlando in 1973-4 revived the character to the liking of fans, balancing the superheroics with the romantic girl. Leaving her adoptive home to become an anchorwoman for KSF-TV in San Francisco, Linda had to battle her co-worker and most memorable villain from this period: Luthor´s niece Nasthalthia or Nasty, who followed her doggedly and came too close to proving her dual identity. Her beau this time was her own boss, Geoff, and his pal,Johnny.
Renouncing her job, she became a Graduate Student in drama at Vandyre College nearby. Supergirl began to try and establish her own identity and experimented with a wide variety of costume and hairstyle changes; her best-known outfit from this era was a blue v-necked sweater with a small S ensignia over her heart, and red hot-pants. While remaining independent from her cousin Superman, Kara maintained close ties with him as she handled a succession of short timed jobs like Student Advisor at New Athens experimental College in Florida, and female soap-opera actress in the Secret Hearts TV series, during her "Superman Family" run.
[edit] Death during the Crisis on Infinite Earths
When a cosmic event threatened to destroy the universe (and all of its parallel realities), all of Earth's heroes answered the call. And when Superman was about to be destroyed, Kara sacrificed herself to save him. [2] It is later revealed in a "Superman" title the following month, that Kara had been granted a premonition about her own passing.
But sadly, when the universe was rebooted, time had been altered and Kara was erased from existence. No one even knew that she had died.
[edit] "Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot"
Despite nobody remembering her existence (except for Donna Troy/Harbinger), the soul of Kara made one more appearance, a story titled "Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot" in Christmas with the Super-Heroes #2 (1988), Boston "Deadman" Brand tries to feel the warmth of Christmas by possessing revelers' bodies. Feeling guilty upon the realization that he has been stealing other's Christmases, he flies off feeling sorry for himself for being denied a reward after a year of helping people. A warmly-dressed blonde woman approaches Brand, startling him. somehow seeing the normally-invisible Brand, converses with him, finally reminding him, "We don't do it for the glory. We don't do it for the recognition...We do it because it needs to be done. Because if we don't, no one else will. And we do it even if no one knows what we've done. Even if no one knows we exist. Even if no one remembers we ever existed." She reminds Brand that even though he is dead, he is still human, and he should rejoice because it means his spirit is still alive. As the woman leaves, Brand asks her who she is, to which she replies, "My name is Kara. Though I doubt that will mean anything to you." The story, written by Alan Brennert and penciled by Dick Giordano, is dedicated to Otto Binder and Jim Mooney, adding: "We still remember."
Also, the soul of Kara appeared twice in Peter David's run, specifically in issues #48 and #49 when she appears before a defeated and imprisoned then-Supergirl, Linda Danvers from Earth and comforts her. Linda acknowledges she has been helped thrice by her phantom-friend, and when she asks her name she is told by the smiling figure: "I have gone by many names, but the one I am most fond of is: Kara!"[citation needed]
[edit] After Infinite Crisis
After Infinite Crisis, many historical events from the Multiverse are now being remembered. Donna Troy, after her rebirth and inheritance of Harbinger's Orb, has recalled the original Kara Zor-El and her sacrifice to save the Universe.[3]
[edit] Bibliography
- 1959 to 1969: Action Comics #252 to #376.
- 1969 to 1972: Adventure Comics #381 to #424.
- 1972 to 1974: Supergirl #1 to #10.
- 1974 to 1982: Her comic merges with Jimmy Olsen's and Lois Lane's to become Superman Family #164 to #222.
- 1982 to 1984: Supergirl second series #1 to #23.
Kara Zor-El appeared in over 750 stories published by DC from 1959 to 1985.
[edit] Modern age
In 2004, Kara Zor-El was reintroduced into DC continuity in the Superman/Batman series. Like the pre-Crisis version, this Kara claims to be the daughter of Superman's uncle Zor-El and his wife Alura. The post-Crisis Kara is actually older than Kal-El; she was a teenager when he was a baby. When Krypton exploded, she was sent in a rocket (in suspended animation) to find and look after Superman. However, her rocket got caught in a huge chunk of the planet and she arrived on Earth years after her cousin did. Meanwhile, she was put in suspended animation, so while chronologically born before Kal-El, she is still the age of a teenager. Initially her arrival is discovered by Batman, who initially doubted that she was really Kryptonian, thinking that it was too much of a coincidence. Eventually Kara is discovered by her cousin Superman and combat trained by Wonder Woman and Artemis. She is captured by Darkseid, and after being brainwashed, attacked her own cousin. Superman defeats her and returns her to Earth, where he fakes her death so Darkseid will not come looking for her. She then assumes the role of Supergirl. But she feels out of place, not sure where she really belongs. Kara is uncomfortable with her cousin's over-protectiveness, and unable to associate in close quarters with Power Girl since their powers go haywire when they touch. [4] Because of this she finds most solace with the Amazons on Themyscira. She finds kindred spirits in her other "cousin" Superboy[5], Wonder Girl [6], and fellow alien Starfire.[7]
Her self-discovery is interrupted when Lex Luthor uses black kryptonite to split her into a good Kara and an evil Kara.[8] The evil Kara states that she was sent to Earth by Zor-El for the sole purpose of killing the infant Kal-El. Zor-El had devised a special crystal that would influence her personality as she travelled to Earth, making her "innocent", thus creating the good side of Kara's personality. However, the good side became dominant. At the climax of the struggle between the two Karas and the Justice League, the good Kara urges Wonder Woman to use her golden lasso of truth to bind the two together and ask: "Who is Kara Zor-El?" The two Karas fuse back into a single good Kara, who decides her past is not important and acknowledges Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman as her foster parents.[9]
Supergirl joins the heroes whom Donna Troy has recruited to operate in deep space during the impending crisis. However, Kara's return from deep space is disrupted by the zeta-beam malfunction which befell Donna's space team. While some incur grevious physical injuries and deformities (Adam Strange loses his eyes; Hawkgirl grows to enormous size), Supergirl simply disappears. [10]
[edit] Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes
Kara appears in the 31st century. She is revered as a member of the Superman family. Upon her arrival she concludes that she is "dreaming" the Legion and the 31st century isn't real.[11] Saturn Girl, attempting to learn more about how Kara arrived in their era, scanned Kara's mind and found a particularly vivid memory--that of the zeta-beam accident.[12]
The Legion hypothesized that Kara is rationalizing her fantastic existence by believing her life is a dream. In a relatively short period of time (due to suspended animation):
- She lost her planet.
- She lost her parents.
- Arrived on Earth to find her baby cousin grown up and a legendary hero.
- She discovered her extraordinary powers and quickly reached the status of "living legend."
- Found herself inexplicably thousands of years in the future.
To complicate matters, every time Supergirl wants something to happen in her supposed dream world, it does. For example, when told she can't become a full member because the Legion is out of flight rings, one is immediately sent to her from Brainiac 5.
Her supposed dream world was shattered and in shambles when the very same Brainiac, concerned about the effects of a superpowered being like her slipping in madness, exposed her to green Kryptonite, sedated her and left in care of Kandorian scientist in an enlarged Kandor City for being "re-educated" on the uses of the last Kryptonians (with even language changed in a thousand years, Kara couldn't even be an effective member of Kandorian society, thus making her an outcast again), and her "romance" with Cosmic Boy was dismissed as the side-effect of the residual zeta-beam radiaton affecting the young boy body chemistry.
[edit] One Year Later
One Year (and one month) after Infinite Crisis, Supergirl returns to the 21st century, and assumes the identity of Flamebird to fight crime in Kandor with Power Girl as Nightwing. They oppose a religious cult based around warped versions of Superman's earlier appearances in Kandor. Kara also believes the key to Argo City, her home town, lies somewhere in the city.[13].
Kara and Power Girl find themselves battling the Saturn Queen and Ultraman (posing as Superman), villains who have established themselves in Kandor. At the climax of the struggle, Supergirl unexpectedly leaves (with her comrade in tow).
Since she did not consult with Power Girl about the timing of their exit, the two part on somewhat strained terms. Kara re-establishes herself on Earth, attaining financial independence after selling an item of Kryptonian technology that would completely "heal" anybody who uses it to Batman for his own personal use at the price of one million dollars. With this money Kara has purchased her own apartment.
Since returning from Kandor, Kara has established closer ties with the Kent Family, who are still mourning the loss of Conner. During a visit, Kara took Conner's trademark black t-shirt.
Kara has also forged a close friendship with Wonder Girl; she made a gift of Conner's shirt to Cassie. She is also dating former-villain Captain Boomerang II.
Later she started going to high school under the name Claire Connors, a teenaged girl from Kansas. But she dropped out after a week or so, due to cruel classmates.
[edit] Powers and abilities
Like all Kryptonians under a yellow sun, Kara Zor-El possesses vast super strength, speed & stamina; various extra sensory and vision powers ( including super hearing, x-ray vision, telescopic vision, microscopic vision, and heat vision); tremendous lung capacity and super breath (wind and ice); invulnerability and flight. Continued exposure to a yellow sun will cause the level of her abilities to slowly increase. Many characters in the DC universe have noted that Kara appears at times to be even more powerful than Superman. However, as Superman himself explains, this is because he has spent a lifetime trying to hold back so that he doesn't hurt the people around him, while Kara, without such experience, simply uses her powers to the fullest without being as fearful of risks to others.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Action Comics #252 May 1959 DC Comics.
- ^ Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 October 1985 DC Comics.
- ^ 52: Week Four and Week Five, 2006
- ^ Superman/Batman #8-12
- ^ Supergirl #2, 2005
- ^ Supergirl #9, 2006
- ^ Supergirl #3, 2005
- ^ Supergirl #4, 2005
- ^ Supergirl #5, 2006
- ^ Infinite Crisis #1, Superman (Vol. II) #223, JLA #123
- ^ Supergirl & the Legion of Super-Heroes #16, 2006
- ^ Supergirl & the Legion of Super-Heroes #18, 2006
- ^ Supergirl #6, 2006, Superman/Batman #27, 2006
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