Supergirl has a somewhat complex history. It involves differing origin stories, multiple secret identities, and even an iconic death.
To explain the finer intricacies of her backstory, and her various incarnations from 1959 through to the present day would require diagrams, a stack of reference books, and plenty of coffee. Suffice to say there’s a lot of history going on.
DC Comics is aware of this and as such, these days Supergirl’s origin story is kept fairly straightforward. Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, she’s Superman’s older cousin, and she was sent to Earth to protect Supes (aka Kal-El) when he arrived here as a baby.
Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, Kara got delayed and put in temporary stasis, causing her to arrive long after Kal-El had landed, grown up, and turned into Superman. So, while Kara is Kal’s older cousin, by the time they meet on Earth he has aged from a baby into a man, while she has remained the same age.
No problem, she retained her youth, so it all worked out fine, right? Well, maybe not as fine as it seems, if you consider how much of a mental tsunami this would actually be.
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A different experience
Firstly, Kara’s experience is vastly different to Kal-El’s. Kal left Krypton as a baby, so has no memories of what he left behind.
He was found by the Kents, given a new life as Clark, and raised as a human. This worked out well for him, and in his loving human environment he shared a connection with every other human on the planet which helped him on his journey to becoming Superman.
As Kal/Clark grew up, he learnt details about his home world, and found ways to reconnect with his heritage, but he didn’t have first-hand knowledge or experiences of Krypton. This kept his home planet as a somewhat unreachable ideal, and it became difficult to truly miss what he didn’t recall.
But when it comes to Kara, she remembers everything. Unlike her cousin, she actually knows Krypton inside out.
She remembers people, places, customs, details, names, faces, and a life once lived. She had hopes and dreams, as well as goals and ambitions, until it was all taken away.
Now she just has a crushing recollection of the day all of these things came to an abrupt end. Every day she remembers what she lost and how quickly her life changed.
Everyone talks about Superman as the last son of Krypton, but Kara remembers Krypton as if it was only yesterday. In many ways she’s the true representative of her lost world.
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Survivors guilt
Speaking of which, Kara survived the destruction of her home when no one else did (other than Kal-El). She carries the knowledge that she made it out and her parents and friends didn’t.
Her survivors guilt must be off the chart. Knowing that she now carries with her the legacy of Krypton – even more so than Kal-El, because she lived it.
Everything she does moving forward is in the shadow of that legacy, which adds a lot of pressure. Every opportunity she misses or mistake she makes chips away at her.
There’s doubt and guilt. Is she doing all that she can to make her survival meaningful?
What if someone else had taken her place, would they be making better choices and making more of their new life? There’s a lot to reconcile.
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A mission unfulfilled?
Something which also sticks with Kara is the knowledge she failed in her mission. As the older cousin, she was meant to protect Kal-El when he was at his most vulnerable, but she arrived years later than planned, meaning her mission went unfulfilled.
Sure, Kal’s life turned out perfectly well, but this doesn’t change the fact Kara left her home ready to protect her young cousin, and didn’t. She already had to deal with the knowledge her parents and her world died, but then knowing she couldn’t be there for her last surviving family member is just another sucker punch to the gut.
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Isolation
And finally, because of her experiences and her guilt, Kara is a more isolated person, and perhaps quite lonely.
It might be best to think of Kara/Supergirl as a time traveller without a time machine. She left Krypton and arrived on Earth as the same person, but the world around her changed.
If she had arrived when Kal-El was a baby, they could have grown up alongside each other and had shared experiences, or he would have grown up with her Kryptonian guidance. Instead, Kal had already matured, and become more human, and she was suddenly expected to get with the program and follow suit.
He had years to develop the attributes and values which make him Superman. She had almost no time to grow into her role as Supergirl.
Everything that has happened to her has been a jolt to the system. This jolt has alienated her and created a disconnect from everyone around her.
Kara has feelings and memories that no one else can understand or relate to. She might wear the same shield as Superman, and in her role as Supergirl she has to uphold the same values everyone has come to expect from a member of the Superman family, but inside she is not the same person.
Supergirl is a hero with baggage and lots of issues which could take a lifetime to resolve. While she is out there fighting for truth and justice, there is arguably more going on inside her head than anyone can imagine.
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Thank you for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this post about Supergirl. For more posts be sure to check out the recommended reads below.
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