Supergirl II
Created by Curt Swan and Al Plastino
+ History
The current Supergirl has a relatively straighforward history (that is, in comparison to many contemporary heroes), but her continuity might seem complicated given the ways in which the character has been "rebooted" since the Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Originally, Supergirl debuted in Action #252 (May 1959). She was Superman's cousin, Kara Zor-El, and she took the secret identity of Linda Lee Danvers, and ultimately perished in the first Crisis (#7, 1985). After this, the universe was recreated without her; she was erased.
For many years, editorial edicts forbade the reintroduction of Kara Zor-El, preferring that Kal-El remain the "sole survivor" of Krypton. To get around that, a different kind of Supergirl was created in Superman #16 (1988). This Supergirl was originally made from a protoplasmic Matrix from another dimension. Eventually this form solidified and merged with a human, Linda Danvers. Her abilities included flight, invulnerability, telekinesis, and limited shape-changing and teleportation (but no vision powers). Danvers adventured as Supergirl for many years, acquiring additional powers as an "Earth angel." Danvers' existence in the newly ordered, post-Infinite Crisis universe is uncertain. Danvers does still exist, as verified by her appearance in Reign in Hell #6 (2009). In that tale, Dr. Occult called Linda "Supergirl" and she responded "yes... no! It's a long story." This Supergirl met (but did not join) the Legion of Earth-247 in Supergirl Annual #2 (1997). More questionable are the events involving the Matrix, before it merged with Danvers. The Matrix came from a "pocket universe," that most likely no longer exists.
Another Supergirl named Cir-El (Superman: The 10 Cent Adventure, 2003) was from the future, an alternate timeline that was wiped from continuity before the Infinite Crisis.
Nearly 20 years after the first Crisis, following the Infinite Crisis, a true new Kara Zor-El was reintroduced to the Superman family in Superman/Batman #8 (May 2004). The current Kara was a clean slate, with her own distinct history. This Supergirl has not taken a permanent secret identity, but has gone by the aliases Claire Connors and Linda Lang.
In relationship to the Legion, Legion tales involving Supergirl remain mostly intact—that is, they are the same as originally told. However, events where the Legionnaires interacted with her life in the 20th century are no longer valid. This is because they frequently involved the "super pets" (super-cats Streaky and Whizzy, and Comet the super-horse), or involved aspects of her life as Linda Lee.
The Supergirl of Universe-0
x
Kara Zor-El is the cousin of the legendary hero, Superman (Kal-El). Both were born on Krypton, but Kara’s journey to Earth was quite different than Kal-El’s. Unlike her cousin, Kara grew to adolescence on Krypton and saw firsthand its destruction. After her uncle Jor-El sent the infant Kal-El to Earth, Kara’s father Zor-El planned the same thing for her.
What Kara didn't know was that her home, Argo City, survived the destruction of Krypton. As the planet began to fall apart, Zor-El managed to surround Argo City using force field technology (recovered from Brainiac's attack on the city of Kandor). Argo drifted in space and ultimately crossed paths again with Brainiac, who destroyed the city and assimilated its inhabitants into his shrunken Kandor. (Supergirl v.5 #35, Action #869)
Kara’s spaceship took longer to arrive at Earth than Kal-El's. It was also encased inside kryptonite (toxic fragments of the doomed planet). When her ship finally fell to Earth, it was discovered by Batman in Gotham City. When Kara awoke, Superman learned that she was his cousin. (Superman/Batman #8) In her first days on Earth, her mind was in turmoil. She could not fully remember her life on Krypton. Meanwhile, she trained in the use of her newfound powers, which were extraordinary under a yellow sun. Wonder Woman and the Amazons took her under their wing, teaching Kara their ways and battle techniques. (#9) She quickly drew the attention of the evil god, Darkseid (#10) but was quickly rescued by Superman, who gifted her a new costume and title: Supergirl (II). (#12)
Supergirl eventually hooked up with Donna Troy and a band of heroes who ventured into space to investigate the cosmic rift developing there. (JLA #123, Infinite Crisis #1) This rift collapsed when its creator, Alexander Luthor was defeated. Supergirl was thrust, amnesiac, across the multiversal divide—to Earth-Prime in the 31st century. (Infinite Crisis #7, 52 #5)
NOTES: The current Zor-El first appeared in Superman/Batman #9; Allura in Supergirl #16. When first told, in Supergirl v.5 #16 (2007), Kara had supposedly been sent by her mad father to Earth to kill Kal-El. She believed he was possessed by malevolent phantoms. This was "retconned" away by the tale in #35.
Legion 3: Earth-Prime
x
When Supergirl arrived in the 31st century, she thought that she was dreaming. When she met the Legion’s Cosmic Boy, she told him that Legion didn’t really exist; they were only a dream. Regardless, the inhabitants of Earth immediately recognized her as a legendary hero. (Supergirl & the Legion #16) Despite her disbelief, Supergirl was immediately on-hand to help where it was needed. Cosmic Boy also proposed that the Legion make Supergirl an honorary member. (They could not award her full membership because they had no spare flight ring.) This situation was rectified by Brainiac 5, who offered her the ring of the recently deceased Dream Girl. (#17)
The Legionnaires soon feared that Supergirl would become a danger if she didn’t accept her situation as reality, so they subdued her with kryptonite and took her to Kandor, which in the 31st century resided on the planet Rokyn. Kara was overwhelmed to see that part of Krypton had survived. (#23) But according to Kandorian law, Kara was required either to stay there forever or leave forever. The Legionnaires advised her to return to Earth, which she did. (#24)
Kara had impressed her peers thoroughly, and when Cosmic Boy opened the Legion leader elections to thousands of Legionnaires at-large (#21), Supergirl won! Her first act as leader was to address the entire organization, and to offer the Wanderers Legion membership. (#31)
After an epic battle against the Dominion, Supergirl began in earnest to look for a way home. Brainiac 5 helped her, first by constructing the Chronexus which allowed her to view into the past. (Action Comics #850) He soon succeeded by teaming up with another hero, Evolvo-Lad, who modified the Chronexus to send send Supergirl home. (#35-36)
During her time on Earth-Prime, the Legionnaire Invisible Kid developed a serious crush on her, but he never expressed his feelings. (#22) On parallel Earths, it is has been Brainiac 5 who is normally enamored with her. On Earth-Prime, Brainy’s affections had already been claimed by his teammate, the platinum bombshell Dream Girl.
Back in the 21st Century
Power Girl (left) and Kara as Nightwing and Flamebird.
From Supergirl #7 (2006). Art by Ed Benes.
Besties Kara and Cassie.
From Supergirl #19 (2007). Art by Alé Garcia.
In Kara's search for her identity, she tried unsuccessfully to join groups like the Outsiders (Supergirl v.5 #3, 11-12) and the Teen Titans. (#22) She made some good friends within those groups, though, with both Wonder Girl and Captain Boomerang. But an attempt to attend public school and assume a secret identity as Claire Conners failed as well. (#10)
Her relationship
with her namesake, Power
Girl, has also been tumultuous. After a rocky first meeting (#1) Supergirl
and Power Girl undertook a mission to find Argo City. In her heart, Supergirl
believed that Argo had survived the destruction of Krypton. Her search
for the truth led them to a
a city called Kandor—a society inspired by the original Kryptonian
city. There they donned the guises of Flamebird and Nightwing and
discovered that Kandor's rulers (Saturn Queen and Ultraman) were villains
who had also survived the destructions of their universes. In
the end, Kara made a deal with Saturn Queen to leave the city in exchange
for information about Argo City. (Supergirl
v.5 #6-8) 
Nightwing
and Flamebird were aliases originally used by the pre-Crisis Superman and
Jimmy Olsen during their trip to Kandor (Superman #158,
1963).
Kara's early days on Earth were dark days because, unbeknownst to her, she suffered from residual kryptonite poisoning. This affected her memories and judgment. She doubted her very nature, and worried that she'd been sent to Earth only to murder her cousin, Kal-El. (#5-7, 16) To protect Kal from this fate, Kara cut off all contact with him for some time. She was cured of this malady by none other than her own parents! Zor-El, Alura, and Kandor were discovered by Superman while battling Brainiac in space. (Action #868-869) Back on Earth, Kandor was enlarged, (#870) and Kara was reunited with her parents. (Superman: New Krypton Special #1)
Zor-El was murdered soon thereafter by Reactron. (Action #872) Kandor retreated into space, forming its own planet, New Krypton. In memory of her father, and to help support her mother better, Kara chose to become a member of the Science Guild on her "Guilding Day," a the traditional Kryptonian ceremony. (Supergirl #43)
Legion 1: Earth-0
Supergirl on her day of joining. From Action #276 (1961).
Art by Jim Mooney.
Supergirl succumbs to red K, becoming Unknown Boy!
From Adventure #334 (1965). Art by John Forte.
Supergirl resigns from the Legion.
From Superboy #204 (1974) Art by Mike Grell.
It takes a family to defeat the dark side.
From Legion v.2 #294 (1982). Art by Keith Giffen.
Kara had already joined the Legin of Earth-Prime, but her greatest friends would be found in the Legion of her own universe. She met two these Legionnaires (Karate Kid and Una) for the first time while her memories were still fuzzy about her time on Earth-Prime. (Supergirl #21-22) Soon after that, she was approached by the three Legion founders, who invited her to try out for the Legion. In this visit, Supergirl was disqualified after red kryptonite temporarily transformed her into an adult, making her ineligible. (Action #267) As she had with her cousin, Superman, Saturn Girl removed all memories of Kara's visit to the future.
A year after her first encounter Supergirl was given a second chance to apply for membership. This time she was admitted after recovering the King Arthur's legendary sword, Excalibur. She was admitted along with her was Brainiac 5, who was instantly enamored of the Girl of Steel. He gave her a duplicate of his force-field belt (which broke shortly after her return to the 21st century. (Action #276)
Before this, Kara met Brainiac 5's ancestor, Vril Dox (Brainiac 2) in the 21st century, and aided him when he was on Earth. (REBELS v2 #1-2)
The Legionnaires became quick friends with Kara and she participated regularly in their missions, and sometimes for fun, like when they staged a good-natured prank on Super-cousins to celebrate the anniversary of Supergirl's arrival on Earth. (Superman #152)
Supergirl was key in battle against the Positive Man (Action #287), and was introduced to Mon-El and other inhabitants of the Phantom Zone. (Action #288, 298, 307)
The 30th century was apparently rife with red kryptonite because twice again she succumbed to its effects. One time she took on the alter ego of Satan Girl (Adventure #313, Supergirl v.6 Annual #2) and another time becamse Unknown Boy. (#334)
But she was no slouch either. When Queen Azura of the planet Femnaz hypnotized the girl Legionnaires into attacking their male comrades, Supergirl invented Cancellite gas to nullifty Durlans' powers. (#326)
Superman and Supergirl were temporarily forced to leave the Legion when the Earth was surrounded by a cloud of green Kryptonite. (#350), but rejoined as soon as it was eliminated. (#351)
Over the years, Brainiac 5 became more and more obsessed with Supergirl, even building a robot duplicate of her in his sleep. He was crushed when she told him that she was resigning from full-time serivce. (Superboy #204) Although he continued to carry a torch for her, this effectively ended any chance of a real relationship.
She returned only in times of great need: against Darkseid, (Legion v.2 #294) the Emerald Empress, (#301-303) and the Dark Circle. (#314-315)
Pre-Crisis Notes
Supergirl's original history was quite different. Here are some details which are no longer valid in current continuity…
In
the universe and continuity that existed before the Crisis on Infinite Earths,
Supergirls parents Zor-El and Allura survived the destruction of Krypton. Their
home, Argo City was blasted into space by the explosion. They later
had a daughter, Kara Zor-El. Just before Argo City was wiped out by kryptonite
poisoning, Zor-El and Allura sent Kara to Earth, where she became Supergirl.
Superman placed her in the Midvale Orphanage under the name Linda Lee and kept
her existence a secret. (Action
#252)
As Kal-El had his super-dog Krypto, Kara had a super-cat, Streaky, who got its powers through exposure to a newly created kryptonite isotope called X-kryptonite. (Action #261)
Superman soon announced Supergirl's existence to the world and revealed her secret identity to her adoptive parents, Fred and Edna Danvers. This was after her induction into the Legion, and her super-pals came to help her in her first public mission. (Action #285) The Legionnaires visited her frequently: to stage a good-natured prank, (Superman #152) give her presents, (Action #290), attend her high school graduation, (#318), and visit her at Stanhope College. (#319)
Kara also met another "super-pet," a horse called Biron.
In truth, Biron was an alien locked in the form of a horse. She named
him Comet. (Action #292-293) Superman aided
Comet with his condition by sending the Super-Horse to the planet Zerox (the
Sorcerer's World). There, Prince Endor cast a spell that enabled Comet to become
human as long as he was in sight of a passing comet. On Earth, Comet adopted
the human identity of cowboy "Bronco
Bill," but Supergirl
was unaware that Comet was able to become human. (Action #301)
Together, Superman and Supergirl enlarged the bottle city of Kandor on the world Rokyn. By the 30th century, Rokyn becomes the primary home for the scattered survivors of Krypton. (Superman #338)
During the first Crisis, Supergirl joined a team of the most powerful heroes, and traveled to the Anti-Matter Universe. There she perished while fighting the Anti-Monitor. (Crisis #7) In the 30th century, Brainiac 5 moruned her on the 1,000-year anniversary of her death. (Legion v.3 #15) Brainy lamented the inevitable paradoxes that would result if he were to try to change history to save her. (#16)
Not long after this, Paul Levitz introduced a new Legionnaire called Sensor Girl. Levitz admitted that he intended for her to be revealed as Kara Zor-El, until his editor squashed the plan (read below).
Notes
Steve Lightle on Supergirl/Sensor Girl: When Paul [Levitz] saw that I had designed a Legionnaire with a full mask, I think that sparked his desire to spare Supergirl from her Crisis fate, by making her the lady behind the mask. I believe the original idea was that even she didn't know her true identity, and that she had lost all her Kryptonian powers except those pertaining to her senses. This is why, in the early appearances of the character, she appears to have powers consistent with X-ray vision, heat vision, etc. It wasn't until [DC Comics president Jeanette] Khan insisted that Supergirl should remain dead (she was very firm on this at the time) that Paul came up with Plan B ... Projectra. after all, who wanted to incur the wrath of Jeanette?" —Comic Book Resources
+ Powers
Supergirl possesses the same powers as all Kryptonians under a yellow sun: super-strength, super-speed, invulnerability, x-ray vision, heat vision, and freezing breath.
She can survive unaided in space roughly two hours by holding her breath, but does require oxygen.
These powers can be negated primarily by red sunlight, kryptonite and magic.
Appearances + References
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Original:
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Original:
Matrix/Linda Danvers:
Kara Zor-El (Earth-0/current):
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