Supergirl is the new “it girl” of the DC Universe. I mean, she’s always been the “it girl,” ever since her first appearance in Action Comics in 1959. Now she’s set to be the show-stealing star of The Flash, even if men are being weird about it.
But who exactly is Supergirl? Where did she come from? How is Sasha Calle’s portrayal of the hero different than past iterations? You’ve come to the right place for answers, kid. And I’m about to give them to you.
Who-girl? Where did she come from?
Alright, so here’s the thing about Supergirl: She’s a space alien. Truly. She comes from the planet Krypton. You know who else comes from the planet Krypton? You guessed it. Superman. Now, I know what you’re thinking—”do they even know each other?” It’s the classic question your aunt asks when you say that your partner is from California while you’re introducing them at the family dinner. And Carol says “Oh my other nephew’s best friend’s dog walker is from California! Steven, do you know Steven?” Odds are pretty good that your partner doesn’t know Steven, because California has millions of people in it and Aunt Carol didn’t even tell you this man’s last name.
You’re probably thinking that Superman and Supergirl don’t know each other now, considering that Krypton is a whole-ass planet comprised of billions of space peoples and asking if Superman knows Supergirl is kinda like an alien asking if you know a guy in Beijing. Odds are, you don’t. But Superman isn’t you (you should know this because you can’t fly) and unlike you he actually DOES have a personal relationship with Supergirl. She’s his cousin. His older cousin.
Wait, what?
I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “WAIT A MINUTE, SHE LOOKS LIKE A 20-YEAR-OLD, AND HENRY CAVILL, WELL, HE LOOKS AMAZING BUT HE DOESN’T LOOK YOUNGER THAN SHE DOES,” and you’d be right. Superman appears to be older than Supergirl. Why? Because Supergirl traveled to Earth in a spaceship that got caught in a Kryptonite meteorite, causing her to enter a state of suspended animation that stopped her aging. Weird, right? And because she didn’t experience those years in suspended animation, she still acts the age she was when she first entered it.
It’s kinda like Aang from Avatar the Last Airbender. He’s 112 Years old, but all the kid wants to do is go penguin sledding.
So what is Supergirl doing in The Flash?
Besides flying around and shooting lasers out of her eyes, we don’t exactly know. The trailer for The Flash doesn’t give us too much to go on, but we do know that General Zod is back, and that’s not gonna be good news for anyone (except people like me who love Michael Shannon). What seems to set Sasha Calle’s Supergirl apart from other movie and TV versions of the character—besides the shorter, darker (and much cooler, tbh) hair—is that this one appears to have been locked up in a straitjacket, as if she’s mentally ill.
In any case, from the looks of it, I’d say she’s gonna (surprise, surprise) be teaming up with the Flash, Batman, and the rest of the DC gang in order to take Zod down.
Let’s just hope she doesn’t have to cozy up too close to Ezra Miller. I don’t wanna find out that Supergirl is also breaking into people’s houses.
(featured image: Warner Bros.)
