Kara / Supergirl: The Woman, The Myth, The Legend

[MarkHB]

Your character thread for discussing the character of Kara Zor-El / Kara Danvers / Supergirl as depicted on the show!

[BkWurm1]

So...any in show theories as to why Kara Danvers has limp hair but Supergirl gets the full wavy lochs?  Also, what kind of conditioner does she use to avoid massive snarls.  I can't drive with the windows down for five minutes without getting horrible knots.  ;)

[lion10]

 

It's a combination of both factors.  Even on a planet with lesser gravity, they would have no powers without Earth's yellow solar radiation.  A red sun would give them no powers, while an orange sun would weaken their muscular powers (super-strength, super-speed, flying, and super-breath) and limit their invulnerability while either diminishing or eliminating their other non-muscular powers (heat vision, telescopic vision, microscopic vision, x-ray vision, and super hearing) altogether.  Where the gravity is even lighter than Earth's, as long as the sun is at least orange- or yellow-colored, their muscular powers would be magnified.

 

Based on this post by legaleagle53, I wonder if we'll see a sundipped Kara by the end of the season, or its TV show equivalent to take on Astra?  It might be too much for the first season.

[Kromm]

The power explanation was evolved eventually so that it had nothing at all to do with gravity. Zero. I don't even know if they insisted that Krypton was a heavy world or not the last few iterations. I think they just kind of dodged talking about that aspect at all.

 

Red suns being so common though, they also had to build up some explanation that it wasn't just yellow sun radiation (which is kind of nonsense as a power source explanation anyway), but also that the Kryptonian acted like a rechargeable battery so they STORED the energy. So that was why Superman could fly through space and between star systems. It even means in theory he should have still had powers in a red star system for a period of time, but I think maybe they wanked that with some pretense that maybe red sun radiation actively drove out the yellow sun radiation, or some BS like that.

 

Really you'd think if Yellow Sun radiation gave powers then white would be yet more powerful and blue even moreso.  Ergo, those suns would be the best base for a Kryptonian.  But I doubt that premise was ever explored.

[legaleagle53]

Really you'd think if Yellow Sun radiation gave powers then white would be yet more powerful and blue even moreso.  Ergo, those suns would be the best base for a Kryptonian.  But I doubt that premise was ever explored.

 

Actually, someone did ask the editors once back in the Silver Age what would happen if Superman, Lois, Jimmy, and Perry were all on a planet orbiting a blue or a white sun.  The editor responded that Superman's powers would be magnified, while Lois, Jimmy, and Perry would acquire similar ones.  A green sun wouldn't work, though -- Supergirl was once on a planet with a green sun, and she had no powers while she was there.  Fortunately, she was able to fake it until she could leave.

[Kromm]

Actually, someone did ask the editors once back in the Silver Age what would happen if Superman, Lois, Jimmy, and Perry were all on a planet orbiting a blue or a white sun.  The editor responded that Superman's powers would be magnified, while Lois, Jimmy, and Perry would acquire similar ones.  A green sun wouldn't work, though -- Supergirl was once on a planet with a green sun, and she had no powers while she was there.  Fortunately, she was able to fake it until she could leave.

Lets say... explored REALISTICALLY--not that comics are ever realistic. So lets say... logically and internally consistently.

 

If Superman and Supergirl's powers are because they can absorb radiation then emit it back to their musculature, then... it doesn't matter the color of the sun... a human isn't going to be able to do that. Because humans don't get energy from solar radiation.

 

As for green suns?  Don't think those actually exist, not that the writers of that age would even care.

[lion10]

The power explanation was evolved eventually so that it had nothing at all to do with gravity. Zero. I don't even know if they insisted that Krypton was a heavy world or not the last few iterations. I think they just kind of dodged talking about that aspect at all.

 

Red suns being so common though, they also had to build up some explanation that it wasn't just yellow sun radiation (which is kind of nonsense as a power source explanation anyway), but also that the Kryptonian acted like a rechargeable battery so they STORED the energy. So that was why Superman could fly through space and between star systems. It even means in theory he should have still had powers in a red star system for a period of time, but I think maybe they wanked that with some pretense that maybe red sun radiation actively drove out the yellow sun radiation, or some BS like that.

 

Really you'd think if Yellow Sun radiation gave powers then white would be yet more powerful and blue even moreso.  Ergo, those suns would be the best base for a Kryptonian.  But I doubt that premise was ever explored.

 

IIRC, Superman under a blue sun makes Superman on a yellow sun look like he's under a red sun.  His heat vision becomes "Superman vision".  Here's a few panels that demonstrates it.  Also, I think it's pretty lame to not have Krypton have an atmospheric pressure of 1000 g or something like that and that's why he's got the super strength, speed, and invulnerability as it makes it more scientific.

[legaleagle53]

As for green suns?  Don't think those actually exist, not that the writers of that age would even care.

 

Actually, they do exist, but they're extremely rare.  There's one that exists that is the only one visible to the naked eye, (Beta Librae, or Zubeneschamali in the lower part of the constellation Libra), but it's a point of controversy as to whether it's actually green or just looks that way to some observers.

[MarkHB]

Folks, please remember that this is the Supergirl character thread; please, let's take it back on-topic.  Thanks!

[MarkHB]

One question that has come up here was answered by Ali Adler on Twitter last night:

 

#supergirl #eastcoastfeed @supergirlcbs for all of you wondering, Kara got her ears pierced on Krypton

 

My gut feeling is that it won't ever be brought up on the show, so that's the best answer we're likely to get.

[CletusMusashi]

Here's a question: has the show actually given us any indication that (apart from powerful flight acceleration, which seems to me more like telekinesis or something than like actual muscle movement,) Kara actually has "super speed" as one of her powers in this version? 

The flight speed is useful, absolutely, but it's useful for a pretty specific set of situations. Either traveling noticeable distances, or using herself as a battering ram, or some combination therof. But how fast can she run?

And how good is her motor control at high speeds? I mean, I could be the fastest athlete in the world when it comes to running, but still not be able to write my name or untie a rope any faster than a normal person.

I kind of like the idea of her not having it, to be honest. There's already a show about The Flash.

Edited November 18, 2015 by CletusMusashi

[Delphi]

I mean Superman was able to get from presumably Metropolis to National City in a matter of seconds when Kara was almost killed, so I think it's safe to say that she does have super speed, even if she's not actively using it.

[Chris24601]

Actually, no we haven't. The closest we've come is Superman flying in to block Reactron's attack on Kara when she was down and perhaps Kara grabbing the end of the shotgun before a robber fired it.

 

Both of those require a certain degree of quickness, but not necessarily superhuman quickness... the sorta thing you could see Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan pull off in their prime.

 

Since Kara is not supposed to be all that trained though, I think it could be argued that a Kryptonian has naturally better reflexes than a human, but might not have true superhuman speed the way the Flash does, but at just 4 episodes in its hard to say for certain.

[legaleagle53]

Oh, she has it, all right.  She broke the sound barrier during training, so we already know that she can fly much faster than sound.  It also takes her less than a second to change from Kara Danvers to Supergirl and back -- she'd never be able to do that if she didn't have super-speed.

 

And while we haven't seen her do it yet, she is actually capable of flying at at least the speed of light.  She just hasn't yet had to fly halfway around the world (which she would be able to do in less than a second at that speed) or break the time barrier by flying FASTER than light.  But give her time and she will.

Edited November 19, 2015 by legaleagle53

[CletusMusashi]

I think the costume changes may be a superpower in and of themselves.

I mean, she can wear a skirt and girly shoes and somehow still manage to hide a pair of boots underneath!

Even Clark Kent can't do that.

Edited November 19, 2015 by CletusMusashi

[Chris24601]

Oh, she has it, all right.  She broke the sound barrier during training, so we already know that she can fly much faster than sound.  It also takes her less than a second to change from Kara Danvers to Supergirl and back -- she'd never be able to do that if she didn't have super-speed.

 

The OP was making the distinction between flight speed and reflexes though. Yes, she can fly very quickly, but that doesn't mean she has the super-speed perception and reflexes to say, follow the path of a bullet in motion and pluck it out of the air (like the Flash does).

 

Also, by the definition of costume changes, Oliver, Thea and Laurel on Arrow also all have super-speed since they can don their suits at the speed of plot. Costume changes aren't a good evaluation of super speed in comic-based series. The fact that we've not actually seen Kara flip from one identity to another on screen (beyond the traditional shirt rip to reveal the 'S' logo... after which it changed shots) is not evidence of anything in such a series other than having an easy to remove disguise and/or an easy to don costume.

 

Frankly, I would be STUNNED if they actually give Kara or Superman Flash-like levels of reaction times for the simple reason that it wipes out too many potential threats to the point that only another Kryptonian or similar world-breaker can challenge them. strength/invulnerability, heat vision, freeze breath, super-senses and supersonic flight are more than enough without adding all the things the Flash can do to the mix.

 

Plus, even if CBS has tabled it for now, the producers are certainly holding out the prospect of someday being able to do a crossover with the CW portion of the DCTVU and not letting Kara obviate the entire rest of the line-up is something I'd expect them to do.

 

She's certainly quick, but more like "Batman" or "Spider-Man" quick, not "The Flash" quick.

 

 

 

And while we haven't seen her do it yet, she is actually capable of flying at at least the speed of light.  She just hasn't yet had to fly halfway around the world (which she would be able to do in less than a second at that speed) or break the time barrier by flying FASTER than light.  But give her time and she will.

Don't presume the Donner films or Silver Age power levels apply to the series. Those are the only places where Superman (or Girl) has been depicted able to do such wonky things as break the "time barrier" or achieve superluminal velocities. By that definition Supergirl is also capable of pushing entire planets across the galaxy in minutes (and without disrupting their ecosystems in the process).

 

There is zero evidence in the series that she or Superman have ever or will ever be able to move at light speed and I highly doubt they ever would. Just because she mentioned having been to other planets doesn't mean she flew there herself... it just means she went to other planets, presumably with her parents, before Krypton blew up.

 

ETA: I suspect that, overall her powers (and Superman's) are probably more in line with The Animated Series versions of the characters as much as anything. Powerful, but not to the point that guys in super-powered suits and such couldn't give them a challenge or some sort or another.

Edited November 19, 2015 by Chris24601

[Chicago Redshirt]

One of the things I would like to see the writers explore is that Supergirl has, if she's close to her other portrayals, super-intelligence. And at a minimum, she has 12 years of living in Krypton, which should put her far above the average human's knowledge. 

[MarkHB]

This is fun.  A poster at another site was able to get a screenshot and transcribe Kara's resume from the Season 1 finale ( the one that Cat scrawled "reporter" on). I love that she is described as a "good listener"; super hearing will do that.

[legaleagle53]

18 minutes ago, MarkHB said:

This is fun.  A poster at another site was able to get a screenshot and transcribe Kara's resume from the Season 1 finale ( the one that Cat scrawled "reporter" on). I love that she is described as a "good listener"; super hearing will do that.

Some of the resume transcript doesn't make any sense, though.  There's no such thing as a "Bachelor of Arts and Marketing."  The phrase should read "Bachelor of Arts IN Marketing."  And the timeline of the resume doesn't fit the timeline of the show; Kara had already been working at Catco as Cat's assistant for two years when the show started.

[secnarf]

5 minutes ago, legaleagle53 said:

Some of the resume transcript doesn't make any sense, though.  There's no such thing as a "Bachelor of Arts and Marketing."  The phrase should read "Bachelor of Arts IN Marketing."  And the timeline of the resume doesn't fit the timeline of the show; Kara had already been working at Catco as Cat's assistant for two years when the show started.

On the transcript, the person wrote that it was either Bachelor of Arts and Marketing or Bachelor of Arts in Marketing, presumably since they couldn't decipher the word. And I don't think the 'and' is necessarily invalid. If you can have a Bachelor of Arts and Science (as a single degree, not combined) why can't you have a Bachelor of Arts and Marketing? When I googled it, there are certainly people claiming to have that.

Edited December 31, 2016 by secnarf

[legaleagle53]

Just now, secnarf said:

On the transcript, the person wrote that it was either Bachelor of Arts and Marketing or Bachelor of Arts in Marketing, presumably since they couldn't decipher the word. And I don't think the 'and' is necessarily invalid. If you can have a Bachelor of Arts and Science (as a single degree, not combined) why can't you have a Bachelor of Arts and Marketing? When I googled it, there are certainly people claiming to have that.

Because then the proper phrase would be "Bachelor of Arts in Art and Bachelor of Arts in Marketing."  "Bachelor of Arts and Marketing" doesn't make sense because there's no such thing as an "Arts and Marketing" field of study.  They're two entirely different disciplines and courses of study.

[MarkHB]

10 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

 And the timeline of the resume doesn't fit the timeline of the show; Kara had already been working at Catco as Cat's assistant for two years when...

I don't see how the timeline doesn't fit; the resume says Kara was waiting tables at Noonan's 2010-2013, and the show started in 2015, so there are the two years.  And I'm sure the original said "Bachelor of Arts in Marketing"; the preposition was blotted out by the red marker.