It’s not a controversial opinion to say that the DCU’s Supergirl movie failed to live up to a lot of our expectations. It touted itself as adapting one of Kara’s most beloved modern works, only to go against the very core of the story and leave off with a wishy-washy message that went against everything the movie actually showed. Ultimately, the movie was supposed to introduce Supergirl to a broader audience and demonstrate how she can stand on her own, independent of her more popular cousin. Supergirl’s future in the movies looks bleak, but in the comics, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
The Summer of Supergirl is in full swing, celebrating the Maid of Might and everything she stands for. With Superman currently out of the picture, it’s fallen to Kara to become the House of El’s heir, and as Supergirl (2025) has shown, she’s more than capable of following through on that pressure. Everyone says that Supergirl needs something to distinguish her from Superman, and even though that issue is so often blown massively out of proportion, the comics just gave her that exact distinction and growth that the movie failed to do.
Supergirl #15 concluded the battle for Kandor between Supergirl and Black Flame, ending with Supergirl taking down the villain and saving her in a very Supergirl way. In the aftermath, Kara expressed that it was high time that she stepped up to the plate to make sure that something like the tragedy in Kandor never happened again. She’d spent so long ignoring the true breadth of her responsibilities as the House of El’s heir, the longest-serving Kryptonian hero outside of Superman himself. Now, she decided that she had to step up and be proactive in a way she never had before, founding her own team, the Super-Force.
The Super-Force was manned by all the allies Supergirl acquired during her current ongoing, assembled to help her retrieve the Sun Crystal from beneath Kandor and rescue the Superboys from their own individual battles. Now, as “Kingdom of Zod” draws nearer, Kara is going to have to lead her team to protect the Earth from his forces. Supergirl is taking up responsibility like she never has before, giving her a new direction in which she is the hero who exemplifies Krypton’s legacy and what it means to wear the S. She’s always stood behind Superman in that regard, but now she has the chance to prove that she can hold that position even better than he could.
On top of her new role, Kara is also still sporting her Symbiote-like costume made from Lesla and Lena’s Super-Substance. It can adapt on the fly to any look or shape that Kara needs and can do everything from transforming into armor and weapons to bolstering her with yellow sunlight in an environment where she’d be powerless. She redesigned her suit to be a much more mature costume, showing her transition from her younger, small-time actions to accepting her role as one of the most important heroes in the world. This single issue has given Kara everything she needs and, even better, shows us exactly what sets her apart from Superman.
All too often, when people attempt to make Supergirl stand out from Superman, they try to distance her from his most obvious traits. This reasoning is how you get versions like the New 52 Supergirl, who was defined by her rage and pain at watching Krypton explode. However, when writers focus too much on Supergirl being a warrior or angry, they lose the very way that she already differentiated herself from her cousin. See, both Superman and Supergirl are bastions of endless hope, but where Superman founds his on building a better tomorrow, Supergirl builds her hope on choosing to live with pain.
Supergirl is someone who cares about everyone, even her worst enemies. That open heart is what makes Krypton’s destruction hit her even harder, as she had to watch her planet die while being unable to do anything. Obviously, she would be angry and traumatized by this, but what makes Supergirl special is how she shows that pain doesn’t have to define you. She’s someone who has been through a more horrifying experience than anyone can imagine, but she picked herself back up and used that pain as fuel to be an even better person. She wants to help everyone because nobody deserves to feel that kind of pain.
Supergirl has always been someone who lived with endless grief, but still found ways to accept it and live with her head held high. Superman is someone who lived a relatively calm life in comparison, and his ideals are forged against the backdrop of his loving parents. In comparison, Supergirl has felt infinitely more pain, but still chose to come to the conclusion that hope and kindness are what the universe needs. I think that’s infinitely more inspiring than someone who lets their pain define them negatively. Supergirl and Superman may say the same things, but they have completely different reasons for saying them, and that’s what makes them both so incredible.
Supergirl #15 is on sale now!
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