The Flash: Who is Supergirl?

❘ Published: 2023-06-14T14:30:00

Warner Bros.

The Flash is out now, and introduces Supergirl to DC’s Extended Universe. So here’s everything you need to know about the character in the comics, plus how this super-powered Kryptonian fits into the film.

There are multiple characters debuting in the DCEU during The Flash. Thanks to trailers, we already know there will be two Barry Allens in the movie, via time travel and a spot of multiverse action.

While a version of Michael Keaton’s Batman is appearing in the movie, to help the Barrys do battle with General Zod.

They need a metahuman to go up against such a powerful being however, and that’s where Supergirl comes in. So here’s the character in the comics explained. Followed by how Supergirl appears in The Flash.

Who is Supergirl in the comics?

Created by Otto Binder, and designed by Al Plastino, Supergirl first appeared in Action Comics #252 in May 1959. Her Kryptonian name is Kara Zor-El, while her adoptive earth names include Linda Lee Danvers, Kara Kent, Linda Lang, and Kara Danvers.

Here’s how DC’s official website describes the character: “Teenager Kara Zor-el was rocketed to Earth from the dying planet Krypton. Faced with an entire world completely unrecognizable from the one she grew up in, she’s the ultimate new girl in school – with a planet-splitting right hook. A lonely girl with astounding might, she struggles to find her identity on her new reluctant home.

“As the most powerful teenager on the planet, the Girl of Steel possesses all of Superman’s powers – from superhuman strength, speed and invulnerability all the way down to his flight and enhanced senses. Still learning to control her awesome powers and lacking her cousin’s self-restraint, she may even be more dangerous than the Man of Steel.

“Yet, though she may occasionally make youthful mistakes, she’s also saved the world many times over, winning the unwavering trust of her adopted home and more than earning her place among Earth’s heroes.”

We’re going to describe how Supergirl fits into The Flash here, so SPOILERS AHEAD.

How Supergirl fits into The Flash

Supergirl starts The Flash a prisoner, but once freed, and charged by the sun, she teams up with both Barry Allens – as well as Michael Keaton’s Batman – to do battle with General Zod.

In the alternate timeline where most of The Flash plays out, the Barrys go looking for Superman, believing him to be on a black-site in the Arctic. But when they get there, Kal-El isn’t the Kryptonian being kept prisoner. Rather it’s his cousin, Kara Zor-El.

They break Kara free, and take her to Wayne Manor, where she has doubts about helping the people of earth following her recent imprisonment. But when she sees what General Zod is doing, she agrees to help the super-friends, turning The Flash into a stealth Justice League movie.

What follows is a violent battle in the Mojave Desert, one in which Zod overpowers Kara, and kills her, believing that sacrifice will allow Krypton to live again. But using the Speed Force, Flash travels back in time so the battle can play out from the beginning again. And again. Until big decisions have to be made about whether going back to the past can ever help the present.

Who plays Supergirl in The Flash?

Supergirl is played by Sasha Calle in The Flash. Calle’s only previous credit is playing Lola Rosales in daytime soap The Young and the Restless.

While the character doesn’t take center stage in The Flash, Calle sees this as the start of her Supergirl adventure, telling Entertainment Weekly: “I hope to continue playing Supergirl. I love her deeply. And I think that [The Flash] is really a runway to a bigger story for her. We don’t really get to experience a lot.

“I feel like this is a runway to a bigger story. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, by Tom King, is an incredible comic. I love it. I think it’s so cool. So yeah, I would hope to continue. I hope to continue playing Supergirl for sure.”

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