In current television, superheroes have become more popular than ever. The CW has been successful with Arrow, The Flash, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. Fox has also had success with Batman origin show “Gotham”. While it is always interesting to see major networks re-imagine the stories of DC Comics’ most popular superheroes, CBS is looking at the story of one DC superheroine. If you thought Clark Kent was the last Kryptonian, you would be mistaken after you watch “Supergirl.”
“Supergirl” tells the tale of the Man of Steel’s cousin, Kara Zor-El after she fled Krypton before its destruction. She was initially meant to come to Earth to protect her cousin, but then her escape pod took a wrong turn into the Phantom Zone (where she never aged). She finally makes it to Earth, only to see that her cousin has now become Superman.
Kara decided to hide her powers after being adopted by the Danvers family and tried living a normal life for years. However, after a harrowing incident in her home of National City, Kara decided to embrace who she is and become a symbol of hope for her city. Together with her sister (who is an agent for an alien investigation organization) and her friends, Kara puts on the red cape and becomes the Girl of Steel.
What immediately sets this show apart from other superhero shows is the fact that this time, the superhero is a girl. There is a very small amount of shows that have a superheroine, let alone have a superheroine that is the main character of the show. Having a superheroine as the main character is massive, but there is also, as any superhero would say, great responsibility. There is pressure to making sure that an actor is giving the best portrayal of a comic book hero. Supergirl, like her cousin, is an icon and fans of the show expect her to be like she was in the comics.
“She always finds a way to be heroic and good and pure at heart,” said Melissa Benoist (who plays Kara/Supergirl) in an interview with DC Comics blogger Tim Beedle. “So, there’s a pressure, but it’s something that’s kind of constant about her that I rely on.”
Another way that Supergirl shows its excellence is by having Kara act like a real human being. We often consider superheroes to focus on fighting villains and trying to keep their friends out of their problems. Supergirl is not like these kinds of heroes. Throughout the show, we see that she is still a beginning hero, so she needs a lot of help from her friends. She is also a very sympathetic character as well. Even when she is fighting an enemy, she tries to see the good in people.
“What ultimately is the most important about her is that she always finds the silver lining,” Benoist said.
Supergirl is a hit because its audience can see themselves in the heroic Supergirl and the dorky Kara Danvers. We see many superheroes often have these dark personalities and fight to keep people safe. Supergirl also fights to keep her city safe, but she also turns herself into a symbol of courage and hope for people. The way that Supergirl breaks away from the clichéd personalities of superheroes gives fans a better way to connect to her character and see how a superheroine can get things done.
