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107-534: Supergirl is a DC Comics superhero character. Supergirl or Super Girl may also refer to: Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics . The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El , the cousin of superhero Superman . The character made her first appearance in Action Comics #252 (May 1959) and

214-606: A Female Fury , with another design change (to match the styles of the other Furies) and a fully evil personality due to possession by the New God Desaad . Though defeated by Freddy Freeman/Shazam before the end of the Final Crisis miniseries, the evil Mary appeared again in the "Black Adam and Isis" arc featured in Justice Society of America (vol. 3) #23–25, by the end of which she has lost her powers and returned to being

321-508: A Kryptonian and unable to remove the power ring without killing her, he brings her to Guy Gardner , the leader of one of the two Red Lantern factions, who manages to restore her sanity. After some time under Gardner's tutelage and protecting the galaxy as a Red Lantern, she is discharged from the Red Lantern Corps, as Guy did not want her to die needlessly fighting against Atrocitus ' splinter group. On her way back to Earth, Kara encounters

428-557: A big tantrum, she decides to become a solo superheroine. Mary returns in Final Crisis , still apparently in Darkseid's thrall, wearing a new black costume with more of a punk look. She attacks Wonder Woman , scratching the Amazon's upper arm and infecting her with an unknown virus delivered from a broken glass vial bearing a gold Omega symbol. Later, when the heroes of Earth attack Blüdhaven , Black Adam notes that she's been possessed by one of

535-471: A character owned by DC was the same as the character he owned, he stated, "Can I say this is Linda Danvers? Of course I can't. However, it's pretty freaking obvious that it is." According to an interview with Newsarama, the Matrix Supergirl is wiped from existence by the events depicted in the 2005 limited series Infinite Crisis , although Infinite Crisis writer Geoff Johns later stated that Danvers

642-488: A family grudge. At the time, Kara herself refuses to believe this, but later flashbacks indicate that not only is this partly true, but Kara had been physically altered by her father as a child before being involved in several murders on Krypton. However, these matters were later revealed to be delusions as a result of Kryptonite poisoning. Upon being cured, she presents a personality more like that of her Silver Age persona. Kara Zor-El (so named because on Krypton, women take

749-413: A little boy that she would save him. She tries to make good on her promise, following different avenues searching for a cure for his cancer. After he died, she tracks down a villain with the ability to jump through time, but decides not to use that solution, as she would just be doing the same thing as the villain. She accepts that sometimes she cannot save everyone. As part of The New 52 , Kara's origin

856-674: A little help from Mary and Billy, Freddy defeats Blaze and sends her back to hell, later promising them that he will find a way to restore their lost powers. The DC Universe was rebooted in 2011 with the New 52 line of comics. In the current continuity, Mary appears as Mary Bromfield , making her debut in Justice League (vol. 2) #8 in 2012. She is the oldest kid living in the Vázquezes' foster home, along with Billy Batson, Freddy Freeman, Eugene Choi, Darla Dudley, and Pedro Peña. Whether or not this Mary

963-632: A new Supergirl debuted as a man-made lifeform made of synthetic protoplasm created by a heroic Lex Luthor of a " pocket continuum ". Lex implants her with Lana Lang 's memories and she can shapeshift to resemble Lana. Known as Matrix , she even believes herself to be Lana for a time. She wears a miniskirted version of Superman's costume, but does not have Superman's exact powers. While she can fly and possesses super-strength (like Superman), she also has psychokinetic , shapeshifting, and cloaking/ invisibility powers (the last makes her undetectable, even to Superman). The Matrix's Supergirl form resembles

1070-454: A normal teenage girl. In 2011, following its Flashpoint company-wide event, DC made sweeping continuity changes to some comic book series and minor ones to others, as part of its relaunch event " The New 52 ". Captain Marvel, now known as Shazam, received a new origin story as part of a Shazam! backup feature by writer Geoff Johns and penciler Gary Frank , published between 2012 and 2013 in

1177-544: A planet under attack by monsters and she intervenes to save them, unaware that the entire planet is a trap by Brainiac . She is captured and restrained by the Cyborg Superman , but after a struggle, she manages to escape. Returning to Earth, she is sent into the past by the Oracle alongside Superman and Superboy, where she ensures that a resurrected H'el cannot save Krypton. She sacrifices the planet and her family in order to save

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1284-486: A rougher justice, such as turning soldiers to stone and shrinking poachers so their quarries chase them. Their alliance, however, seems to break down when Eclipso, hoping to please her master Darkseid , offers Mary as his new concubine, reasoning that the two women could always leech Darkseid's arcane knowledge, slay him, and take his place. Mary refuses to sell herself for more power, beats Eclipso with her own crystal, and flees, enraged. Eclipso catches up to her and regains

1391-457: A second monthly comic book series, The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl , which ran from 1982 to 1984. Supergirl was originally introduced in Action Comics #252 as the cousin of the publisher's flagship superhero , Superman in the story The Supergirl from Krypton . In most depictions, she is an alien from the planet Krypton , possessing a multitude of superhuman abilities derived from

1498-449: A storytelling device that allows writers to introduce alternative versions of fictional characters, hypothesize "what if?" scenarios, revisit popular Elseworlds stories and allow these characters to interact with the mainstream continuity. Producer Ilya Salkind originally wrote a treatment for the third installment from the Superman film series starring Christopher Reeve that expanded

1605-608: A superhero who shared little other than the name with her sometime co-star Captain America .) Reaction to Supergirl's first appearance was tremendous, with thousands of positive letters pouring into the DC Comics offices. Issue #8 of the Superman/Batman series originally published in 2004 re-introduced Kara Zor-El into the DC continuity. Like the pre- Crisis version, this Kara claims to be

1712-418: A teenage radio announcer. While hosting an on-air quizbowl , he receives an urgent letter from Sarah Primm, now on her death bed, requesting his presence. Billy goes to see her during a break, and Primm tells him the secret of his long-lost sister. To help him find Mary, Primm gives Billy a locket broken in half and tells the boy with her last breaths that Mary wears the other half. After the quizbowl broadcast

1819-459: A three-mile fall, and falls into a coma. This set up Mary's appearances as a main character in Countdown , a weekly DC series which served as the successor to 52 . During the course of the series, head writer Paul Dini and his collaborators had Mary acquire the powers of Black Adam, which give her a new look including a form-fitting long-sleeved black uniform and skirt with black lace-up boots. While

1926-561: A time as a member of the Teen Titans and central hero in her own right, participating in events such as Panic in the Sky , and Death and Return of Superman . Beginning in September 1996, DC published Supergirl (vol. 4) written by Peter David . The 1996 Supergirl comic book revamped the previous Matrix Supergirl by merging her with a human being, resulting in a new Supergirl. Many elements of

2033-662: A uniform which was closely based on the one Superman wears. It later develops Zor-El and Alura survived the radiation poisoning that killed everyone else in Argo City by entering the Survival Zone, a parallel continuum akin to the Phantom Zone . They were eventually rescued by Supergirl and the couple decide to live in the bottle city of Kandor . Later, Kara is reunited with her parents, but that reunion becomes bittersweet, as Reactron kills her father and her mother dies when New Krypton

2140-479: A wall toppling on him. Mary wears a black form-fitting costume and wields Adam's powers as a darker, angrier character. While searching for a tutor to help her harness her power at the reformed Riddler's advice, she encounters Klarion the Witch boy in a market for dark magic, who tries to take her power, then Zatanna , who banishes her from her home after a fight, and then Eclipso , who only fuels her wild abandon. She uses

2247-520: A woman named Sarah Primm. When the Batsons' parents die in a car accident, Primm was required to send both children to an orphanage. However, Primm is determined to at least give one of the children a home, and arranges for Mary to secretly take the place of another baby girl who had suddenly died while under Primm's care. As a result, Billy is sent to an orphanage while his sister is raised by the wealthy Mrs. Bromfield. Several years later, Billy Batson becomes

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2354-702: Is "younger" than her cousin. At the end of "The Supergirl from Krypton" arc, Superman officially introduces her to all the heroes of the DC Comics Universe . She adopts the Supergirl costume and accepts the name. A new Supergirl series, written by Jeph Loeb , began publication in August 2005. The storyline in the first arc of Supergirl depicts a darker, evil version of Kara emerging when Lex Luthor exposes her to Black Kryptonite . The evil Supergirl implies that Kara's family sent her to Earth to kill Kal-El as revenge for

2461-553: Is Supergirl's equine companion. One way DC demonstrated the epic nature of its 12-issue limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths (April 1985 – March 1986) was through the deaths of important characters. In issue #7 (October 1985), Supergirl sacrifices her life to save her cousin and the DC Multiverse from destruction. When the Superman continuity was rebooted after Crisis on Infinite Earths , DC editors felt that Superman should be

2568-485: Is actually a male god. In addition, the list does not account for all of the superhuman traits shared by Billy and Mary, specifically Captain Marvel's powers of invulnerability, stamina, and courage. The original Mary Marvel remained a teenager when she transformed rather than becoming a mature adult like Billy. During the character's incarnation as "Black Mary", she would exhibit powers derived from Black Adam's Egyptian pantheon of gods, granting her his abilities alongside

2675-490: Is also a Superman Family member, with her own set of supporting characters. Several different versions of Supergirl have appeared in continuity. In the final issue of DC Comics' 2006-07 year-long weekly series, 52 #52, it was revealed that a Multiverse system of 52 parallel universes , with each Earth being a different take on established DC Comics characters as featured in the mainstream continuity (designated as "New Earth") had come into existence. The Multiverse acts as

2782-528: Is destroyed by a trap in Reactron left by Lex Luthor, her own cousin Superman's greatest enemy on Earth and now her greatest enemy on Earth as well. On Earth, Kara acquires powers identical to Superman's and adopts the secret identity of Linda Lee, a resident of Midvale Orphanage. She conceals her blonde hair beneath a brunette wig and functions as Supergirl only in secret, at Superman's request, until she can gain, in his opinion, sufficient control of her powers — and

2889-795: Is given the power to become Captain Marvel. He learns that Mary is still alive, but after four years of searching, neither he nor his benefactor, the wizard Shazam , can find the girl. The only thing Billy has to remember Mary by is her favorite toy, a "Tawky Tawny" doll, which was shipped to America with the Batsons’ possessions after their murders. As a young teenager, Mary enters a regional spelling bee held in Fawcett City and emceed by Billy, who works as an on-air reporter for WHIZ radio. After saving Mary from kidnappers twice as Captain Marvel, Billy notices how much Mary Bromfield reminds him of Mary Batson and has an undercover cop named "Muscles" McGinnis retrieve

2996-461: Is indeed Billy's sister. The Marvels reveal their secret identities to Mary, who wonders if, since she is Billy's twin, she could become a Marvel by saying the magic word "Shazam". Billy, however, is assured that "Old Shaz—er—you know who—wouldn't give his powers to a girl!" Just then, the kidnappers awaken then bind and gag Billy and Freddy, preventing them from saying their magic words. Mary exclaims that Billy cannot say "Shazam", inadvertently saying

3103-548: Is not. The debate was finally settled in the 2008 miniseries Reign in Hell , where the Shadowpact is shown trying to apprehend Linda Danvers before Linda is "recalled" to Hell. A Supergirl named Cir-El appeared in 2003's Superman: The 10 Cent Adventure #1, claiming to be the future daughter of Superman and Lois Lane. Although she has super-strength, speed and hearing like Superman, she can only leap great distances. She also possesses

3210-529: Is now "aged" from late adolescence to adulthood, with clawed hands able to slice through metal. Later, after Black Adam restores her powers from the Egyptian gods, she is able to bestow part of it upon Billy, making him Black Billy. During the " Lazarus Planet : Revenge of the Gods " story arc, Mary loses her original Shazam powers, but is bestowed a new set of powers originating from goddesses by Hippolyta rather than by

3317-517: Is over, Billy tells his best friend Freddy Freeman about his sister and the locket. Billy then recalls that one of the quizbowl contestants, a rich girl named Mary Bromfield, wore a broken locket. He and Freddy trail Mary's limousine in their superpowered forms of Captain Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr. and find themselves called into service to save Mary from a gang of kidnappers. Captain Marvel then learns that Mary's locket matches his own, and that she

Supergirl (disambiguation) - Misplaced Pages Continue

3424-620: Is rated at a comparable threat level to Guy Gardner , Superman , and Wonder Woman . The Fawcett and pre-1985 version of Mary Marvel did not derive her "Shazam" powers from the male mythological figures who empower Billy, but from a set of female benefactors: S elene for grace, H ippolyta * for strength, A riadne (later changed to Artemis , Greek goddess of the hunt) for skill, Z ephyrus for fleetness (and flight), A urora (later changed to Greek goddess Aphrodite ) for beauty and M inerva for wisdom. Although these deities were originally described and depicted as goddesses, Zephyrus

3531-454: Is still Billy's long-lost sister is not yet known. Mary was the second child placed with the Vázquezes, having run away from an abusive home at a young age. Polite and well-mannered, Mary functions as the unofficial "den mother", looking after her foster siblings. When Billy arrives at the Vázquez home and gains the power to become Shazam, he shares his powers with his foster siblings. By saying

3638-712: Is the alter-ego of teenager Mary Batson (adopted name Mary Bromfield ) who was granted the powers of the Wizard Shazam alongside her brother, Billy. After DC acquired the rights to Fawcett Comics' characters in 1972, Mary Marvel began appearing in DC Comics, co-starring in DC series such as Shazam! (1973–1978) and The Power of Shazam! (1995–1999). For a time, two limited series from 2007 to 2009, Countdown and Final Crisis , depict an evil version of Mary Marvel (calling herself Black Mary ) having acquired powers from Black Adam and Apokoliptian supervillain DeSaad . Following

3745-433: Is the chosen champion. Over time, the character evolves and is elevated to the same status, granting her empowerment and the ability to potentially share them with others. Mary Marvel, like Black Adam, is widely recognized as a formidable presence on Earth. In the context of power classification, she is regarded as having "Alpha" level powers, surpassing her peers such as Fire , Booster Gold , and Metamorpho . Notably, she

3852-498: Is transformed by a bolt of magic lightning into a superpowered doppelganger of her deceased mother. She saves Billy, who transforms into Captain Marvel to help Mary defeat the thugs, but the two Marvels cannot save Sarah Primm, who is murdered by one of the thugs. In the eleven page preview to Judd Winick and Howard Porter's Trials of Shazam limited series appearing in DC's Brave New World one-shot comic (June 2006), Mary Marvel loses her powers in mid-flight as an after-effect of

3959-511: The DC Extended Universe 2019 film Shazam! , played by Grace Fulton and Michelle Borth , respectively. Fulton returned in the sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods , playing both parts. Mary Marvel was introduced into Fawcett Comics' Marvel Family franchise a year after a young male counterpart, Captain Marvel Jr. , made his debut. Artist Marc Swayze based Mary Marvel's design and personality upon American actress Judy Garland . Mary

4066-695: The DC Multiverse appeared in events such as The Multiversity in 2014 and Convergence in 2015. In December 2018, Geoff John and artist Dale Eaglesham launched a new Shazam! ongoing comic series, featuring Mary alongside Billy Batson and the rest of the Shazam Family. The first issue of the new volume of Shazam! also featured a manga backup focused on Mary by Geoff Johns and Mayo "SEN" Naito. Mary Marvel's first appearance in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 also relayed her origin story. As infants, twins Billy and Mary Batson were nursed by

4173-592: The Justice League known as the Super Buddies in the Formerly Known as the Justice League miniseries, which juxtaposed her Golden Age -era personality with the modern-day world for comic effect. Mary Marvel appears briefly in several stories relating to DC's 2005–2006 Infinite Crisis crossover. Mary also appeared in DC's weekly limited series 52 , with her most substantial appearance being in 52 #16 as

4280-567: The Legion of Super-Heroes , of which she is a member for a time. Like all Kryptonians, Supergirl is vulnerable to kryptonite. Streaky the Supercat , her orange cat, acquires temporary superpowers as a result of its exposure to "X-kryptonite," a form of kryptonite Supergirl accidentally created in an unsuccessful attempt to neutralize the effects of green kryptonite. Comet the Superhorse , a former centaur ,

4387-524: The Power of Shazam! graphic novel and ongoing series, written by Jerry Ordway. Prominent archaeologists C.C. and Marilyn Batson are assigned by the Sivana expedition on an excursion to Egypt. They take along their young daughter Mary, but are forced to leave their son Billy in America with C.C.'s half-brother. The elder Batsons are killed by their associate Theo Adam , who then kidnaps Mary. Upon Theo Adam's return to

Supergirl (disambiguation) - Misplaced Pages Continue

4494-553: The maid of honor at the wedding of Black Adam and Isis , two Shazam! -related characters. She was defeated by Black Adam during World War III (DC Comics) along with the other Marvels. In 2006, DC began a revamp of the Shazam! mythos with Judd Winick and Howard Porter's Trials of Shazam! limited series. The series began with a preview within the pages of Brave New World #1 in June 2006, in which Mary Batson loses her powers, suffers

4601-555: The 2011 New 52 reboot, the character is instead changed to being the eldest of Billy Batson's foster siblings under the name "Mary Bromfield" whose powers were shared by Billy. Following the Lazarus Planet event, the character's powers are instead derived from divine female benefactors led by the newly ascended Hippolyta , removing her connection to the Wizard. Mary Bromfield and her superhero alter-ego both made their cinematic debut in

4708-533: The Bromfield estate and changes back to Billy Batson to deliver the package, but is immediately kidnapped by the thugs who helped Primm forge Mary's adoption records. Mary, not having seen Billy, takes the package and opens it, discovering the adoption records and the Tawky Tawny doll. Once again, the doll comes to life and instructs the bewildered girl to say the magic word "Shazam" and save her brother. Mary complies and

4815-517: The DC romance comic of the same name ). She also attends college in Chicago . Kara has many boyfriends, including Richard (Dick) Malverne, Jerro the Merboy from Atlantis , and Brainiac 5 , a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes . However, she has shunned serious commitments, placing her super-career first. Supergirl's secret identity is a closely held secret known only to Superman, her foster parents, and

4922-797: The Matrix are separated into two beings. Linda retains some of Supergirl's super-strength and durability and, although she can no longer fly, she can leap one-eighth of a mile. Linda acts as Supergirl for a while, attempting to locate her angelic aspect. After she is found in the Garden of Eden and freed from the Demon Mother, the Matrix merges with a woman named Twilight and becomes the new Earth-Born Angel of Fire. Twilight uses her healing powers to increase Linda's strength to Supergirl's level and restores her powers of flight and telekinesis. In Supergirl (vol. 4) #75 (December 2002), detoured on her way to Earth, Kara Zor-El,

5029-451: The New Gods, a "leering old man". The possessed Mary claims to have a new dirty magic word, a blasphemous name of power, and to have new gods. During a heated battle with Supergirl , Black Adam learns that the evil god DeSaad was the one who possessed Mary. Black Adam tries to kill her but is stopped by Freddy. Later, distracted by hordes of Anti-Life followers about to attack, Freddy Freeman,

5136-570: The Olympian gods from an Apokoliptan chamber, and Mary Marvel's powers are restored along with her white costume, which now has a gray lightning bolt and long sleeves. After journeying with the Challengers to Earth-51 and witnessing the Great Disaster occurring there, Mary finally returns home to find Darkseid waiting for her. Reminding her of how strong she felt using Black Adam's powers, and claiming

5243-592: The Phantom Zone. The Zone dwellers are released when Jor-El creates the Phantom Zone Projector and exploits the Zone as a prison. Kara's father, believing that Kal-El is a lure to the Zone denizens, instructs Kara to destroy him. More recent comics have cast this plotline as the result of kryptonite poisoning from the kryptonite asteroid in which she was trapped. A recently completed storyline focused on her promise to

5350-627: The Pre- Crisis Supergirl and new to Earth, Matrix begins a romance with the DC Universe's Lex Luthor (known as Lex Luthor II), until she realizes Luthor's villainous nature in replicating her for an army. She leaves him to find her own way in the world aiding Superman more and more and even living in Smallville with the Kents, who treated " Mae " like their own daughter. Supergirl then began serving for

5457-429: The Pre- Crisis Supergirl were incorporated in new ways. The woman that the Matrix merges with has the same name as the Pre- Crisis Supergirl's secret identity, Linda Danvers. The series is set in the town of Leesburg, named after Danvers' pre-adoption surname. Linda's father is named Fred Danvers, the same as the Pre- Crisis Supergirl's adopted father. Furthermore, new versions of Dick Malverne and Comet appear as part of

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5564-569: The Pre- Crisis Supergirl, arrives in Post- Crisis Leesburg. After learning that Kara is destined to die, Linda travels to the Pre- Crisis universe in her place, where she marries Superman and gives birth to a daughter named Ariella . With the stipulation that her daughter be the exception in the eradication of her alternate "life", Linda ultimately allows history to unfold as it should have, with Kara assuming her rightful but tragic place in

5671-672: The Rock of Eternity from its former caretaker the wizard Shazam by defeating Captain Marvel and stealing his powers, using the magic scarab Shazam used to take Black Adam's powers. During a battle between Black Adam, Isis, and the Justice Society, who had been summoned by Billy, the evil Mary Marvel abducts a powerless Billy Batson and forces him to become a teenage Black Marvel by sharing her powers and forcing him to say "Mary Marvel". The two now evil Black Marvels join Adam and Isis, who are intent on using

5778-467: The Supergirl concept, introducing several more non-Kryptonian Supergirls. Eventually, the rule that Superman should be the only Kryptonian survivor was relaxed, allowing for a return of Kara Zor-El as his cousin. After the Post- Crisis reboot in the late 1980s, Supergirl's origin was completely rewritten and no longer was she Superman's cousin or even Kryptonian. In Superman (vol. 2) #16 (April 1988),

5885-469: The United States, Adam's sister, a maid named Sarah Primm, takes Mary into her care. Primm arranges for her childless employers, Nick and Nora Bromfield, to illegally adopt Mary. As Mary Bromfield, the young girl grows up living an idyllic life in a wealthy family, but continuously has dreams of another family with a brother she has never seen. Meanwhile, Billy eventually finding himself on the streets, and

5992-569: The Worldkillers, superweapons of Kryptonian design, she accepts Krypton's destruction, but continues to grapple with her grief. Her desire to restore Krypton results in her being manipulated into nearly destroying Earth by another Kryptonian whom she falls in love with. Upon realizing his manipulation, she kills him by driving kryptonite through his heart and succumbs to kryptonite poisoning. Following her poisoning, Supergirl departs Earth to die alone. While adrift in interstellar space, she encounters

6099-423: The ability to fire blasts of red solar energy. Her alter ego is a street person named Mia. She is later found to be a human girl who was altered by Brainiac on a genetic level to appear Kryptonian; she dies thwarting a plot involving Brainiac 13. Superman (vol. 2) #200 implies that when the timeline realigned itself, Cir-El was erased from existence. Even though Supergirl is a Superman supporting character, she

6206-512: The added power bestowed upon him from Isis. During this incarnation, the character expressed that she felt more powerful than she had with just the powers derived from Captain Marvel/Shazam. In the later Final Crisis miniseries (2008–2009), Mary's body was further enhanced with genetic technology stolen by the Atomic Knights . In addition to her impressive magical powers, her empowered form

6313-479: The back pages of World's Finest Comics (from 1979 to 1982) and Adventure Comics (from 1982 to 1983). After the 1985 Crisis on Infinite Earths miniseries, Captain Marvel's origin was rebooted in the Shazam: The New Beginning miniseries in 1987. The Marvel Family was written out of the Shazam! mythos, and neither Mary Batson nor Mary Marvel appeared in DC Comics for several years. Mary Batson

6420-564: The cancellation of the third Supergirl comic book series (1996–2003), which starred the Matrix/Linda Danvers version of the character, a modern version of Kara Zor-El was reintroduced into the DC Comics continuity in "The Supergirl from Krypton" story within Superman/Batman #8 (February 2004). This modern Kara Zor-El stars as Supergirl in an eponymous comic book series and additionally in a supporting role in various other DC Comics publications. Since her initial comic book appearances,

6527-409: The character during the next decade. After the Power of Shazam! series ended in 1999, Mary's superpowered alter ego was officially rechristened "Mary Marvel." In 2002 she had lunch with Supergirl in "The Clubhouse of Solitude", in the spoof graphic anthology " Bizarro Comics". Since then, she has guest-starred in both Superman and Supergirl comics. In 2003, Mary became a member of an offshoot of

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6634-544: The character later branched out into animation, film, television, and merchandising . In May 2011, Supergirl placed 94th on IGN 's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time. In November 2013, the character placed 17th on IGN's list of the Top 25 Heroes of DC Comics. After positive fan reaction to Super-Girl, the first recurring and most familiar version of Supergirl debuted in the year 1959. Kara Zor-El first appeared in Action Comics #252 (May 1959). The story that introduced

6741-408: The character was drawn by Al Plastino and written by Otto Binder, who had also created Mary Marvel , Captain Marvel 's sister and female spinoff. Like Supergirl, Mary Marvel was a teen-age female version of an adult male superhero, wearing a costume that was identical to the older character's other than substituting a short skirt for tight trousers. (Binder also created Marvel Comics ' Miss America ,

6848-408: The customary Marvel Family yellow boots. After Fawcett canceled their superhero comics line because of a copyright infringement lawsuit with National Comics (later DC Comics) , Mary Marvel hosted a puzzle page drawn by C. C. Beck on page 33 of Mysteries of Unexplored World issue 1 ( Charlton Comics August 1956). After that, Mary and her teammates went unseen for years. In 1972, DC Comics licensed

6955-493: The daughter of Superman's uncle Zor-El and aunt Alura In-Ze. Unlike the traditional Supergirl, Kara is born before Superman; she is a teenager when he is a baby. She is sent in a rocket in suspended animation to look after the infant Kal-El; however, her rocket is caught in the explosion of Krypton and becomes encased in a Kryptonite asteroid . She arrives on Earth years after Kal-El, who has grown and become known as Superman. Owing to this extended period of suspended animation, she

7062-561: The death of the wizard Shazam by the Spectre in Day of Vengeance #6, and falls from a height of three miles. Mary survives the fall but goes into a coma, and Freddy Freeman, who lost the power to become Captain Marvel Jr. in the same way, has her transported to a hospital in New York City where he can keep watch over her. He spends all his money to help her. In Countdown #51, Mary is released from

7169-435: The diamond. Eclipso then departs, leaving Mary alone again. Some time later, Eclipso returns hoping to finish her off, but Mary is too strong for her. Mary experiences a change of mind, and upon realizing that Black Adam's powers are as responsible for her corruption as Eclipso, divests herself of them by feeding the lightning bolt into Eclipso, who tries to kill her and take her power. Both women lose their powers and fall into

7276-578: The events of Blackest Night , now living in an apartment in Fawcett City. While watching news reports of the various heroes and villains being reanimated as Black Lanterns on their laptop, Mary remarks how scary it is to not have her powers anymore. Mary is approached by Blaze , who offers to restore her and Billy's powers in exchange for her killing Freddy. Mary seems to go along with the deal, appearing to poison Freddy. However, when Blaze arrives to claim Freddy's powers, he gets up and attacks her. With

7383-406: The film's scope to a cosmic scale, introducing the villains Brainiac and Mister Mxyzptlk , as well as Supergirl. The original outline featured a father–daughter relationship between Brainiac and Supergirl and a romance between Superman and Supergirl, even though the two are cousins in the comics. Warner Bros. rejected the outline. Mary Marvel In Shazam! and related titles, Mary Marvel

7490-436: The full name of their fathers) is the last survivor of Argo City , which had survived the explosion of the planet Krypton and drifted through space. The city had been covered by a plastic dome for weather moderation, devised by Zor-El , the younger brother of Jor-El , a climatologist and engineer, the father of Superman ( Kal-El ). The dome held together a large chunk of land mass under the city as it drifted through space in

7597-411: The general direction of our Solar System. However, the bottom-most layers of bedrock were affected by the explosion of the great planet's fissionable core and underwent a slow but steady chain reaction , turning into green kryptonite. Using raw deposits and refined materials at hand, the residents of Argo City laid down a ground shield of lead foil to protect them from the developing kryptonite. Zor-El

7704-492: The girl's forged adoption record. Learning that Mary is indeed his sister, Billy tries to figure out a way to let Mary know he is her brother. The old " Tawky Tawny " doll suddenly transforms into a full-sized humanoid tiger and comes to life, instructing Billy to take it to Mary. As Captain Marvel, Billy flies out to the Bromfields’ hometown of Fairfield to deliver the doll and the adoption papers to Mary. Captain Marvel arrives at

7811-444: The gods do not trust her as much now, he returns them to her, restoring her black costume. She then confronts Donna Troy , Kyle Rayner , Forager , and Jimmy Olsen , seizing Jimmy to take him back to Darkseid. When Donna questions Mary's use of the powers, Mary insists that she is not evil, merely "driven". After Darkseid's defeat, Mary returns to Black Adam, asking to be a part of a new Black Marvel Family. Adam refuses her and, after

7918-411: The hospital. She finds that she is still powerless and a note left by Freddy Freeman with a nurse asks her not to look for him as he is trying to get the powers of Shazam back, per the orders of Marvel. Making her way to Gotham City (despite being warned by Madame Xanadu to avoid the place in Countdown #50), Mary stumbles upon the former Kahndaqi embassy while being chased by violent criminals from

8025-459: The leader of the Worldkillers, who are revealed to be parasitic suits of armor. He attempts to assimilate Kara as his host, but she voluntarily subjects herself to kryptonite poisoning in order to stop him and eventually flies into the Sun and removes her power ring, killing her and removing him from her body. However, Kara is revealed to be immortal while in the Sun's core and she is restored to life without

8132-471: The magic word "Shazam!" Mary can become an adult superhero with a red uniform similar to that of the traditional Mary Marvel. Similar to the Captain Marvel/Shazam, Mary the ability to undergo a transformation by uttering the word "SHAZAM." Through this transformation, she gains powers derived from six divine entities, be it through direct empowerment or through the likes of Captain Marvel/Shazam, who

8239-458: The new Captain Marvel, grabs Mary and uses the last of his magic to transform them back to normal. Though horrified by her actions while possessed by Desaad, and saying, while crying, that she never meant for this to happen, she is seen standing with Freddy with clubs in their hands, awaiting the end of the world. After the end of the Crisis, Mary is recruited by Black Adam and Isis, who have taken over

8346-471: The ocean. However, an unpowered Mary lands on Themysciran soil, where Queen Hippolyta drafts her in the rebellion against Granny Goodness , who is posing as the goddess Athena . Mary, Holly Robinson , and Harleen Quinzel manage to reveal Goodness' deception, and the trio follow her to Apokolips . After escaping the Female Furies , Mary starts to hear the voices of the gods. The group manages to free

8453-502: The original Kara Zor-El and her sacrifice. A Post- Crisis Supergirl appears in Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes , in which she is transported to the 31st century and, as a result of her disorientation, for a time believes she is dreaming her surroundings into existence until finally convinced otherwise. Although her memories of her time with the Legion are erased before she returns to

8560-427: The power of Shazam to destroy the modern world, in fighting the Justice Society. When Isis begins attacking the citizens of Adam's native Khandaq and Adam's friend Atom Smasher , he switches loyalties and joins the Justice Society's Flash and the spirit of Mary and Billy's father in helping resurrect the wizard Shazam from the Rock of Finality, where he has been sealed in stone. Black Adam gives up his powers to restore

8667-465: The power ring or any kryptonite poisoning, immediately destroying the Worldkiller. She later helps Gardner against Atrocitus and his Red Lantern splinter group. DC Editorial wanted Superman to be the only surviving Kryptonian following DC's Post- Crisis reboot of the Superman continuity. As a result, when DC reintroduced Supergirl, she needed a non-Kryptonian origin. Afterward, DC Comics tried to revamp

8774-438: The present, the mental blocks break down upon encountering the Pre- Crisis versions of Legionnaires Karate Kid and Triplicate Girl (Una). Supergirl exhibits new powers, manifesting sunstone crystals from her body; so far, she only does so while under great stress (for example, when Cassandra Cain tries to kill her). Supergirl's father implants the crystals within his daughter's body to protect her from malevolent beings from

8881-496: The questionable powers of a Greek poet from the isle of Lesbos, Reed suggested that Selene , goddess of the moon, might be a more wholesome choice. Soon after her introduction, Mary Marvel headlined Wow Comics , and by 1945 had her own Mary Marvel book. She also appeared in The Marvel Family book with Captain Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr. In her solo adventures, Mary soon gained sidekicks in her kindly Uncle Marvel , who

8988-406: The rays of a yellow sun. Other mainstream characters have taken the name Supergirl over the years, with decidedly non-extraterrestrial origins, such as that of a superhuman artificial life-form . The 2016 miniseries Supergirl: Being Super written by Mariko Tamaki and penciled by Joelle Jones is a coming-of-age take on Supergirl's origins. It depicts Kara as a seemingly ordinary teenager living in

9095-506: The relaunched Justice League comic series. Mary does not feature in the new continuity until Justice League #8 (2012), and is not transformed into a superhero for the first time until Justice League #21 (2013), when Billy directs his powers into her, Freddy, and their foster siblings Darla, Pedro, and Eugene during a fray with Black Adam. Mary was largely absent from the main DC Universe for several years after Justice League #22 in 2013. Versions of Mary Marvel from alternate earths in

9202-522: The rights to the Marvels, and revived them in a new comic series called Shazam! . Mary, Cap, and Junior appeared in both new stories and reprints of their classic stories. According to Shazam #1 the Sivanas had put the Marvel family into suspended animation for 20 years, along with themselves (by mistake) and much of the supporting cast. The comic book was canceled by 1978, and the Shazam! stories were relegated to

9309-470: The rural Midvale with the Danvers, since the couple found her inside a pod in the middle of a field. Kara grows up aware of the pod and her unknown origins (which are glimpsed in dreams) and struggles to live a normal life as she discovers her astonishing super-human abilities, which she keeps a secret even from her closest friends. Because of changing editorial policy at DC, Supergirl was initially killed off in

9416-418: The same themes as his Supergirl series. Prior to Fallen Angel moving to another company, Lee was written in a manner such that she could have been Linda, though David remained coy as to whether the two characters were one and the same during the DC run of the title. After it moved to IDW, David revealed Lee's origin, which clearly showed that Lee was not Danvers. However, Fallen Angel #14 introduced "Lin," who

9523-622: The series tracked the character's struggle between good and evil, due to manipulation by supervillainesses Eclipso and Granny Goodness (promotional material for the series used the catchphrase " Seduction of the Innocent ," a reference to Fredric Wertham 's book of the same title ), Mary emerged from the series under the influence of Superman villain Darkseid . This darker Mary Marvel appears in DC's 2008 crossover series Final Crisis , written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by J. G. Jones , as

9630-579: The sole survivor of Krypton, resulting in Kara being removed. Unlike a number of other characters who are shown dying in the Crisis, no one remembers Kara dying or even ever having existed. After the events of Infinite Crisis , the sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths , many historical events from the Multiverse are now being remembered. Donna Troy , after her rebirth and inheritance of the Harbinger 's Orb, recalls

9737-421: The subway, who are killed by Black Adam. Black Adam angrily threatens her. Mary tells Adam how much she valued her powers and how she desires to regain them. Adam, bitter over the loss of his wife Isis and brother-in-law Osiris during the events of 52 as well as his failure to resurrect the former, gives Mary his powers instead of killing her. He is transformed into the mortal Teth-Adam, whom Mary rescues from

9844-546: The supporting cast. As the series begins, the Matrix sacrifices herself to save a dying Linda Danvers and their bodies, minds and souls merge to become an "Earth-Born Angel ", a being created when one being selflessly sacrifices him or herself to save another who is beyond saving. As the angel, Supergirl loses some of her powers, but gains others, including fiery angel wings and a "shunt" ability that allows her to teleport to any place she has been before. The angelic aspect of Supergirl eventually falls from grace, and Linda and

9951-421: The timestream. However, finding no assurance that Ariella survived the restoration of Post- Crisis history, a dejected Linda relinquishes the role of Supergirl, sends a farewell note to Superman, and leaves for points unknown. Peter David's creator-owned series Fallen Angel , published by DC Comics, is set in a fictional city named Bete Noire, and features a character, Lee, who is similar to Linda and explores

10058-408: The title of Captain Marvel with her brother. Various characters in the series distinguish the two by gender when addressing them, addressing Mary as "the lady Captain Marvel". At first, Mary's costume was the same as her original one. However, beginning with Power of Shazam! #28, Mary donned a white costume to distinguish herself from her brother. The color change was retained for most future uses of

10165-464: The universe. Back on Earth, she is attacked by the assassin Lobo and, in the ensuing battle, kills him while unleashing her rage. A Red Lantern power ring finds her and attaches itself to her, transforming her into a Red Lantern. Driven insane by rage, Kara wanders through outer space, attacking everyone in her way, until captured by several Green Lanterns and brought to Hal Jordan . Immediately recognizing

10272-428: The wisdom to properly use them. Her debut was delayed by her powers being stolen by a Kandorian villainess; during this period, she is adopted by Fred and Edna Danvers. She attends Midvale High School as Linda Lee Danvers. In later years, after graduating from Stanhope College, she changes careers several times, holding jobs in student counseling, news reporting, and acting in a TV soap opera , Secret Hearts (a play on

10379-532: The wizard to life. Shazam promptly and angrily takes his powers back from Mary, Billy, and Isis, turns Teth Adam and Isis to stone, and closes off all contact to the Rock of Eternity to the Batson kids upon stating that Billy and Mary failed him. He also threatens to go after Freddy for stealing his name. The two Batsons are later seen wandering the streets of Fawcett City, homeless, and wondering what happened to their father's spirit. Mary and Billy are briefly seen during

10486-408: The word herself. She is then struck by a magic lightning bolt and transformed into a super-powered version of herself, later christened "Mary Marvel" by her brother. She defeats the thugs by herself, discovering that she is bulletproof and has super strength, and frees Billy and Freddy. Shazam later reveals the goddesses Mary derives her powers from. Mary Marvel's updated DC origin was presented in

10593-523: The year 1985 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths . DC Comics subsequently rebooted the continuity of the DC Comics Universe , re-establishing Superman's character as the sole survivor of Krypton 's destruction. Following the conclusion of Crisis on Infinite Earths , several different characters written as having no familial relationship to Superman have assumed the role of Supergirl, including Matrix, Linda Danvers , and Cir-El . Following

10700-455: Was also able to fashion a makeshift propulsion system to try to accelerate the city's approach to the Solar System. During the roughly 30 years Argo City traveled through space, Zor-El met and married Alura, daughter of In-Ze, who in turn bore their daughter, Kara—blond like her parents. But before the propulsion system was able to steer the city toward Earth, a deranged citizen named Jer-Em, who

10807-579: Was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino . Created as a female counterpart to Superman, Kara Zor-El shares his superpowers and vulnerability to Kryptonite . Supergirl plays a supporting role in various DC Comics publications, including Action Comics , Superman , and several comic book series unrelated to Superman. In 1969, Supergirl's adventures became the lead feature in Adventure Comics , and she later starred in an eponymous comic book series which debuted in 1972 and ran until 1974, followed by

10914-494: Was introduced in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 as Mary Bromfield, a girl who discovers she is the long lost sister of Captain Marvel's alter ego Billy Batson. In Superhero Comics of the Golden Age , Mike Benton writes: Rod Reed, the executive editor of Fawcett comics at the time that Mary Marvel was created, recalled that, originally, the letter "S" in Shazam was to have stood for Sappho . Rather than give his young heroine

11021-545: Was not actually her uncle nor a Marvel, and his similarly nonpowered niece, Freckles Marvel. Uncle Marvel was eventually made the Marvel Family's manager, and also served as Mary's guardian. Just before the Marvel Family 's adventures ceased publication in 1953, Mary Marvel's costume and appearance were altered: the neckline of her blouse was lowered slightly, her hair was shortened, and she now wore yellow slippers instead of

11128-449: Was rebooted once again. An amnesiac Kara awakens after her lifepod crashes to Earth in the midst of a meteor shower . Upon emerging, she encounters humans and the extent of her powers for the first time. When encountered by Superman, she attacks him, believing him to be an impostor as her cousin was only a baby when she last saw him and she believed it to only have been a few days since then. After several battles with supervillains, including

11235-467: Was reintroduced in The Power of Shazam! graphic novel by Jerry Ordway in 1994. An ongoing series followed in the next year, and Mary Marvel was introduced into the modern DC Universe with a new origin story in Power of Shazam! #4. When calling upon her powers, Mary is transformed into an adult resembling her late mother (in the same way that Billy resembles his father when in Marvel form). Mary shares

11342-550: Was said to be Lee's "predecessor" as the guardian of Bete Noire. Lin had recently escaped Limbo , an apparent metaphor for what happened to Danvers after the cancellation of Supergirl . David wrote in his December 13, 2006 blog entry, "Any fans of my run on Supergirl—particularly those who are torqued because Linda Danvers was consigned to oblivion in the DCU --must, must, MUST pick up "Fallen Angel" #14 and #15 when they come out next year." However, since David could not explicitly claim that

11449-545: Was suffering from survival guilt, damaged the exhaust, veering Argo toward a swarm of meteors that crashed into the underside of the land mass on which it rested. As the inhabitants of the colony were being slain by the green kryptonite radiation released by meteorites shredding the lead barrier, the adolescent Kara was sent to Earth by Zor-El in a rocket, to be raised by her cousin Kal-El (a.k.a. Clark Kent). To ensure she would be recognized by Superman, Kara's parents provided her with

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