Kara Danvers, also known as Kara Zor-El on her homeworld, is a fictional character in the
Arrowverse
The Arrowverse is an American superhero media franchise and a shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series based on DC Comics superhero characters, primarily airing on The CW as well as web series on CW Seed. ...
franchise, mainly the television series
''Supergirl''. Created by executive producers
Greg Berlanti
Gregory Berlanti (born May 24, 1972) is an American screenwriter, producer and director of film and television. He is known for his work on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'', '' Brothers & Sisters'', '' Everwood'', '' Political Animals'', ...
,
Ali Adler
Allison Beth Adler (born May 30, 1967) is a Canadian-American television producer and writer. She is the co-creator of ''Supergirl'' and '' The New Normal'', and is also known for her work on '' Chuck'' and '' Family Guy.''
Early life
Adler was ...
and
Andrew Kreisberg
Andrew Kreisberg (born April 23, 1971) is an American television writer, producer and comic book writer. He is best known as the creator of the television series ''The Flash (2014 TV series), The Flash'', ''Arrow (TV series), Arrow'', ''Supergirl ...
, the character is based on the
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
character
Kara Zor-El (Supergirl), created by
Otto Binder
Otto Oscar Binder (; August 26, 1911 – October 13, 1974) was an American author of science fiction and non-fiction books and stories, and comic books. He is best known as the co-creator of Supergirl and for his many scripts for '' Captain Ma ...
and
Al Plastino. Kara is introduced in the
pilot episode as the adopted younger sister of
Alex Danvers
Alexandra "Alex" Danvers Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D. Doctor of Medicine, M.D., also known as Sentinel, is a fictional Character (arts), character from the Arrowverse television series ''Supergirl (TV series), Supergirl'', portrayed by actress Chy ...
. Kara Danvers is portrayed by
Melissa Benoist
Melissa Marie Benoist ( ; born October 4, 1988) is an American actress, singer and producer. Her first major role was Marley Rose on the Fox musical comedy drama ''Glee'' (2012–2014), where she was a series regular during the fifth season. S ...
as an adult, and
Malina Weissman
Malina Weissman (born March 12, 2003) is an American actress and model, best known for playing the roles of Violet Baudelaire in the Netflix series ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'', young April O'Neil in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' and y ...
and
Izabela Vidovic
Izabela Vidovic (, ; born ) is an American actress. She began as a child actress, and is known for her roles in the films '' Homefront'' and '' Wonder'', and for her recurring role as Taylor Shaw in the Freeform television series '' The Foster ...
as a child.
After her planet,
Krypton
Krypton (from grc, κρυπτός, translit=kryptos 'the hidden one') is a chemical element with the symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas that occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere and is often ...
, was destroyed, Kara and her cousin
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
came to Earth. There she became the adopted sister of
Alex Danvers
Alexandra "Alex" Danvers Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D. Doctor of Medicine, M.D., also known as Sentinel, is a fictional Character (arts), character from the Arrowverse television series ''Supergirl (TV series), Supergirl'', portrayed by actress Chy ...
and, later, after deciding to use her powers (equal to Superman's) to help others under the persona of Supergirl, she discovers that her sister is part of the
Department of Extranormal Operations (DEO), a massive underground anti-alien organization secretly under the control of
the Martian Manhunter
The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and designed by artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" ...
.
Kara's powers and abilities include
super strength,
superspeed,
heat vision, freeze breath,
flight
Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...
and many other powers also achievable by the superhero Superman, who is Kara's cousin; however, like her cousin, she is weakened when she comes into contact with
Kryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories published by DC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton that emits a unique, poisonous r ...
, fragments of her home planet Krypton that came to
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
after its destruction. Benoist has reprised her role in other series that take place in the same franchise, including
''The Flash'',
''Arrow'', ''
Legends of Tomorrow
''DC's Legends of Tomorrow'', or simply ''Legends of Tomorrow'', is an American Time travel in fiction, time travel superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klem ...
'' and
''Batwoman'', via the crossover events "
Invasion!", "
Crisis on Earth-X
"Crisis on Earth-X" is the fourth Arrowverse Crossover (fiction), crossover event, featuring episodes of the live-action television series ''Supergirl (TV series), Supergirl'', ''Arrow (TV series), Arrow'', ''The Flash (2014 TV series), The Flash ...
", "
Elseworlds
''Elseworlds'' was the publication imprint (trade name), imprint for American comic books produced by DC Comics for stories that took place outside the DC Universe Canon (fictional), canon. Elseworlds publications are set in alternate realitie ...
" and "
Crisis on Infinite Earths
"Crisis on Infinite Earths" is a 1985 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to March ...
". The character's civilian identity, Kara Danvers, is an original creation for the series, and was later integrated into the mainstream
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
''
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 fir ...
''
comic book series
a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...
to
tie-in
A tie-in work is a work of fiction or other product based on a media property such as a film, video game, television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property. Tie-ins are authorized by the owners of the original prope ...
with the series in 2016's ''
DC Rebirth
DC Rebirth is a 2016 relaunch by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. Using the end of The New 52 initiative in May 2016 as its launching point, DC Rebirth restored the D ...
'', before returning to their original surname "Zor-El" with 2021's ''
Infinite Frontier
Infinite Frontier is a 2021 relaunch by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles in 2021. It is the follow-up to the 2016 DC Rebirth relaunch. The relaunch and event was shepher ...
''.
Creation and casting
For the role of Kara Zor-El / Supergirl, the producers wanted a Caucasian actress aged between 22 and 26 years.
In January 2015, it was announced by''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' that
Melissa Benoist
Melissa Marie Benoist ( ; born October 4, 1988) is an American actress, singer and producer. Her first major role was Marley Rose on the Fox musical comedy drama ''Glee'' (2012–2014), where she was a series regular during the fifth season. S ...
would star as the character. Benoist later revealed that auditioning for the part "was a long, drawn-out, three-month process"; she was the first actress looked at for the role, although
Claire Holt
Claire Rhiannon Holt (born 11 June 1988) is an Australian actress. She is known for her roles as Emma Gilbert in '' H2O: Just Add Water'', Samara Cook in ''Pretty Little Liars'', Chastity Meyer in ''Mean Girls 2'', Rebekah Mikaelson in ''The ...
and
Gemma Atkinson
Gemma Louise Atkinson (born 16 November 1984) is an English influencer, actress, radio presenter and former glamour model. She played Lisa Hunter in ''Hollyoaks'' (2001–2005, 2022) and in three spin-off series, '' Hollyoaks: After Hours'' (20 ...
were also considered. Actress
Elizabeth Lail
Elizabeth Dean Lail (born March 25, 1992) is an American actress. She played the recurring role of Anna in the fantasy adventure series '' Once Upon a Time'' (2014), and starred as Amy Hughes in the supernatural series '' Dead of Summer'' (2016) ...
auditioned for the role. Other performers include her stunt double Jennifer Clarke, who performed stunts for the Supergirl character throughout the entire show. In flashbacks,
Malina Weissman
Malina Weissman (born March 12, 2003) is an American actress and model, best known for playing the roles of Violet Baudelaire in the Netflix series ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'', young April O'Neil in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' and y ...
and
Izabela Vidovic
Izabela Vidovic (, ; born ) is an American actress. She began as a child actress, and is known for her roles in the films '' Homefront'' and '' Wonder'', and for her recurring role as Taylor Shaw in the Freeform television series '' The Foster ...
portray Kara as a teenager and child, respectively. Benoist expressed her excitement over portraying the character, and being able to "
ella story about a human being really realizing their potential and their strength".
Benoist portrays present-day Kara for all six seasons of ''Supergirl''. In addition in the third season, she portrays Earth-X doppelganger Overgirl, and in the fourth season, a clone of Kara called Red Daughter.
Characterization
For the second season, regarding the end of Kara and James Olsen's relationship,
Andrew Kreisberg
Andrew Kreisberg (born April 23, 1971) is an American television writer, producer and comic book writer. He is best known as the creator of the television series ''The Flash (2014 TV series), The Flash'', ''Arrow (TV series), Arrow'', ''Supergirl ...
said "We realized that the best scenes between
ara and Jameswere just the nice, sweet scenes where they were being friends." He also said that while the theme of the
first season was "how does Kara become Supergirl?", the theme of the second would be "how does Supergirl become Kara?". Speaking to the ending of Mon-El and Kara's relationship in season four, Jessica Queller compared this separation to that of
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...
and
Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films, television movies, and plays.Obituary ''Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, she is often ...
's characters in the ending of
''Casablanca'' (1942), saying, "They both have destinies in different times as heroes. What they did was the sort-of ''Casablanca'' decision of putting what's most important to them – which is saving the world – first."
For season four, Melissa Benoist joined filming following the conclusion of her run on
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
as the star of ''
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical'' on August 4, 2018. Also for that season,
Melissa Benoist
Melissa Marie Benoist ( ; born October 4, 1988) is an American actress, singer and producer. Her first major role was Marley Rose on the Fox musical comedy drama ''Glee'' (2012–2014), where she was a series regular during the fifth season. S ...
commented that, "I think their main premise is that fear itself is a villain, and can hope conquer it? Supergirl stands for hope, so we'll see."
Queller concurred, adding that the season would investigate, "How can
upergirlbe a beacon of hope when she represents what people are ''afraid'' of?"
In season five, the series introduces a new Supergirl suit which eschews the skirt seen in the older suit in favor of a bodysuit with trousers. Benoist and the showrunners said giving Supergirl pants was something they discussed since the first season.
Querl Dox is credited with creating a new microscopic motion-activator for the new suit that attaches to Kara's glasses and unleashes the suit when she whips off the glasses, resulting in Supergirl being fully dressed in her costume.
The seventeenth episode of the fifth season marks Benoist's directorial debut.
Benoist said the sixth season serves as a "self-exploration" for her character, "looking in the mirror and
ontemplatingwhat her power means because it's almost limitless and it makes her so strong on Earth".
Storylines
''Supergirl''
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Crossovers
As of 2021, Benoist has appeared as Kara Danvers in five Arrowverse shows: ''Supergirl'', ''The Flash, Arrow,
Legends of Tomorrow
''DC's Legends of Tomorrow'', or simply ''Legends of Tomorrow'', is an American Time travel in fiction, time travel superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klem ...
'' and ''
Batwoman
Batwoman is a name used by several characters of DC Comics, both in mainstream continuity and Elseworlds. The best known Batwomen are Batwoman (Kathy Kane), Kathy Kane and Kate Kane.
History
* The first Batwoman (Kathy Kane), Batwoman, Kathy Ka ...
''.
In the 2015-16 television season,
The Flash
The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date ...
accidentally travels into an alternate Earth while testing a new tachyon enhancement device that was meant to power up his speed. He saves Kara from falling from a building. The Flash introduces himself as Barry Allen and explains about the multiverse to Kara and her friends. Before returning home, Barry helps Kara defeat
Silver Banshee and
Livewire.
In the 2016-17 television season, Barry and his friend
Cisco Ramon teleport to Kara's Earth, coined Earth-38 by Cisco, and recruit Kara for an alien invasion led by an extraterrestrial race known as the Dominators on Earth-1. The heroes learn the Dominators plan to kill all metahumans on Earth due to Barry's abilities to alter with the timeline. Barry plans to surrender but the heroes dissuade him from doing so. The heroes discover a bomb from one of the Dominator's ships and destroy it, forcing the Dominators to flee. In March 2017,
J'onn J'onzz and
Mon-El arrive on Earth-1 with a comatose Kara in hopes that Barry and his team could revive her and warn Barry that one of their escaped prisoners—the
Music Meister—is after him as well. When Meister attacks Barry, he is placed in a shared coma with Kara. In the coma, Barry and Kara are forced in a musical which Meister planned so that Barry and Kara can love their personal loved ones. Kara, J'onn, and Kara return to their Earth. Kara then starts a relationship with Mon-El after.
In the 2017-18 television season, Kara and her sister
Alex are invited to Barry and
Iris
Iris most often refers to:
*Iris (anatomy), part of the eye
*Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess
* ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants
* Iris (color), an ambiguous color term
Iris or IRIS may also refer to:
Arts and media
Fictional ent ...
' wedding on Earth-1, however, they are invaded by Nazis from Earth-X led by
Dark Arrow, Overgirl (Kara's Earth-X doppelgänger) and
Eobard Thawne / Reverse-Flash from Earth-1. The invaders capture Kara, who plan to take her heart and give it to Overgirl, who is dying from disproportionate solar irradiance in her heart. Dark Arrow plans to use the Prism, powered by
S.T.A.R. Labs
Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Laboratories (S.T.A.R. Labs) is a fictional scientific research facility and organization appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It first appeared in ''Superman'' #246 (December 1 ...
' particle accelerator, to create artificial red sunlight that can weaken both Karas' invulnerability, allowing Thawne to transplant Kara's heart to Overgirl. Iris and
Felicity rescue Kara and return to Earth-1. Dark Arrow and his team lead a force of Earth-X Nazis to invade Earth-1 but are ultimately defeated with Kara carrying a radioactive Overgirl to space where she explodes and dies. Following
Martin Stein
Martin Stein is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is commonly associated with, and sometimes is, the superhero Firestorm.
Stein has made several appearances in DC-related media, such as the Arrowve ...
's funeral, Kara and Alex return to Earth-38.
In the 2018-2019 television series, Dr.
John Deegan is given the Book of Destiny by the
Monitor
Monitor or monitor may refer to:
Places
* Monitor, Alberta
* Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States
* Monitor, Kentucky
* Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States
* Monitor, Washington
* Monitor, Logan County, West ...
to rewrite reality in his vision. When he swaps the lives of Barry and Oliver, the two discover the change in reality and seek Kara, whose Earth is unaffected by the change, on Earth-38 for help. They later run into the vigilante
Batwoman
Batwoman is a name used by several characters of DC Comics, both in mainstream continuity and Elseworlds. The best known Batwomen are Batwoman (Kathy Kane), Kathy Kane and Kate Kane.
History
* The first Batwoman (Kathy Kane), Batwoman, Kathy Ka ...
while confronting Deegan in
Gotham City
Gotham City ( ), or simply Gotham, is a fictional city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his List of Batman supporting characters#Bat-Family, allies and List of Batman fa ...
. Eventually, Oliver makes a deal with the Monitor to restore reality back to normal.
In the 2019-2020 television series, the multiverse is slowly being erased by the
Anti-Monitor. Kara is recruited among other heroes as the chosen Paragons to defeat the Anti-Monitor. When Oliver sacrifices himself to kill the Anti-Monitor, a restored multiverse is put back together combining into one Earth coined "Earth-Prime" including Kara's Earth.
Alternate Earths
Overgirl (Earth-X)
During the ''
Crisis on Earth-X
"Crisis on Earth-X" is the fourth Arrowverse Crossover (fiction), crossover event, featuring episodes of the live-action television series ''Supergirl (TV series), Supergirl'', ''Arrow (TV series), Arrow'', ''The Flash (2014 TV series), The Flash ...
'' crossover event, one of the main antagonists is the Earth-X Nazi doppelganger of Kara known as Overgirl. She served alongside
Dark Arrow, who is revealed to be the Earth-X doppelganger of Oliver Queen. Eventually, during a battle with Kara, Overgirl's solar radiation goes nuclear and Kara carries her into space, where her body explodes, killing her.
Tie-in comics and novels
Kara Danvers appears in the show's digital tie-in comic book series, ''Adventures of Supergirl''. in 2017 Kara appeared in a trilogy of novels written by Jo Whittemore aimed at middle-grade readers. The first, ''Supergirl: Age of Atlantis,'' was released on November 7, 2017. it features Supergirl dealing with a surge of newly-powered people in National City, as well as a mysterious humanoid sea creature captured by the DEO who is seemingly attracted to the new superpowered people. A sequel, ''Supergirl: Curse of the Ancients'' was released on May 1, 2018, with the third novel title ''Supergirl: Master of Illusion'', released on January 8, 2019.
Reception
Graeme Virtue of
''The Guardian'' praised ''Supergirl'' and Melissa Benoist's performance as Kara Danvers. David Sims of
''The Atlantic'' reviewed the series positively, saying: "A lot of the credit has to go to the casting of Benoist as Kara—she’s as perfect a fit as
Grant Gustin
Thomas Grant Gustin (born January 14, 1990) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his roles as Barry Allen (Arrowverse), Barry Allen / The Flash on The CW series ''The Flash (2014 TV series), The Flash'' as part of the Arrowver ...
was for ''
The Flash
The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date ...
.''" Brian Lowry of
''Chicago Tribune'' complimented the casting of the series, stating, "Benoist nails the title role." Evan Valentine of ''
Collider
A collider is a type of particle accelerator which brings two opposing particle beams together such that the particles collide. Colliders may either be ring accelerators or linear accelerators.
Colliders are used as a research tool in particle ...
'' called Benoist's adaptation of the character the "best Supergirl we’ve seen in live action" because "it managed to capture a sense of fun among the cast that was infectious." Max Nicholson of ''
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' praised both Benoist's performance and the character, saying, "Melissa Benoist
.. totally encapsulated the lead role and portrayed both the vulnerability of Kara Danvers and the determination of
Kara Zor-El
Kara Zor-El (Supergirl) also known by her adoptive names of Linda Lee Danvers, Kara Kent, Linda Lang, and Kara Danvers, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by Otto Binder and designed ...
," calling the character "strong, capable, upbeat" despite noting some flaws. In her review for ''
Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children. '', Emily Ashby praised Melissa Benoist and praised Kara Danvers for her qualities and values, writing, "Kara has a lot of great qualities that have nothing to do with her superpowers; she's industrious, self-motivated, and empathetic. Even as a hero, she's not out for recognition. She does what she does because it's what she's meant to do.
..There are strong themes of self-reliance, embracing destiny, and following your own heart's desire, all portrayed by a very likable, fresh-faced heroine." Some critics have stated the series´s Kara as not being distinct enough from Superman, simply being a ¨female Clark Kent¨.
The relationship between the Danvers sisters has been among the things praised about the Supergirl character. Kara and
Alex were named as one of "The 10 Greatest Ride or Die TV Siblings" by
''TV Guide'''s Keisha Hatchett, who stated: "These two might not come from the same species, but their unconditional love for each other proves that you don't need to share the same blood in order to be sisters. Both have helped each other through a difficult journey to self-acceptance
..in a fierce display of sisterhood that keeps us coming back each week."
Legacy
The identity of Kara Danvers and other aspects from the television series (such as working with the DEO and at Cat Grant's CatCo Worldwide Media) were adapted into the DC continuity during the ''Rebirth'' event, in 2016. The miniseries ''Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow'' reintroduces Kara as a 21-one-year-old, more mature than on previous iterations in the comics and closer to Kara's portrayal on the series, in which she is a young adult rather than a teenager. By the end of ''Woman of Tomorrow'', Kara dons a new costume with pants, more similar to Kara Danvers' second costume from the fifth season.
Accolades
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Danvers, Kara, Arrowverse
Arrow (TV series) characters
Crossover characters in television
DC Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds
DC Comics characters with superhuman strength
DC Comics extraterrestrial superheroes
DC Comics female superheroes
Female characters in television
Kryptonians
Fictional characters with slowed ageing
Fictional characters with X-ray vision
Fictional characters with superhuman senses
Fictional characters with nuclear or radiation abilities
Fictional characters with air or wind abilities
Fictional characters with ice or cold abilities
Fictional characters with absorption or parasitic abilities
Fictional characters with energy-manipulation abilities
Fictional characters with fire or heat abilities
The Flash (2014 TV series) characters
Legends of Tomorrow characters
Supergirl (TV series) characters
Supergirl
Television characters introduced in 2015