DC Comics has finally fixed one of Superman‘s biggest mistakes involving Supergirl. The Last Children of Krypton have been subject to a number of retcons over the years. However, this latest change has happily updated the Girl of Steel’s story for the modern day.
The fix was delivered in the final story in the Summer of Supergirl Special #1 anthology. The story, by Mark Waid and Cian Tormey, centers around a cyber-attack that has scrambled the personnel files of the Justice League. This leaves Conner Kent, Natasha Irons, and Jon Kent struggling to get the rewritten histories back in order. However, they run into a road block when they get to Kara Zor-El.
To say that Kara’s life story is complicated is putting it mildly. Supergirl changed careers and cities almost as frequently as she changed costumes. It is in the middle of trying to puzzle out what parts of Kara’s past in the official record are real that the three heroes discuss Superman’s biggest mistake regarding his cousin.
What changed for Supergirl in DC continuity
In the original Supergirl origin story from 1959, Superman took his cousin to live in an orphanage. This was due to the laws of the time not allowing a bachelor like Clark Kent to adopt a child, even if she was his cousin. Additionally, Clark Kent living with a teenage girl he claimed was his cousin would attract unwanted suspicion for several reasons.
While this was logical by the standards of the day, it still seemed wildly out of character for Superman. After years of believing he was the last Kryptonian, it beggars belief that he would so callously send away another of his people. Particularly a blood relative like Supergirl. There was no logical, in-character reason why Kara couldn’t live with The Kents; a fix that was utilized in adaptations like Smallville and Superman: The Animated Series.
Thankfully, Mark Waid offers a brilliant conceit that honors the original history while justifying Superman’s actions. In this case, the idea that Supergirl should move into an orphanage was not Superman’s. It was Kara Zor-El’s.
Having lost her world, family, and friends, Kara was desperate for normal emotional connections. More, she realized she knew nothing of Earth culture, particularly from a teenager’s perspective. There was also an undercurrent of independence, as she wanted to build her own life rather than having an identity chosen for her. For all these reasons, Kara and Clark agreed on the orphanage being the best option for them both as Kara found herself.
This retcon also retroactively justifies Supergirl’s history of moving around and working many jobs. As Conner Kent notes, Kara seemed to have difficult settling down and choosing a career. This further justifies her activities in Superman: Woman of Tomorrow, with Jon Kent commenting that she spent some time wandering the cosmos trying to find herself.
Summer of Supergirl Special #1 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
