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"She's done with people pushing her around, taking advantage of her, and betraying her. She's done feeling helpless, lost and discarded. She's done with hope, faith and acceptance. Now, all that's left is rage."

Dad. Kal. H'el. Siobhan. They ALL let me down. They all broke my heart. And now THIS. No more. Nobody gets away with hurting me ever again. Not THIS time!
Supergirl a few moments before getting her Red Ring

Red Daughter of Krypton is a twelve-issue Superman/Green Lantern crossover story arc published in 2014, with Tony Bedard, Charles Soule and Robert Venditti as the writers. After the events of Red Lanterns #27 and Supergirl #27 -which serve as a prologue-, the proper story begins in Supergirl #28, Supergirl #29 and Green Lantern #29 and continues through the Red Lanterns and Supergirl titles, concluding in Supergirl #33.

A short while after the events of H'el on Earth and Krypton Returns, Supergirl picks a fight with Lobo in the research facility known as "The Block". Realizing he can't go toe-to-toe with a Kryptonian, Lobo does everything he can to push her buttons and to make her so irrationally angry that she can't fight effectively.

However, Kara has been having a very hard time since she arrived on the planet. She's only fifteen and she's already lost her home... twice. Her homeworld is gone, her parents and all her friends are dead, her relationship with her only living relative is strained, she doesn't manage to fit into Earth, and apparently everyone she meets wants to decide what is better for her, use her or betray her after earning her trust. She's confused, heartbroken, and above all very, very angry. So, Lobo's taunting uncorks a volcano of rage in her that acts like a magnet to one of the new red power rings created by Atrocitus.

From that point on, Kara gets tangled up in the Lantern Corps wars, and she has to learn several harsh truths about herself in order to grow as a person.


Tropes:

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    A - F 
  • 10-Minute Retirement: Kara gave up on being Supergirl when she became a Red Lantern. At the end of the storyline she dons her blue-and-red outfit again.
  • 11th-Hour Superpower: During the climactic final battle, Supergirl tricks the seemingly invincible Worldkiller-1 into dunking her into the Sun as she's dying. The sudden influx of solar energy boosts Kara's powers up to insane levels, and she proceeds to completely annihilate Worldkiller-1.
  • Abhorrent Admirer: Invoked. Worldkiller-1 isn't interested in Kara romantically, but after he spends a while talking about wanting Supergirl's body and them being made for each other, Kara feels sick.
    Worldkiller-1: Can not you see that both of our lives have led to this union?
    Supergirl: Stop. Just stop. You make us sound like lovers, and it's turning my stomach.
  • Aborted Arc: In the first issues Tony Bedard started several subplots up but he had not the chance to develop them. He revealed his plans in an interview, though:
    Anj: You sowed the seeds of future plotlines which may never come to fruition. Can you tell us what you were planning with Blaze? Siobhan? Michael? Shay Veritas?
    TONY: I was going to have Blaze create a trio of henchgirls called the Furies. Remember Siobhan's roommate and her two friends? They were all orphaned in superhero battles and had sworn themselves to finding a way to make super-people pay. They were going to beat Supergirl and take her back to Blaze's home dimension. Hilarity would ensue. I wanted to get Siobhan in there more, to make her and Kara a team. I had one issue where the newly Red Lanterned Kara fights Silver Banshee, and I contrasted their fight with flashbacks of Kara and Siobhan just having fun roommate moments. That remains one of my favorite things from the run: just letting her have a friend. Michael returns in my final issue, and we'll see if they do anything with him after that. If not, it was enough that Kara met a guy who had every reason to hate life and yet retained a positive outlook. He was in many ways a good role model for her, and he didn't want to trick or use her, which is nice for a change. And Shay I wanted to keep playing sort of mysterious. Is she really a friend to Supergirl, or does she view her as another science project? Shay's still a bit of a cypher to me, which is okay if she's played for mystery. But I liked doing scenes of her staff at the Block talking about what it's like being stuck there, having to wear her face, alternating between admiration and resentment. It gave the whole Block set-up a little complexity.
  • Action Bomb: Supergirl can release the solar energy within her as an explosion without harming herself. She used this ability to knock down Worldkiller-1.
  • Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene: There're a good number of quieter scenes and introspective conversations between action sequences in order to highlight the main character is more complex than "angry, angsty teenager".
  • Action Girl:
    • Supergirl is one of the greatest and most powerful heroes of Earth.
    • Bleez is another female Red Lantern, and a very dangerous and vicious fighter.
  • Alien Invasion: The Red Lanterns Corps travel to planet Grax, which is being invaded by a race called the Diasporans whom they manage to beat back.
  • And Your Little Dog, Too!: Worldkiller-1 states he will take over Kara's cousin's body since he failed to steal hers.
  • Anti-Hero:
    • Kara becomes short-tempered, irrational and mad... and even so, she wants to use her powers to protect and help innocent people and punish evildoers.
      Supergirl: So it took the Red Ring of Rage for me to finally find acceptance. So what? This planet will live. And I pummel anyone who says otherwise.
    • Most of heroes regard Red Lanterns as violent jerkasses. Inhabitants of worlds saved by Gardner's team consider them saviors and freedom fighters.
  • Apologetic Attacker: Every so often Kara's temper overwhelms her, she hurts someone or destroys something accidentally, and then she apologizes.
  • Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Skallox is a very arrogant Blood Knight who trusts his fighting skills completely, and openly claims that he has no weaknesses.
  • Asshole Victim: In issue #26, a crime lord is gunned down by one of the dancers whom he used to abuse sexually. No one sheds a single tear.
  • A Tragedy of Impulsiveness: In Red Lanterns #31, Supergirl decided the best and quickest way to help a Red Lantern get her mind back was taking a tank of lake blood and ripping it open over the city that Sheko was in. Unfortunately, Atrocitus was present, and he took control of the blood rain, making it into a tornado. Supergirl tried to fix the blood storm, igniting it with her heat vision... and unintentionally setting the city on fire. Her teammates angrily said that she had to learn to think before acting.
  • Badass Arm-Fold: She did this several times. One of those times happened during a battle: she flew in the battlefield, punched an enemy across the city, folded her arms and glared.
  • Badass Boast: Atrocitus' veiled and blatant threats don't impress Guy Gardner. He's heard worse things from stronger beings:
    Atrocitus: Oh, the things I have planned for you, Guy Gardner. You and anyone who stands with you.
    Guy Gardner: Get in line, pal. You ain't the first, and I guarantee you won't be the last. Worse than you have tried to take Guy Gardner down! And you know what? You know what? I'm still here, you bastard! I'm still here!
  • Badass Cape: At different points of this story, Kara wears two long, flowing, awesome capes: Her red-and-black Red Lantern cape and her traditional, yellow-rimmed, red Supergirl one.
  • Badass Crew: All members of the Red Lantern Corps are certified (and nutty) badasses.
  • Batman Gambit:
    • Lobo tries to use Supergirl's rage against her by taunting her into not holding back. As such, Dr. Veritas teleports them out of the Block to prevent their fight from damaging it. Once outside, Lobo calls his ship and flies to Supergirl's old apartment in New York, hoping to calm her down. He then tries to be friendly to her offering to mentor her so she can learn to control her rage. Big mistake. Supergirl has had it with people trying to manipulate her and gives him a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown.
    • Worldkiller-1 had taken over the body of the Diasporan leader and wanted to steal Supergirl's body. However he couldn't destroy his host body. So he goaded Supergirl to use her Eye Beams on him until she reduced his body to ashes involuntarily.
  • Battle Aura: Kara's body stores and emits sunlight. Kara can use her battle aura to lit up dark areas or burn some enemies such like Worldkiller-1.
  • Battle in the Center of the Mind: Sheko invaded Supergirl’s mind to read her memories and judge her, but Alura's memory stopped her and forced her out.
  • Battle of Wits: Supergirl cannot beat or shake off Worldkiller-1, or stop it from taking over innocent people to coerce her into being possessed. Kara then says she will agree to become its new body if it releases its current hostage. Worldkiller-1 starts bonding with her... and Supergirl uses her Red Power Ring to teleport into the Sun. She then pulls her Ring out (an automatic death sentence for a Red Lantern like herself) before it can take over. Annoyed, Worldkiller-1 releases her body and leaves her for dead...before realizing the influx of solar power has restarted her heart and is healing her wounds and amping her powers up. As she beats Worldkiller-1 for good, Supergirl ponders it was a risky gambit...but it paid off.
  • Berserk Button:
    • God help you if Kara realizes you're trying to manipulate her.
    • Until she got her mind back right after getting her ring, mentioning Superman around Kara was a bad idea.
    • If Zilius Zox's body doesn't look perfectly round, don't mention it. Just don't.
  • The Berserker: During her Red Lantern phase, Supergirl genuinely enjoyed finding evil jerkasses and pummeling them.
    Kara: The Red Ring on my fist chose me. It made me part of a team. We seek out injustice and we punch it in the teeth. And it feels good.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: Kara was nice most of the time... until several idiots thought that driving her mad was a good idea rather than downright suicidal.
    Kara: "Congratulations, Czarnian! You caught me on the wrong freakin' day!"
  • Beware the Superman: Hal Jordan admits that a kryptonian wearing a Red Lantern Ring is quite possibly the most dangerous thing in the universe.
  • Beyond the Impossible: Supergirl took her Red Lantern Ring off and survived. No one had ever done that before. It was supposedly impossible. It helped that she was in the sun at that point, which overcharged her Kryptonian powers at the time.
  • Big Brother Instinct: It's complicated, but both Clark and Kara count (Kara is technically at least fifteen years older, but due to suspended animation shenanigans, Clark is a grown man while she's still a teenager):
    • Superman was NOT amused when he found out what his cousin had became a Red Lantern, and both Green and Red Lanterns were frightened of what he would do should he blame them. His first reaction was shouting "What have you done to my cousin?"
    • It was when Worldkiller-1 mentioned that he would go after her cousin that Supergirl recovered and defeated him.
  • Big Brother Mentor:
    • Guy became one to Supergirl, helping her find herself and manage her anger.
    • Subverted. Superman thinks he must help and guide his teen cousin. Everyone thinks she would be better off with him... but Supergirl, who protests that she doesn't need or want any help. So Superman has to say Guy he couldn't keep her with him if she doesn't want to stay.
  • Big Damn Heroes: During the invasion of planet Grax, a Diasporan is about to kill a little girl. All of sudden Supergirl shows up and punches him across the city.
  • Big Dumb Body: Subverted. Worldkiller-1 transferred his soul into the body of Supergirl because she was crazy powerful and inmensely strong, and he thought she was only a stupid girl. By the time he realized she wasn't dumb at all and she had outsmarted him to force him out of her body and kill him, it was too late.
  • The Big Guy: Even though she's a tad tiny, Kara fulfilled this role in her team due to being the strongest member by far.
  • Blessed with Suck: Supergirl is one of the most powerful female heroes. Due to her power, a lot of people have tried to use her or manipulate her; to the point that she feels she can't trust anybody.
    Supergirl: This strength, this power — It's been like a curse. But I refuse to be a victim anymore!
  • Blinded by Rage: Attempted by Lobo when he makes Supergirl so enraged that she can't think clearly. However, he can't capitalize on her mistakes because she is too tough to be easily taken down, and her superior speed means her sloppy but increasingly stronger blows eventually connect.
  • Blood from the Mouth When Kara becomes a Red Lantern, her blood turns into burning-hot acid which she vomits.
  • Blood-Splattered Warrior: Kara's entire costume is stained with blood after fighting several Lanterns and getting dunked in the Ysmault's Blood Lake.
  • Blue-and-Orange Morality: Atrocitus' moral code is very simple: Killing and destroying whoever or whatever has made you mad. After reading his mind, Sheko notes that he's a monster by her people's standards and laws, but he's utterly convinced that his actions are righteous and necessary.
  • Blue Is Heroic: Kara gets her blue outfit back after removing her Rage Ring and getting over her anger.
  • Body Snatcher: The fifth Worldkiller is a living Kryptonite armor suit that attaches to a host and steals his or her body. It tried to snatch Supergirl's body after its previous host died.
  • Body Surf: As Supergirl is fighting the Diasporan leader, her real enemy -Worldkiller-1- emerges through the leader's damaged body and tries to snatch Kara's body. When she forces him out he transfers his spirit into the bodies of random bystanders (who burn out nearly instantly) until Kara agrees to let him surf into her body.
  • Bound and Gagged: In order to transport her safely, the Green Lanterns gagged and chained Kara and placed her inside a containment cell.
  • Breath Weapon: In addition to her hurricane breath and freezing breath, Kara can spew corrosive plasma when she becomes a Red Lantern.
  • Bring My Red Jacket: During Supergirl's Red Lantern stint Kara and wears a red-and-black uniform and her battles are bloodier and more violent than usual.
  • Broken Bird: Kara has lost her parents, her planet is gone and she has been manipulated by most of people she has met... and in reaction she's gotten tougher.
    Worldkiller-1: Look at you! The universe tried its best to destroy you and it only made you stronger.
  • Brought to You by the Letter "S": After removing her Red Ring, Supergirl wears again the S-shield.
  • Brutal Honesty: During a battle, Supergirl tells a girl run and hide. Since the girl hesitates because she refuses to abandon her mother's body, Skallox points out that her mother is dead.
    Supergirl: You. Find someplace to hide.
    Girl: But my mom —
    Skallox: Your mother is dead! Now run for your life.
    Supergirl: You couldn't put that more gently?
    Skallox: Seriously, new girl? Gently?
  • Bullying a Dragon: In the beginning of the story, Lobo picks a fight with Supergirl. Knowing he can't go toe-to-toe with her, he mocks her, taunts her, presses her Berserk Buttons... so she gets angry and fights more sloppily. She certainly got angry. And then she proceeded to pummel him savagely.
  • The Cape: New 52 Supergirl didn't want to hurt anyone and was willing to help people, but her obsession with bringing Krypton back and her anger and loneliness issues were holding her back. During her Red Lantern stint she finally faces her inner demons and outgrows her angst and anger, and starts developing into the same kind of hero than her cousin is.
  • Car Fu: In Red Lanterns #29 Kara doesn't use a car as a giant club. She uses a large cargo ship as a giant club.
  • Casual Interplanetary Travel: In the course of the story, Kara and her teammates visit at least five planets the Red Lanterns via their Red Rings and the Kaalvar.
  • Casual Interstellar Travel: The Red Lanterns use her own Red Rings or the Kaalvar to travel between solar systems almost instantly.
  • Catch a Falling Star: In Supergirl #31, Supergirl and Bleez are flying together. Suddenly Bleez falls down, and Kara quickly grabs her hand and carries her to the ground safely.
  • Catharsis Factor: In-Universe. An important part of being a Red Lantern is the satisfaction of being given power enough to avenge your suffering.
    Supergirl: The Red Ring on my fist chose me. It made me part of a team. We seek out injustice and we punch it in the teeth. And it feels good.
  • Cephalothorax: Zilius Zox is a round head with arms and legs attached to the sides.
  • The Chains of Commanding: Guy Gardner is the unofficial leader of the Red Lanterns who haven't sided with Atrocitus. It's a very distressing job leading a team of psychotic, short-tempered Blood Knights with little regard for authority, especially when he tries to be the voice of reason, and his new role has driven a wedge between him and his former friends...
  • Character Development: The storyline's intended goal was Kara confronting her darkest and ugliest side, and eventually getting over her anger and confusion and becoming the Ideal Hero that Supergirl is meant to be.
    Tony Bedard: What it boils down to is that Kara's life has been one disaster after another since arriving on Earth. As she reacts to this the way any teenager would, she can come across as angry, mopey or whiny. I want her to be a positive, likable character who embraces the responsibilities that come with her newfound power. So I'm trying to use this encounter with Lobo and her moment in the Red Lantern Corps as a pivot point to work through her anger/resentment and emerge as the Supergirl we'd all like to see.
  • Chekhov's Gunman: At the beginning of the book, some aliens were seen floating in several pods in the background. Later on, Supergirl fought four of them, and Regen revealed that there was a fifth worldkiller. Guess who fights Supergirl at the climax of the storylilne?
  • Cheshire Cat Grin: When Supergirl met her cousin during the events of Superman: Doomed, she had a huge and disturbingly wicked grin.
  • Chest Insignia: Supergirl shares Superman's "S" shield which is the emblem of the House of El. During her Red Lantern tenure, she wore the symbol of the Red Lantern Corps: a circle and two crooked lines on its right and left sides. However, her insignia was slightly different: it was drawn inside the shield instead of a circle.
  • Combat Pragmatist: Unsurprisingly, becoming a Red Lantern doesn't make Supergirl less reluctant to fight dirty. When she figures out the Diasporans can breathe in space, she smashes through their space ships. When she's fighting a ruthless and powerful alien parasite Kara resorts to every kind of underhanded tactics such like letting him bonding with her and then poisoning herself or tricking him into throwing her into the Sun.
  • Combat Tentacles: Worldkiller-1's body could form a mass of inky, gelatinous tendrils to seize his enemies and take over their bodies.
  • Coming of Age Story: Red Daughter is about teenager Supergirl joining a group of rage-fueled anti-heroes after failing to fit in among humans and becoming unable to get over her anger and grief caused by her home's destruction and her family's demise. In the course of the story, Kara meets and befriends badly-damaged people, fights mass-murdering monsters, learns how to manage her anger, manages to overcome her pain, loneliness and Survivor Guilt, and at the end she accepts she has a new home to protect.
  • Conservation of Ninjutsu: Supergirl vs the Diasporans. A batallion of them? Red Lantern Kara wipes the floor with them. Their leader? Kara almost gets killed off.
  • Conveniently Close Planet: All over the place, since Red Lanterns and Diasporans seem to take minutes to travel from planet to planet.
  • Cool Ship: The Kaalvar, Red Lanterns' flagship. It's large, sleek and is armed with a Wave-Motion Gun.
  • Cool Starship: The Kaalvar is a large, impressive-looking, silver-grey starship.
  • Costume Evolution: Kara gains a Red Lantern version of her Supergirl costume. Though it's destroyed during the final battle, and she changes back to her original outfit.
  • Covers Always Lie: Red Lanterns #29 features Kara burning her old costume while Superman tries to stop her and Guy holds him back. Kara never tries to destroy her Supergirl costume, and Guy actually tries to talk her into staying with her cousin.
  • Crater Power: The Diasporan leader creates a new moon crater by smashing Supergirl into the Moon.
  • Crossover: Between Supergirl and Green Lantern.
  • Cross Through: Supergirl's journey as a Red Lantern was told through the Supergirl 2011, Green Lantern Vol 5 and Red Lanterns books.
  • Cruel to Be Kind: Guy kicked Kara out of the team because he thought Atrocitus would kill them all and Supergirl didn’t deserve that.
  • Curb-Stomp Battle: Lobo can usually fight toe to toe with Superman, but Kara beats him up so brutally after going berserker that Lobo decides to play possum.
  • Cursed with Awesome: Supergirl complains that her incredible powers have been an endless source of problems for her since she crash-landed on Earth. Yes, she has soared through the galaxy and tanked energy blasts. She has also been forced into battle after battle, manipulated, used, abused and treated as a tool or a ticking bomb by pretty much everyone.
    Supergirl: This strength, this power— It's been like a curse.
  • Darker and Edgier: Subverted. Although Red Lantern Supergirl is clearly darker than her usual self, she comes to terms with her losses, matures and becomes a wiser and more heroic character.
  • Death from Above: In "Red Lanterns 32", Bleez asked Zox to use the Kaalvar laser cannon to blast her and Rankorr from space.
  • Death Glare: Kara does this constantly because she is constantly angry because of her Red Lantern Ring. At the beginning of the story she glares at Lobo as she tells she's done with users... and with him, and Lobo an inter-galactic bounty hunter and mass murderer gets scared and tries to calm her down.
  • Defiant to the End: At the finale, Worldkiller-1 is going to absorb and take over Supergirl's body. Kara's words as he moves to do so?
    Supergirl: I hopes it chokes on my poisoned—
  • Despair Event Horizon:
    • Combined with a Rage Breaking Point, this is what creates Red Lanterns.
    • A case in point is Supergirl. She starts out a nice, happy-go-lucky girl. Then her father placed her in suspended animation inside a rocket and launched her out of Krypton. When she wakes up, she finds herself stranded on an alien, primitive world. Her family, her friends, her old life... are gone forever because her home world exploded nearly thirty years ago. Then she goes through several months of endless battles. Meanwhile, she appears to be unable to connect with her only living relative, she doesn't manage to fit in with Earth's people or keep any friends, and everyone she meets wants to decide what is better for her or tries to use her. She falls in love with someone, and then she finds out that her crush was a murderous bastard who was manipulating her. She has a chance to save her planet, and she fails... Then she runs into and fights Lobo, who intentionally presses her Berserk Buttons until she flips out. After pummelling him, Kara is mad like hell and feeling hurt, betrayed, confused and utterly hopeless, thinking she belongs nowhere and can trust no one.
  • Destructive Saviour: The Red Lanterns tried to save Primeen's capital city. Unfortunately they almost burned it down when they fought Atrocitus and Kara used her heat vision to stop a blood storm. Supergirl felt horribly guilty, and Blezz muttered she thought that they were supposed to be the good Red Lanterns.
  • Determinator: Supergirl never quits. Never. Not even when she's poisoned with Kryptonite, her body is getting stolen by an alien abomination, and her heart has stopped. Her mother taught her to never give up.
    Supergirl: But then I thought of mother. I remembered all I had to live up to. A daughter of the House of El never quits. I wasn't about to be the first.
  • Didn't Think This Through: Supergirl used her heat vision on the blood maelstrom conjured by Atrocitus, and accidentally burned half city down instead of destroying the blood.
  • Does Not Know His Own Strength: In Supergirl #27, Supergirl kicks Lobo so hard that she -apparently- kills him. Kara is so upset that she swears she didn't want to kill him and she cries she doesn't know her own strength.
    Supergirl: I don't even know my own strength!
  • The Dog Bites Back: In issue #26 a crime lord is killed off by the same dancers whom he used to mistreat.
    Lobo: Your men would still be breathin' if you'd only been polite whan I walked in. Still, I showed you mercy. I just hope you showed your dancers more courtesy...
    (hands gun over to dancer)
    Crimelord: N-now, Suchin, let's not be hasty...! If I ever hurt any of you girls, it was only because—
    (shooting noises)
  • Dog Pile of Doom: During the climax, several dozens of alien Diasporans leap onto Supergirl, surrounding her everywhere and pinning her down. All they manage though is making the short-tempered Red Lantern Kryptonian teenager mad. Kara explodes out of the pile, shaking them off with several blasts of heat vision and her Red Ring.
  • Domino Mask: Kara wears a red one during her Red Lantern tenure.
  • Doomed Hometown: Kara has lost her home-world twice. She tried to settle down in Earth but she left the planet because she felt she didn't belong there. Later on, she got kicked out of the Red Lanterns. Finally she decides that maybe she can make a life and a place for herself on planet Earth after all.
  • Do with Him as You Will: Lobo becomes fed up with a crime lord who is dumb enough to attack him even though Lobo had spared him and was already walking away. Annoyed, Lobo takes his gun away, hands it over to one of his sex slaves, and leaves. The crime lord tries desperately to placate his former plaything, but her and her partners' grim glares show that they will not be appeased.
  • The Dreaded: Kara, a kryptonian wearing a red lantern ring, quickly becomes this. Hal describes her as quite possibly the most dangerous being in the universe.
  • Dying as Yourself: When Worldkiller-1 is taking over Kara's mind, she removes her Red Ring as a last resort to kill it while she can still think for herself.
  • Dynamic Entry: In Supergirl #31, Sheko is about to mind-raping several more innocent bystanders when a blast of heat hit her from behind. Cue Supergirl swooping in on her.
  • Eldritch Abomination: Worldkiller-1 is an omnicidal, shape-shifting, sentient alien black goo which steals—and often consumes—bodies and is bonded with an indestructible armor suit. And it's nearly as strong and invulnerable as a Kryptonian. And it isn't vulnerable to Kryptonite.
  • Et Tu, Brute?: Judge Sheko sentences her planet's prince to death, fully expecting to be assassinated by the king's agents. Nonetheless, she did not expect her own court's guard to turn around and point his gun at her. Sheko sarcastically calls him a puppet and tells him to earn his payment.
    Sheko: "Oh. They bought you too, didn't they? Very well, puppet. Be the king's messenger. Show this world that justice is dead."
  • Evil Costume Switch: When Kara flies off the handle at the beginning of the arc and becomes a Red Lantern, she wears a red-and-black version of her costume, completed with a red domino mask and a different Chest Insignia.
  • Evil Gloating: At the end, Worldkiller-1 boasts that Supergirl's heroic sacrifice has failed to destroy him, and now she's dying she can't stop him from taking over her cousin's body. And then he dumps her body in the Sun... which is the worst possible way to dispose of a Kryptonian.
    Worldkiller-1: "A noble sacrifice, but in the end, you accomplish nothing. I touched your mind. I glimpsed your memories. I saw your cousin, Kal-El. Superman. He will serve my mission just as well... and he won't have a Red Ring to stop me."
  • Evil Plan: Worldkiller-1 intends to wipe out the weakest members of every alien species. In order to achieve his goal, he initially takes control of the Diasporan army by possessing their king; though, when he hears his soldiers have been oppossed by a Kryptonian Red Lantern, he schemes to take over Supergirl's body to carry out his desired galaxy-wide genocide personally.
  • Exact Words: In issue #26, Lobo is furious with his employeer Rhialla.
    Rhialla: There's no need for threats, Lobo. Besides, Section Nine of your contract forbids you from killing your employer, remember? And we both know you always honor a contract.
    Lobo: Contract says nothing about maiming you.
  • Extreme Mêlée Revenge: Supergirl savagely beats Lobo into the ground after her well-meaning attempt to reason with him results in Lobo hurting her, taunting her and trying to manipulate her into becoming his pawn.
  • Eye Beams: Kara's heat vision is her best and most used weapon. She blew spaceships up, boiled a tsunami off and burned Worldkiller-1's host body out with it.
  • Falling into His Arms: Bleez passes out as flying and is caught and taken to safety by Kara.
  • Fantastic Racism: Zilius Zox is a spherical alien. He doesn't like Green Lantern B'ox because B'ox is literally a square.
  • Fearful Symmetry: Supergirl and Silver Banshee do this during their fight in Supergirl #29.
  • Fighting Your Friend: Silver Banshee has to fight her friend Kara, who is out of her mind due to the influence of a rage-fueling Red Power Ring.
  • Fight Off the Kryptonite: Earth's atmosphere was poisoned with Kryptonite when Supergirl fought Worldkiller-1. Supergirl had to rely on her ring to keep fighting while she tried to overcome the K-radiation killing her cells and making her natural powers fade.
  • Flaw Exploitation: Several villains try to exploit Supergirl's unwillingness to let innocent people be hurt.
    • Knowing Supergirl is on the verge of a fit of rage, Lobo pushes all her Berserk Buttons so she cannot fight effectively, and then he moves the fight to New York, thinking that she will not dare to fight in the middle of a city. Subverted because he made Kara so irrationally, blindingly furious that she couldn't think anything other than "Trash Lobo NOW!"
    • Later on, a body-snatcher enemy fights Supergirl in a city and possesses (and consumes) the bodies of innocent bystanders to force her to surrender. Kara notes that he chose that location on purpose so she cannot fight freely.
  • Flying Brick: Supergirl is one of the ultimate examples: super-strength, super-speed, invulnerability, flight... during the story she destroys spaceships by ramming through them.
  • Foil: Lobo to Supergirl. Says writer Tony Bedard: "Lobo is there as a sort of dark reflection of her. They're both super-powerful loners left over from dead planets. Lobo has channeled his power and rage into becoming the most dangerous bounty-hunter/assassin in the galaxy. Supergirl's still trying to figure out what to do with her power and her lot in life. Tangling with Lobo will show her one path she might go down. It's really a cautionary tale for her, and she'll come away knowing that she could easily end up like him if she doesn't get her act together."
  • Forbidden Chekhov's Gun: At the beginning of the arc, the Red Lanterns explain Supergirl that she can never, ever, take her ring off since she would die. At the end of the story, Kara removes her ring to try to kill an enemy that was taking over her body.
  • Friendless Background: Kara had this issue for a long while. She was stranded in a strange planet, her family and acquaintances were all dead, she didn't trust her cousin, she had no friends and she felt very lonely and isolated. Her situation led to a Despair Event Horizon combined with a Rage Breaking Point and her becoming a Red Lantern.
  • The Friend Nobody Likes: Kara feels like this the whole time. She genuinely believes no one wants her around because she is too dangerous.

    G - L 
  • Glowing Eyes of Doom: Supergirl's eyes glowing or (God forbid) flaring are a very scary sign that she's getting really pissed off, and someone is about to be pummelled and/or blasted: they glowed red when she fought Lobo and beat him up brutally, when she accepted her Red Ring, before smashing down a whole alien invader force...
  • Golden Super Mode: Kara's body gives off a blinding golden glow after a literal sunbath has increased her power exponentially.
  • Gone Horribly Right: Lobo's plan to fight Supergirl consisted in pissing her off. He succeeded. He drove her so mad that she flew off the handle and crushed him like a bug.
  • Good Feels Good: Although Supergirl initially feels elated when she joins the RL Corps because she can vent and channel her fury and grief by striking brutally people who deserves it, she eventually decides that being a rage-fueled anti-hero does not suit her. Indeed, she feels better when she shows compassion and kindness.
  • Grand Theft Me: Worldkiller-1 tried to take over Kara's body. She let him so he didn't steal the body of an Innocent Bystander.
  • Green-Skinned Space Babe: Bleez is a beautiful, blue-skinned woman.
  • Grievous Harm with a Body: Kara grabbed a Diasporan and used him like a bat to bash enemies with during the battle of planet Grax.
  • Guile Hero: Kara pretends she's killed herself to get rid of Worldkiller-1 and trick him into dumping her into the Sun.
  • Hair-Trigger Temper:
    • Due to several months of frustration and letdowns, Kara was very... irritable and snappy for a while.
    • To be fair, all Red Lanterns have anger issues.
  • Hard Light: Rankorr forms a hammer construct to fight Atrocitus.
  • Has a Type: When Guy jokingly asks Skallox and Zilius Zox if they're getting a crush on Kara, the latter replies: "Meh. Not nearly spherical enough."
  • Hates Being Alone: Kara flew off the handle because she was sick of being a lonely stranger in a strange land with no friends.
  • The Hero Dies: Kara sacrifices herself to take Worldkiller-1 with her. Though, the baddie hurls her into the Sun, and the sudden influx of solar energy restarts her still heart.
  • Hero with Bad Publicity:
    • Even when they try to be heroes, Red Lanterns are generally regarded as violent, dangerous, bloodthirsty sociopaths.
    • Subverted when Superman and Guy Gardner talked. Superman admitted that Hal had nothing good to tell about the Red Lanterns but he added that he judges people based on what they do, not what people say about them, and he forms his own opinions.
  • Heroic BSoD: Kara had a breakdown after meeting and beating Lobo, believing everyone wanted to manipulate her and she belonged nowhere. She was so upset and furious that she became a Red Lantern. A while later she was told that she would be a Red Lantern forever because she would die if she took her Power Ring off. She fell to her knees in despair and fury, threw her head back and screamed while incandescent light poured from her eyes.
  • Heroic Resolve: Kara was dying after her battle with a worldkiller. She was sick from Kryptonite-poisoning, worn-out and her heart hardly beat. Then the world-killer proclaimed her cousin would be his next victim. Thirty seconds later she had hurled the biological living weapon into the Sun.
  • Heroic RRoD: As fighting Worldkiller-1, Supergirl's heart stops working temporarily.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: Kara tried to kill herself to destroy the Kryptonian Worldkiller.
  • Heroic Second Wind: Supergirl is dying after trying unsuccessfully to defeat the Worldkiller. Then he unwisely decides to dispose of the body by dropping her into the Sun. Kara recovers and beats him down.
  • Hero Insurance: In Supergirl 31 and Red Lanterns 31, a city gets leveled and burned down because of a battle between two groups of Red Lanterns. Supergirl and her Red Lantern team want to help out with rebuilding it after the battle, but the frightened locals beg them to leave as soon as possible.
  • He's Back!: At the end of the story, Kara becomes Supergirl again, and accepts that she’s the protector of her new home: Earth.
  • He Who Fights Monsters: After being freed by the Red Lanterns, the people of Ysmault declares that they'll follow their saviors' example and hunt their enslavers down and "erase" them. Guy warns them not to become like the monsters they're going to fight.
    Guy: We came because we heard a monster was loose in our sector. It's our job to clean up the monsters. So. Do what you gotta do. Put people on trial. Punish them how you like. But watch out you don't turn into monsters. Because then we'd be back for you.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard:
    • Lobo thought that an angry Supergirl would fight sloppily. So he got her angry... to the point she exploded and trashed him.
    • The King of planet Primeen got a judge executed to protect his son. His actions got Sheko (the aforementioned judge) so furious that she became a Red Lantern and killed them all.
  • Hoist Hero over Head: In Supergirl #33, Kara does this to Worldkiller-1 before hurling it into the Sun.
  • Horned Humanoid: The Diasporans have huge bull or goat horns.
  • Horns of Villainy: Demon Blaze has a pair of long, curved ibex-like horns sprouting from her forehead. The Diasporans' heads sport two pairs of ram horns.
  • Hot-Blooded: Kara has always been emotional and passionate in every incarnation, but in this story she can hardly control her emotions. She is furious, upset and sees to that everybody knows it.
  • Human Aliens: Played straight with Kara and her cousin, although most of aliens that she met during her Red Lantern tenure were vaguely humanoid, at the best.
  • Hurl It into the Sun: Kara essentially did this to herself to try to get rid of a Red Lantern ring without it killing her. It worked. And then she did it to Worldkiller-1.
  • I Am Not Left-Handed: One dozen of Green and Red Lanterns manage to restrain a mad Supergirl. Afterwards Kara reveals that she was holding back because she was scared of killing them all if she let loose. Guy believes her.
  • An Ice Person: Tora uses her ice powers to help Guy and his Red Lanterns when they fight Shadow Thief in Red Lanterns #28.
  • I Control My Minions Through...: Worldkiller-1 body-snatched the King of the Diasporans. The Diasporans aren't aware of this, so they keep obeying their ruler's orders out of loyalty, duty and respect, even if said orders are morally repugnant. Likewise, Worldkiller-1 is persuasive and charismatic enough to convince doubters and dissenters of his point of view when they express concerns.
  • I Gave My Word: Guy promises Bleez that they will eventually go after Rankorr. She questions whether he is a man of his word, and Guy reiterates that he always stays true to a promise:
    Bleez: I guess I'll learn whether you're a man of your word.
    Guy: If I'm anything, I'm that.
  • "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Shioban runs into Supergirl right after her transformation when Kara is overwhelmed with rage. Shioban wonders what turned her best friend into that rage monster (she suspects drugs or poison) and she tries to reach her out.
    Shioban: Kara...? I'm your friend, remember? Whatever's happened, you don't have to hurt anyone.
  • I'm Standing Right Here: When Superman talks to Guy about his cousin, he preemptively says "And yes, Kara, I know you're behind me and listening to this."
  • Improvised Weapon: Supergirl used an aircraft carrier during an argument with Superman.
  • Inappropriate Role Model: Invoked by Guy Gardner, who believes Kara should stay with her cousin because the Red Lanterns aren't exactly role models even at their best.
  • In It for Life: In Red Lanterns #30 ("Forever"), Supergirl learns that she'll be a Red Lantern forever because she'll die if she takes her ring off. Predictably, she isn't happy about it (initially).
  • Inner Monologue: Kara's inner voice is as reflective as snarky.
    Supergirl: Thanks to the K-poisoning, my natural powers are fading. My only hope now is channeling my rage to charge my ring. And there is no shortage of things that make me furious.
  • Innocent Bystander: When the Red Lanterns fight the Diasporans in planet Grax, Kara saves an innocent little girl who was about to be killed. Later on, Worldkiller-1 threatens with body-snatching an innocent bystander unless Kara lets it take over her body.
  • In-Series Nickname: Guy Gardner usually calls Kara "Kid". Kara is not happy about it.
  • Instant-Win Condition: The easiest way to defeat the Diaposran fleet is to defeat their mind-controlled leader.
  • Interspecies Romance: Rankorr (a human) and Bleez (a winged, blue-skinned alien). Rankorr stayed behind to hold Atrocitus back so Bleez had a chance to flee. Bleez is determined to rescue him.
  • I Shall Taunt You: Lobo pushes Supergirl's buttons over and again in order to make her so irrationally angry that she can't fight effectively. He succeeds in driving her utterly mad... and then he finds out it was a spectacularly bad idea.
  • "It" Is Dehumanizing: Shay alternates between using "her" and "it" to talk about Blaze because she doesn't know how to refer to other-dimensional demons.
    Soldier: "Her"...? I thought we were hunting for an "it".
    Shay: She looks female, but who really knows if gender even applies to a demon from another dimension?
  • It's All My Fault: Atrocitus drove Rankorr mindlessly mad, ravaged Ysmault, shattered the Central Battery, poisoned the Blood Lake... to get back on Guy for defeating him. So Guy blames himself for everything Atrocitus does.
  • It's Personal: Supergirl hates the Worldkiller weapons and the Diasporans because they kill planets, and she's an orphan of a dead world.
    Supergirl: How could anyone make it their mission in life to murder whole worlds? Can you imagine what an abomination that is to an orphan from a dead planet? [...] This world-killing stuff... it hits a nerve. It makes me furious, and the ring just fans the flame!
  • I Want Them Alive!: The Diasporan king wants his soldiers to bring the Girl of Steel alive and unharmed before him, so he can take over her body.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: In spite of her brittle attitude, heated temper and anger issues, Supergirl was the nicest and most considerate Red Lantern. She even chided one of her teammates for not being tactful enough.
  • Judge, Jury, and Executioner: Kara kills Worldkiller-1 by throwing it into the Sun, reasoning that destroying that body-snatching, parasitic, sentient weapon of massive destruction "is not murder. It's the end of a terrible mistake."
  • Just Between You and Me: During his final battle with Supergirl, Worldkiller-1 delivers several speeches about his scheme to strengthen every alien species by culling their weakest, most unfit members, and how he plans to use Supergirl to achieve his goals.
  • Kangaroo Court: Judge Sheko became a Red Lantern because kangaroo courts on planet Primeen were the rule, the concept of justice had been turned into a joke, and when she tried to make her job fairly, she got shot.
  • Keystone Army: The Diasporan army surrendered after Supergirl defeated their leader.
  • Kill It with Fire: Supergirl gets rid of Worldkiller-1 by burning it to ashes with solar blazes.
  • Kill the Host Body: Since she cannot seem to get rid of the symbiotic parasite who is taking over her body, and knowing that Worldkiller-1 intends to use her powers to spark off an universe-wide genocide, Supergirl decides to kill herself by removing her Ring (which is an automatic death sentence for Red Lanterns, since their Rings provide life support after rendering their hearts useless).
  • Killed Mid-Sentence: In issue #26 a crime-lord gets gunned down as pleading with her mistreated and pissed-off dancer for mercy:
    Crimelord: N-now, Suchin, let's not be hasty...! If I ever hurt any of you girls, it was only because—
  • Killed Off for Real: Worldkiller-1 is thrown into the Sun and disintegrated.
  • Kirby Dots: This visual effect was often used when Supergirl's eyes poured sheer red energy or her Battle Aura flared up.
  • Knight in Sour Armor: Supergirl was full of anger, bitterness and loneliness due to her family's loss and the perception that everyone intended to use her and then betray her, to the point that she became a Red Lantern in when her rage, self-loathing and despair pushed her beyond her breaking point. Still she never, not even at her lowest, stopped helping people in distress.
  • Kryptonite Factor:
    • Silver Banshee managed to contain Supergirl for a short while when they fought because her sonic attacks are magic, and Kryptonians are vulnerable to magic.
    • Kara was weakened when she fought Worldkiller-1 because Earth's atmosphere was poisoned with kryptonite.
  • Kryptonite Is Everywhere: As Kara fights the last world-killer, Metallo detonates a Kryptonite bomb which poisons the whole Earth atmosphere with trillions of Green-K particles.
  • Kubrick Stare: In Supergirl 28 Kara does this when Lobo tries and manages to drive her mad, and it is used to hint that she is about to completely lose it.
  • Large and in Charge: The Diasporan King is visibly taller and stronger than any of his subordinates.
  • Last of His Kind: Discussed. Hal and Guy -who had never met Supergirl before- are shocked to learn that there's another living Kryptonian besides Superman, who was supposedly the last one.
  • Leave Me Alone!: When Superman and Supergirl argue, he reminds her that she wanted him to leave her alone to live her own life since she showed up on Earth.
  • Leotard of Power: This is New-52 Supergirl after all.
  • Let's Split Up, Gang!: Guy decides split his team when they arrive on planet Primeem and are trying to find the newest Red Lantern. Later on, he admits that it was not a good idea.
  • Living Emotional Crutch: Deconstructed. Guy tries to convince Ice to get back together, stating that she keeps him sane. She replies that isn't a good foundation for a relationship.
    Guy: Come on, babe. Give me a shot. I need this— out there... It's no easy. I need a reason to keep it together.
    Tora: Guy, you have your good qualities. But you must see why the idea of being your sole link to sanity is less than appealing to me. The weight of that — we'd never get out from under it.
  • Logical Weakness: Lobo uses a sonic grenade to neutralize Supergirl, exploiting her vulnerabvility to high-powered sonics caused by her Super-Senses. On the one hand, it works and Kara passes out because of the extreme pain. On the other hand, she's real mad when she comes to.

    M - R 
  • Made of Indestructium: Kara's outfit and cape never get damaged, not matter what happens to her. Justified since her Supergirl costume is Kryptonian armor, and her Red Lantern uniform is made of raw energy.
  • Make Me Wanna Shout: In Supergirl #29, Siobhan Smythe has to turn into Silver Banshee again to try to hold a berserker Kara back.
  • Mama Bear: Alura is fiercely protective of her daughter... even when she's only a memory! She stopped Sheko when the Red Lantern tried to invade Supergirl's mind and demanded that she left her daughter alone.
  • The Man Behind the Man: At the end, it's revealed that a parasitic sentient bio-weapon named Worldkiller-1 was manipulating the genocidal Diasporans the whole time.
  • Manipulative Bastard: Lobo played with Supergirl's anger and loneliness, hinted that they were not so different and if they worked together he could help her to take control of her own life. It was all a plot to save his butt. However, Kara had already dealt with manipulative bastards and saw through his words.
    Lobo: I'm offering you a way to take ownership of your life. This planet's too smalltime for the likes of you, Kara Zor-El. You were meant for bigger things.
    Kara: You know what I am sick and tired of? People acting like they know me— like they only want what's best for me.
    Lobo: Now, hold on—
    Kara: NO! Everyone I meet makes plans for me. Everyone ends up trying to use me. Even Shay. Even Kal. And now you. Well, I am finished with users.
  • Mass "Oh, Crap!": When Kara gets her Red Lantern Ring everyone stares at her with "Oh, GOD, She's going to kill us all NOW!" horrified expressions.
  • Milking the Giant Cow: Supergirl does this right after pummeling Lobo.
  • Mind Probe: Sheko does this telepathically to judge people. If she finds them innocent, she let them go; If she finds them guilty, she burns them down. She tried to read Supergirl's mind, but she got thrown out.
  • Mind Rape: Sheko does this to her victims to judge whether they are innocent or guilty.
  • Morality Pet: Supergirl was this to all of the Red Lanterns, but especially Guy and Bleez.
  • Mundane Utility: As seen in a flashback in Supergirl #29, Kara once used her heat vision to roast a marshmallow.
  • My Blood Runs Hot: While she’s a Red Lantern, Supergirl’s blood is burning hot.
  • My Greatest Failure: During a talk with Guy, Kara confesses that she feels guilty for Krypton's destruction, even though she intellectually knows there was nothing she could do to save it.
    Supergirl: And now Krypton's lost forever. There was nothing I could do to save it, but it feels like I'll be trying to make up for that the rest of my life.
  • Neck Lift: In the cover of Red Lanterns #31, Sheko does this to Supergirl and Bleez.
  • Never Be Hurt Again: After spending several months being used, manipulated and betrayed, Kara promises herself that she'll not be hurt again.
  • Never My Fault: When Kara stops the living Kryptonian suit from taking over her body, it attaches to an Innocent Bystander and blames Supergirl for "forcing him" to do that.
  • Never Split the Party: Guy split his team before sending them out to find another Red Lantern. After seeing what kind of devastation caused that Lantern, he thought that splitting the party was a mistake.
  • Nice Guy: In spite of her angst and anger issues, both of which she outgrows, Supergirl is, in her own way, every bit as sweet and kind as her cousin.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: In Red Lanterns #31, Supergirl tries help a Red Lantern get her mind back by taking a tank of lake blood and ripping it open over the city that Sheko is in. Unfortunately, Atrocitus is present, and he takes control of the blood rain, making it into a tornado. So Supergirl tries to fix the mess. Unfortunately her way to fix the blood storm is to ignite it with heat vision. The result conflagration sets the city on fire.
  • Nigh-Invulnerability:
    • Being a Kryptonian, Supergirl is very, very hard to hurt. In Red Lanterns #29, she tanks a missile tipped with star core matter.
    • Superman had no one scratch after being swatted with an ocean liner.
  • Nobody Calls Me "Chicken"!: When Lobo taunts Supergirl, stating that she's afraid to cut loose, Kara goes ballistic.
    Lobo: You threw one solid punch when I showed up, but you've been pulling'em ever even since. What's wrong? Scared to see what happens if you really cut loose?
    Supergirl: (thinking as her eyes glow red) He thinks I'm weak. He thinks I won't do it...
  • No Endor Holocaust: Both Lobo and Worldkiller-1 deliberately choose to fight Kara in populated cities, knowing she would hold back not to hurt people.
  • No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: In Supergirl #28 Lobo taunted her until she exploded and pummeled him until he stopped moving and talking.
  • Noodle Incident: In Supergirl #32 it's mentioned briefly that Kara did a short side trip before entering the solar system. In Action Comics #32 (part of the Superman: Doomed storyline) it's revealed what she did during that trip.
  • No-Sell: Two Red Lanterns test a machine that launches missiles tipped with a touch of neutron star core matter... on Kara. It was her idea. One missile struck her. And it did nothing. But getting her angrier.
  • "Not So Different" Remark: Lobo comments that he was like Supergirl a while ago:
    Lobo: I know, because I was like you once. Bitter. Alone. Mad as Hell. But I didn't let it consume me. I put it to work.
  • Oh, My Gods!: In Supergirl #33, Kara says "Because Rao apparently thought my day wasn't being hard enough”.
  • Older Than They Look: Supergirl is fifteen... although that's because she spent almost thirty years in suspended animation. She insists that she's more mature than she looks.
    Supergirl: My entire planet was destroyed. My civilization is gone. That makes you grow up fast.
  • One-Man Army: Kara is a Red Lantern Kryptonian. Put blatantly, there is not much she cannot handle, and she nearly single-handedly defeated the whole Diasporan force.
  • Our Hero Is Dead: The Red Lanterns get this reaction when Supergirl removes her Red Ring. Two pages after, Kara revives when Worldkiller-1 foolishly dumps her into the Sun.
  • Perpetual Frowner: Most of Red Lanterns count, but during her tenure, Kara seldom smiled (although she occasionally smirked smugly).
  • Person of Mass Destruction: Any Kryptonian or Lantern Corps member counts due to their vast and numerous powers. When Kara gets her Red Lantern Ring, though, she becomes one of the most dangerous things in the universe.
    Shay Veritas: How'd she get a Red Lantern Ring? [...] A Kryptonian wearing one of those is an extinction level threat—!
  • Pietà Plagiarism: In Supergirl 33, Worldkiller-1 holds a dying Kara in his arms before hurling her into the Sun.
  • Pintsized Powerhouse: Supergirl is tinier than her teammates and she's stronger, faster and sturdier than any Red Lantern.
  • Planet Destroyer: Silver Banshee talks her into leaving Earth because otherwise her berserker fury might burn the planet to ashes.
  • Planetary Romance: Supergirl lives adventures across the galaxy wherein visits different planets and cultures as learning about herself.
  • A Planet Named Zok: Leaving aside the obvious example (Krypton), Kara visits some weirdly-named world such like Ysmault, Grax or Primeen.
  • Playing Possum: After his "Driving Supergirl Mad" plan backfired completely, Lobo pretended to be dead until she stopped bashing him and left.
  • Playing with Fire: Sheko gains fire powers when she becomes a Red Lantern.
  • Plot-Irrelevant Villain: Blaze breaks free from a containment cell, slays several guards while making her escape and looks for allies to strike Supergirl. Nothing to do with the main storyline, and Supergirl doesn't even run into her once. Blaze was supposed to be dealt with in a later story arc, but Tony Bedard was kicked out of the book before he could advance that particular subplot.
  • Poor Communication Kills: Shioban tried to reach Supergirl out when she turned into a Red Lantern. It seemed to be working... until a N.Y.P.D. VTOL came along, and Kara felt threatened.
  • Possession Burnout: Worldkiller-1 burns out any body he possess if his host isn't strong enough to contain his spirit. In the last issue he possessed a baseline human, and his victim's body melted in a matter of seconds.
  • Power Glows: After Kara took a literal sunbath, her body gave off a golden glow.
  • Powers Do the Fighting: In Red Lanterns #30, Supergirl has to stop Bleez from leaving med bay. She accomplishes this by blocking the doorway and standing her ground when Bleez tries to shove her aside. She did nothing; she just stood there as Bleez found out she can't overpower a Kryptonian.
  • Pre Ass Kicking One Liner:
    • In Supergirl #28, after Kara shots Lobo's ship down:
      Lobo: Bloody Nass! That ship was custom built! The things I did just to pay for it...!
      Kara: Don't worry... You'll pay for them ALL.
    • During the battle in planet Grax:
      Diasporans: Rage Lanterns! This is not your fight! Do not interfere!
      Zilius Zox: Oh, we're interfering, all right...
    • Shortly after:
      Supergirl: Fine, Skallox! You want to see me get mad? Watch this!
  • Primary-Color Champion: After removing her Red Ring and going back to being a positive, good-natured character, Supergirl wears again her blue-and-red costume.
  • Psychic Powers: Judge Sheko gains telepathy and pyrokinesis once she becomes a Red Lantern.
  • Punched Across the Room: When the Red Lanterns fought the Diasporans for first time, Kara punched one of them across a city.
  • Puppeteer Parasite: Worldkiller-1 is a parasitic lifeform which infests other alien's bodies.
  • Rage Breaking Point: She's been through hard times during her time on Earth, leading to a lot of built up rage. Her fight with Lobo is the final straw, as his attempt to manipulate her causes her to thrash him.
  • Rage Quit: In Supergirl issue #28 ("Rage Quit"), Kara feels she's done with people pushing her around, taking advantage of her and betraying her, and quits being Supergirl.
  • Ramming Always Works: During her final battle against the Diasporans, Supergirl took advantage of her invulnerability to ram through their mothership and destroy it.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: A mild case. After Supergirl went off on him, Superman pointed out that she's clinging to her anger for so long that she can't get rid of it now:
    Superman: You know what, Kara? Ever since you showed up on Earth, you've been trying to get me to do one thing — leave you alone to let you live your own life. You've been so focused on just being angry — yes, you lost your home, and that's terrible, but you can't bring it back.
    Supergirl: What are you saying?
    Superman: You've been choosing anger instead of acceptance for so long that you've become anger. You want to be your own person? Good. Be your own person. I just hope you like who you turn out to be.
  • Reassigned to Antarctica: During an argument with Hal, Guy makes very clear that he considers being stationed at Ysmault leading a group of Reds to be this.
    Guy: After everything, after you made me give up my whole life to come to this rock?
  • Rebel Relaxation: After becoming an anti-hero, Supergirl made a habit of leaning on a wall, folding her arms across her chest and slouching during team meetings.
  • Red and Black and Evil All Over: Not evil, but she was definitely darker, edgier and angrier when she wore her red-and-black Red Lantern costume.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: Supergirl's eyes's red glow intensified during her fight against Lobo as she got angrier. At the beginning their eyes give off a faint red light. At the end they pour red fire, complete with Kirby Dots.
  • Red Is Heroic: Kara's Supergirl costume has red cape, pants and boots. Her Red Lantern uniform is red and black.
  • Red Is Violent: Red Lantern Supergirl is not evil— she joins Guy Gardner's team and despises Atrocitus— but she's more violent, more aggressive and more short-tempered than her usual Hot-Blooded self. She also wore a mostly red uniform.
  • Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: The Red Lanterns believe Supergirl has been killed when her Ring goes offline (a sure sign that a Red Ring-bearer is dead). They spend several issues believing Kara is dead until Guy Garner bumps into her during the "Atrocities" arc, whereupon he gives her a hug and asks how she survived. Kara proceeds to explain her heart was restarted with a literal sunbath when her Ring was removed.
  • Resist the Beast: Supergirl's mind is overwhelmed by unbridled rage when she puts on her Red Ring. Even though she can barely think, Kara quickly leaves Earth out of a subconscious desire to not wreck the planet, and bumps into several Green Lanterns. After she has been subsumed by one dozen of Green and Red Lanterns, Kara admits she was subconsciously holding back during the fight because she did not want to hurt anybody, and spends the entirety of her stint as a fury-fueled Red Lantern learning how to control and channel her blinding rage.
  • Roaring Rampage of Revenge: When Sheko got shot after finding her planet's Crown Prince guilty, she was so absolutely furious that she became a Red Lantern, and decided to burn everyone who were responsible for her death.
  • Rubber-Forehead Aliens: In Supergirl#30, Kara finds Graxians. They're blue-skinned humanoids with cow-like ears.

    S - Z 
  • Sadistic Choice: In Supergirl 33, Kara must choose between letting an innocent person die and letting Worldkiller-1 steal her body.
  • Saving the World: Supergirl saves Earth and who-knows-how-many planets from the Diasporans and the Worldkillers. She also explains why worldwide genocide and planetary destruction are one of her Berserk Buttons:
    Supergirl: How could anyone make it their mission in life to murder whole worlds? Can you imagine what an abomination that is to an orphan from a dead planet? [...] This world-killing stuff... it hits a nerve. It makes me furious, and the ring just fans the flame!
  • Scene Cover: The cover of Supergirl #28 features an enraged, eye-glowing Kara grabbing a Red Lantern Ring.
  • Screw the Money, I Have Rules!: Sheko was executed because she judged the prince of her world for his crimes and she refused to let him get off for what he had done. Then the man who was supposed to execute the prince tried to kill her instead, and her fury attracted a Red Lantern Ring.
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Skallox is incredibly tempted to do this after hearing about Atrocitus wanting to create nine new Red Lanterns, but Zilius dissuades him from it.
  • Sensory Overload: Lobo knocks Supergirl out via a psychic stunner. Unfortunately for him, she didn't stay down for long, and she was real pissed when she regained consciousness.
  • Shooting Superman: In Red Lanterns #30, a squad of Primeenian soldiers shot at Supergirl and Guy's team... even though they had just fought other Red Lanterns and their strongest weapons didn't even slow them down.
  • Sixth Ranger: Of Guy Gardner's Red Lanterns. She joined the team in Red Lanterns #29.
  • Skyward Scream: Kara threw her head back and screamed when Skallox said her ring was bonded with her forever.
  • Smiting Evil Feels Good: Supergirl describes her new anti-hero Red Lantern role as "We seek out injustice and we punch it in the teeth. And it feels good." And she explains this as punching someone who was about to kill a child across a city.
  • Spectacular Spinning: In Supergirl #30, Kara used a spinning move -combined with grabbing an enemy and use it as a blunt weapon- to defeat a cohort of Diasporan invaders.
  • Spikes of Villainy: The Diasporans are a genocidal alien raace whose heads sport two pairs of ram horns.
  • Spin Attack: In Supergirl #30 Kara performed a spin attack: she grabbed an alien and spun around, using her enemy's body as a blunt weapon to hit all enemies surrounding her. Justified trope, since no one was quick enough to hit her back or strong enough to hurt her.
  • Starfish Aliens: One of the allies of Atrocitus resembles a giant, orange, fish-headed cricket. Green Lantern B'ox is literally a polyhedron.
  • Story-Breaker Power: Supergirl gets a Red Lantern Ring. In addition to her formidable physical powers she wielded a rage-fueled weapon that allows its wearer to create anything they are able to imagine, teleport across the galaxy instantly, vomit highly-corrosive burning plasma... and more. So she predictably loses the thing which made her even more overpowered at the very end of the story.
  • Subspace or Hyperspace: Green and Red Lanterns use Hyperspace to travel across the universe. In Supergirl #32 Kara jumped into Hyperspace to go from Mongo to Earth.
  • Superhero Sobriquets: The Red Daughter of Krypton.
  • Superpowered Evil Side: Siobhan let her Silver Banshee self out during her fight with Supergirl. Despite of her fears, she manages to keep it under control.
  • Superpower Lottery: Kara is a full-blooded Kryptonian with the full power pack (super-strength, super-speed, invulnerability, super-senses, flight, heat vision, freezing breath...). And if it were not enough, she has a Red Lantern Ring. When she says she might just be the most dangerous thing in the universe, she is pretty right.
  • Super-Strength: Part of the Kryptonian pack. In Red Lanterns #29, Supergirl and Superman have a short fight. When she picks an ocean liner easily, swats her cousin with it and Superman tanks it, it becomes apparent how massively strong Kryptonians are.
  • Super-Toughness: Red Lantern Kara gets hit by missiles, punched into a moon, hurled into the Sun... She endures everything.
  • Survivor Guilt: During a talk, Kara confided to Guy that she feels guilty about surviving Krypton's destruction, and she feels she'll be making up for it her whole life, even though she knows she couldn't have saved her world.
  • Taking You with Me: After her plan to destroy Worldkiller-1 fails, Supergirl decides that the only way to kill it is killing herself before it steals her body, so she removes her red ring.
  • Technical Pacifist: Supergirl didn't want to kill the Diasporan King, but once Worldkiller-1 revealed its real self she threw the creature into the Sun, reasoning that an artificially-engineered murderous symbiotic parasite doesn't count as "living being".
    Supergirl: I know who I am, and I know what you are— A mockery of life. This is not murder. It is the end of a terrible mistake.
  • Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Red and Green Lanterns don't get along at all. However, Hal's squad and Guy's group worked together to help Supergirl to get her mind and her sanity back.
  • Teleportation: Kara's Red Lantern Ring can create wormholes. She doesn't often make use of this feature because she's usually fast enough than teleportation becomes irrelevant, but it saves her life when Worldkiller-1 is taking over her Kryptonite-poisoned body and she needs to get to the Sun quick.
  • This Means War!: Atrocitus destroys the Red Power Battery to declare war on Guy and his Red Lanterns.
  • Thou Shalt Not Kill:
    • Subverted in Supergirl #27. Supergirl is horrified when she apparently kills mass murderer and hitman Lobo after kicking him. Then he takes advantage of her distress to catch her off guard, and almost fries her brains with an ultrasonic device. Right there and then she decides he has "got it coming".
    • Subverted again in Supergirl #33. She executed an artificial, genocidal body-snatching alien abomination reasoning that "This is not murder. It is the end of a terrible mistake."
  • Too Dumb to Live: In issue #26, Lobo has just stomped a crime lord and his enforcers but decides to leave without killing them off. However the crime lord reaches for a shotgun and aims at Lobo. Lobo swiftly rips the weapon off his hands and remarks he's the dumbest crime-lord he has ever met in the galaxy before getting him killed.
  • Took a Level in Badass: How do you increase Supergirl's badassery? Giving her a Lantern Ring.
  • Took a Level in Idealism: Supergirl attracted a Red Ring because she was mad, confused and hopeless, and she believed she didn't belong anywhere. At the end of the story she has outgrown her anger and confusion, is more confident and more mature, and thinks maybe Earth can become her new home after all.
  • Took a Level in Jerkass: After becoming a Red Lantern, Kara became harder to put up with for a while.
  • Took a Level in Kindness:
    • Bleez became somewhat kinder and nicer after joining Guy's group.
    • Supergirl matured during her Red Lantern stint, getting over her anger and brattiness and becoming a better person.
  • Tranquil Fury: Sheko is different of other Red Lanterns. She is full of fury... but it's a cold, methodical kind of fury. In Supergirl #31, Kara realizes this:
    Supergirl: She's different for a newborn Red Lantern. She can think and speak — but deep down she's just as full of rage as any new Red. It's a cold, methodical rage, and she's not really in control of it.
  • Translator Microbes: Lantern Rings are -literally- universal translators... although Kara wondered if her ring's translator was broken when the Diasporan leader called her "their newest Champion".
  • Trash of the Titans: As seen in Supergirl #29, Shioban's apartment is a dumpster, and she actually likes that way.
  • Trauma Congaline: Kara becoming a Red Lantern is the result of one: After spending one decade sleeping she woke up only for finding out that her world, her family, her old life... were dead and gone. In a lapse of a few months she was used and betrayed by most of people she met, including her first crush. She couldn't keep any friend and she couldn't make a connection with her only living relative. And then Lobo taunted her...
  • Two Decades Behind: Green Lantern and Red Lanterns #28 were sold together as a "flip comic", a frequent gimmick of The '90s.
  • Two Girls to a Team: Supergirl and Bleez are the only female members of Guy's group. Bleez was actually glad that Supergirl joined because she wasn't the only girl anymore.
  • Underestimating Badassery: People often underestimate Supergirl, even if they know what her power levels are:
    • Lobo thought that Supergirl would fight worse if he pressed her buttons. It turned out that Kara doesn't get careless when she gets angry: she gets more dangerous.
    • Guy ordered Supergirl not to let Bleez (who was wounded) leave med bay. Bleez stated that she had no time to socialize with children and tried to shove Kara away of the door she was blocking. Yup. Good luck with that.
    • Worldkiller-1 thought that Supergirl couldn't do anything to stop him. But it appears that fighting a Kryptonian after she's just taken a bath in the Sun isn't a good idea.
  • Unstoppable Rage: In the beginning of the storyline, Lobo taunted Supergirl until she blew up and pummeled him.
  • Unwanted Assistance: When Supergirl confronted and taunted Superman during the events of Superman: Doomed, she was genuinely trying to help him by showing that he could use his angry side to protect others. Unfortunately she made things worse.
  • Waking Up Elsewhere: After fleeing from Atrocitus, Bleez makes it back to the Red Lanterns' headquarters before collapsing. When she wakes up, she's lying on a bed in the Kaalvar's medical bay.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: Atrocitus is determined to avenge injustice... by killing whoever he finds guilty.
  • We Used to Be Friends: Kara befriended Siobhan "Silver Banshee" Smythe shortly after arriving in Earth. However she broke it off when she thought Siobhan was using her. When they meet again in Supergirl #29, they fought. Siobhan blamed herself for their friendship's end, but after a while Kara thought she was the one ruined it.
  • What Measure Is a Non-Human?: Kara destroys Worldkiller-1, an artificially-created parasitic sentient biological weapon, reasoning that it isn't a true living being but a mockery of one.
    Supergirl: I know who I am, and I know what you are— A mockery of life. This is not murder. It is the end of a terrible mistake.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: Kara calls both her cousin and her team out on keeping things from her and making plans about her without thinking about what she wants:
    Supergirl: You don't understand. And neither do you. I'm not a piece of luggage. I'm not a problem for the grownups to solve.
    Superman: It's not like that. We all just want to help you.
    Supergirl: You're doing it again. Who says I need any help?
  • Who Are You?: Kara stops an out-of-control Sheko when she is about to mind-fry an innocent woman.
    Supergirl: That's enough!
    Sheko: Who are you?
    Supergirl: My name is Kara. I am a Red Lantern, just like you.
    Sheko: ... Red... Lantern...?
  • Willfully Weak: Even when she went out of her mind due to the influence of the Red Ring, Supergirl instinctively held back because she didn't want to hurt anybody.
  • Worth It: After Supergirl bashes him, Zilius becomes again spherical instead of looking like a punctured balloon. He says: “Worth It”.
  • Wrong Assumption:
    • Lobo taunted Supergirl during their whole fight, thinking that she'd fight sloppily if she got angry. It turned out that blind rage makes her more dangerous instead of more ineffective.
    • During the events of Superman: Doomed, Supergirl, who was using her anger to protect the galaxy, assumes Clark's just "getting in touch with his angry side" and can use his SuperDoom form for good.
  • The X of Y: Red Daughter Of Krypton
  • You Are Better Than You Think You Are: When Guy is trying to get Kara to leave in Red Lanterns #32, she argues that she can't stop being a Red, and she doesn't belong anywhere else. Guy replies she can find her way because she's stronger than them and stronger than she thinks.
    Supergirl: But even if I do go... the Ring... I can't take it off. I'm a Red forever. Without you and the others, how will I — What am I supposed to do?
    Guy: You'll find your way. You're strong, Kara. You didn't choose this life, but I've seen enough in our time together to know that you can make something of it. You're better than all of us.
  • You Can Barely Stand: Supergirl is seriously weakened after fighting parasitic lifeform Worldkiller-1 in a Kryptonite-poisoned atmosphere. Barely alive, she uses her Red Lantern Ring to teleport both of them to the Sun and tricks Worldkiller-1 into dumping her into it. Revived by the sudden flood of sunlight charging up her cells, Kara flies after him and curbstomps him.
  • You Didn't Ask: When Kara demands to know why neither of her partners warned her that she'd die if she took her Ring off, Guy answers it wasn't an easy thing to bring up, i.e., she didn't ask.
  • You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: After meeting Supergirl, Worldkiller-1 decides that he doesn't need its old host body anymore because Kara would make for a better container, and destroys its body.
    Supergirl: I have to make this quick before she finds more heads to explode.
  • You're Not My Father: Kara says this line after Guy tells she shouldn't drink booze because she's just a kid.
    Supergirl: You're not my parent, Guy Gardner, and from what I understand, you don't even lead this team.
  • Your Head A-Splode: Invoked in Supergirl #31 when Supergirl thinks she has to talk the newest Red Lantern down quickly before she blows more heads up.
  • You Shall Not Pass!: It happens when Sheko tries to read Supergirl's memories. A memory of Alura blocks her, declares firmly that her daughter's mindraping is NOT going to happen and throws her out:
    Sheko: You... You can see me?
    Alura: OF COURSE I can see you. Now GET OUT of our home!
    Sheko: Who are you...?
    Alura: Alura Zor-El! Praetor of Argo City! And you trespass at your peril!
  • You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry!: Kara is a nice, kind, compassionate girl, Hot-Blooded, short-tempered, brash and has little patience for fools and jerks who flies off the handle and gets a Red Lantern Ring. In Shay Veritas' words, a Kryptonian wearing a Red Lantern Ring "is an extinction level threat".

Supergirl: My mind is free of all the rage and confusion now. I know who I am, and I know what you are — a mockery of life. This is not murder. It is the end of a terrible mistake.

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