History Supergirl / TropesRToS

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: In Pre-Crisis comics, the name of Kara's mother was Allura In-Ze. In later continuities, though, most of writers spell it Alura.

* SuperWeight: Pre-Crisis Supergirl was a Type 6 (quasi-Cosmic Entity). Post-Crisis she got downgraded to Type 4 (person of mass destruction).

!!!Tropes found in ''Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}''

* ReforgedIntoAMinion: In the the 2011 series, Comicbook/{{Brainiac}} came upon a dying Zor-El (Supergirl's father). Brainiac mindwiped Zor-El and rebuilt his body, turning him into the new Cyborg Superman.

** In ''Comicbook/ActionComics #500'' Superman explains several fans how came to Earth, became a hero, met his cousin... A member of the audience then blurts out: "I never knew Supergirl was your cousin -- I guess I always thought she was your girlfriend!"

** In Pre-Flashpoint continuity, Supergirl's SecretIdentity is Linda Lang, Comicbook/LanaLang's niece.

** For a long while, Kara Zor-El was retconned out of existence by the ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths, although she stealthily popped up in ''ComicBook/ShouldAuldAcquaintanceBeForgot'', ''ComicBook/ManyHappyReturns'' and other stories. In ''ComicBook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton2004'', a new Kara Zor-El was reintroduced, and the former Supergirls were quietly retconned out of existence shortly after. Finally, the events of ''Comicbook/{{Convergence}}'' undid the death of the original Supergirl.

** A later version of The Dark Angel tried to do this to ComicBook/PostCrisis Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} by trapping her in a horrifying illusion without her knowledge. If Supergirl had mentally, physically, or spiritually broken, Dark Angel would have had the authority to erase her. Supergirl survived the test, but Dark Angel decided to erase her anyway, only to be stopped by her boss, The Monitor.

* RevealingCoverup: In ''Adventure Comics'' #397, Nasthalthia 'Nasty' Luthor sets in motion a bullying campaign to cover up her uncle Lex's latest plan to kill Supergirl as luring the Girl of Steel out. Her bullying spree indeed drew Kara's attention... so she spied on Nasty and found out about Comicbook/LexLuthor's whole sceme.
* {{Revision}}: Supergirl's real name is Kara Zor-El, survivor of Argo City, and the only child of Zor-El and Alura In-Ze. Much of this detail, however, was added over time: in ''Comicbook/ActionComics #252'', Kara’s home city had no name, nor did her mother, and Kara had no surname. ''Adventure Comics #365'' gave her a [[http://x5red.tumblr.com/post/147391340208/five-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-the surname for first time]], nine years after her first appearance.

** Hank Henshaw, [[Characters/SupermanRoguesGallery the Cyborg Superman]] was, unsurprisingly, originally created as a recurring villain in the Franchise/{{Superman}} titles. His new incarnation, though, has become a Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} villain entirely.
** Silver Banshee has historically been a Superman foe but in recent years she's been more associated with Supergirl. In the Comicbook/{{New 52}} she even became a (currently non-villainous) Supergirl's supporting cast member.

* SacrificialLion: In ''Comicbook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'', Kara -one of the most powerful heroes of her universe- fights the Anti-Monitor and dies. Her death deeply affects the surviving main characters, specially Franchise/{{Superman}} and Comicbook/{{Batgirl}} who are left rather heart-broken.

** ''[[Comicbook/{{Supergirl 1982}} In the late Bronze Age]]'' she had to accept the fact that she couldn't save everyone and sometimes she wasn't needed. In a classic story from that era she was mindwiped and forgot about her SecretIdentity. She got her memories back, but that incident made her realize she couldn't be Supergirl 24/7.
** ''[[Comicbook/{{Supergirl 2005}} Post-Crisis Supergirl]]'' spends all of her time in her cape until Superman warned her that she would get burned out if she kept it up and she needed to live like a normal person.

** In ''Comicbook/RedDaughterOfKrypton'', Kara explains why worldwide genocide and planetary destruction are one of her {{Berserk Button}}s:

** The iconic [[http://comicsalliance.com/files/2011/04/actioncomics252.jpg cover]] of ''ComicBook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton1959'' features a girl emerging from a space rocket, wearing a costume similar to Superman's and claiming to call herself Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} and have all powers of Superman.

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: In ''Comicbook/KingdomCome'', Supergirl decided to leave the present and join the ''Comicbook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' in the 30th Century when Superman retired.

** In ''Comicbook/ActionComics #361'', a boy thought Linda Lee was Supergirl, and he pretended to be Kryptonian to goad her into revealing her secret identity.

** ''Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}'' knows her cousin's secret in all eras, and Superman also knows her Secret Identity. In the Pre-Crisis universe, Kara often helped him protect his Clark Kent persona.

*** In the Post-Crisis era, Superman, Lois Lane, Pa and Ma Kent and Comicbook/LanaLang know that Linda Lang is Supergirl. Lana actually helped Kara set it up, pretending that she is her niece. Stephanie Brown -the third ''Comicbook/{{Batgirl}}''- knows Kara's secret identity and vice versa.

* SeenItAll: In ''Comicbook/SupergirlRebirth: Escape from the Phantom Zone'', Ben Rubel is understandably upset over being thrown into an other-dimensional Hell, being jailed by a mad scientist that wants boil his flesh and turn his soul into fuel for his armor, and watching a girl transforming into a giant psionic dragon. Supergirl and Batgirl are absolutely unfazed, though, stating that they know how to deal with the aforementioned shenanigans because they're routine stuff to them.

* ShipSinking: Supergirl/Brainiac 5 ship was temporarily sunk in TheEighties when Kara decides to quit the Legion and return to the 20th century. Although she promises to go back, she's killed in ''Comicbook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' shortly after. After Kara was reintroduced, though, Kara/Querl's ShipTease resumed.

** ''Comicbook/ManyHappyReturns'''s first scene had the situation plays out as normal, right until the mook throws the gun at her -- the gun hits Supergirl in the head, and she ''collapses''. Then, she gets back up in the next panel.

** In the ''Comicbook/HelOnEarth'', H'el talked Supergirl into helping him save Krypton, assuring that no one would suffer. She believed him... until she found out that he omitted several key details when he explained his plan.

** In the post-Crisis universe, Supergirl had a huge crush on Dick Grayson alias Comicbook/{{Nightwing}} because he was nice and understanding. Kara once spontaneously made out with him, all because he made a speech about being a good teammate.

** In ''Comicbook/RedDaughterOfKrypton'', Supergirl throws her head back and screams when one of her teammates explains that her Red Lantern Ring is bonded with her forever.

** 'Nasty' Luthor is an obnoxious, condescending bully who plagued Linda Danvers for a while during the late Silver Age, scheming to out her SecretIdentity or get her fired from her job at the very least. However, although she is manipulative, conniving and a Luthor, she is ''not'' [[Comicbook/LexLuthor her uncle]], her first scheme backfired ''badly'', and she only succeeded at driving Supergirl mad.

* SoleSurvivor: Kara was originally the only survivor of Kryptonian city Argo. In the Pre-Crisis universe, though, she discovered than a group of survivors found shelter in a pocket dimension. In the Post-Crisis universe, a group of Argonians -including her parents- survived the city's destruction when Comicbook/{{Brainiac}} abducted them. However all of them got killed when ''Comicbook/NewKrypton'' exploded, and Kara is again the Last Daughter of Argo City.

* StoryBreakerPower: Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} took no part in the metahuman war in ''Comicbook/KingdomCome'' because she would join the Franchise/{{Superman}} side together with Comicbook/PowerGirl, which would mean the old-school heroes would count ''three'' full-powered Kryptonians among its forces and utterly curb-stomp any opposition. Hence, she joined the ''Comicbook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' in the 30th century prior to the events of the story.

* SupermanStaysOutOfGotham: In the ''DC Universe Holiday Special 2008: A Day Without Sirens'', a "Day Without Sirens" is proposed right before Christmas. Commissioner Gordon believes such an initiative is doomed to failure. The criminals of Gotham would never heed such a calling. However, the day proceeds without police sirens. [[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pScx8BN4h3s/SU-kKYaVUmI/AAAAAAAACGc/LKdSPl0ht34/s1600-h/holiday-09.jpg It turns out that]] Oracle teamed up with Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} and both girls handled covertly all emergency calls during that day. Supergirl ended up completely exhausted, though, making clear she cannot keep it up forever.

** In ''[[Comicbook/{{Supergirl 1982}} The Daring Adventures of Supergirl series]]'' she shows how incredibly fast she is when she flies from Chicago to her foster parent's home in the Midwest within seconds. And in ''Supergirl #21'':

* SuperSpit: Kara gained the ability to spit corrosive plasma when ''[[Comicbook/RedDaughterOfKrypton she became a Red Lantern]]''.

* RequiredSecondaryPowers: Strangely both averted and used in ''Comicbook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' V2 #303. Supergirl is trying to move a planet. She has the strength, but attempting to do so just ends up digging a hole through the planet because she can't move it as a single object by touching a small part of it. However, the "solution" used is to have her bounce into the planet, which really should fail for the same reason.

** For a long while, Kara Zor-El was retconned out of existence by the ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths - until a storyline with the Linda Danvers Supergirl had pre-''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' Kara entering the ComicBook/PostCrisis timestream by accident. Later, a ComicBook/PostCrisis Kara was reintroduced, replacing Linda. Finally, the events of ''Comicbook/{{Convergence}}'' undid the death of the original Supergirl.
** There was a truly heartbreaking Christmas special a couple years after the Crisis where the ghostly superhero Deadman is wondering why he bothers going on when a young woman, who can see him, tells him: "We don't do it for the glory. We don't do it for the recognition... We do it because it needs to be done. Because if we don't, no one else will. And we do it even if no one knows what we've done. Even if no one knows we exist. Even if no one remembers we ever existed." Then she disappears into the night, but not before Deadman asks her name. "My name is [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} Kara]]. Though I doubt that'll mean anything to you."
** Pre-Crisis, ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} fought a villain named Black Flame who's plan to defeat her was to trick the heroine into ''attempting'' this. Claiming to be a descendant of Supergirl from the future, Black Flame committed a few random acts of vandalism, and then "generously" let her "ancestor" see archived recordings of the future, where she ruled as a cruel and murderous tyrant. In truth, the archives were fake, and Black Flame was a citizen of the shrunken city of Kandor; she had hoped that Supergirl would expose herself to gold kryptonite to erase her powers to prevent any descendants from having them - which, of course, would render her helpless while not getting rid of Black Flame at al. There was one flaw in the villain's plan - [[spoiler:a ''dental filling'' which Supergirl noticed, which she realized an actual descendant would not have.]]

* {{Stripperiffic}}: Pre-Crisis Supergirl's costumes were -usually- relatively modest, but once she wore [[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-20rr5jO3yWw/UO8rwkQM-vI/AAAAAAAA8uo/QC1RMHAE1Xw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-10+at+3.57.56+PM.png this costume]]. Remarkably, it was designed by a female fan. Her Post-Crisis counterpart wore a ridiculously and notoriously short mini-skirt during a DorkAge.

* RedHerring: In ''Who Is Superwoman?'' Kara suspects that her old friend Thara Ak-Var is the evil Superwoman who aided and abetted her father's murderer because Thara was Kandor's security head. It turned out that Superwoman is [[spoiler:Lucy Lane]].
* RedIsHeroic: She wears red most of the time. Her Red Lantern uniform was red and black.

** The ''Rebirth'' series adds as much of [[Series/{{Supergirl 2015}} the live action series]] set-up as possible given New 52 Kara's existing status quo; she's relocated to National City, where she works for the DEO, has a secret identity as Kara Danvers (with Jeremiah and Eliza ''both'' being DEO agents) and has developed a prickly relationship with Cat Grant, whose [=CatClark=] website has apparently become a media empire since the last time we saw her.
** Selena from the ''[[Film/{{Supergirl}} 1984]]'' film also is introduced in ''Supergirl Rebirth''.

** The iconic [[http://comicsalliance.com/files/2011/04/actioncomics252.jpg cover]] of ''ComicBook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton'' features a girl emerging from a space rocket, wearing a costume similar to Superman's and claiming to call herself Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} and have all powers of Superman.

** In ''ComicBook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton'', Supergirl glomps Superman after telling her story and finding out that he is her cousin.

** 'Nasty' Luthor is an obnoxious, condescending bully who plagued Linda Danvers for a while during the late Silver Age, scheming to out her SecretIdentity or get her fired from her job at the very least. However, although she is manipulative, conniving and a Luthor, she is ''not'' her uncle, her first scheme backfired ''badly'', and she only succeeded at driving Supergirl mad. In ''ComicBook/DemonSpawn'', when Supergirl is rescuing her, she takes advantage of her closeness to tug at her hair, thinking Supergirl wears a wig... and it is Linda the one wears a wig.
** In ''ComicBook/SupergirlCosmicAdventuresInThe8thGrade'', Belinda Zee is a smug, arrogant and scheming bully who is determined to ruin Supergirl's life. However she is too arrogant and prone to not thinking things through, which means her plans often backfire. She's brainwashed into acting like a duck in the second issue, and in the fourth issue she gets attacked by Streaky the Super-Cat. She's then [[spoiler:turned into a statue by Mr. Mxyzptlk in issue six]].

* RapunzelHair: In ''VideoGame/InfiniteCrisis: Fight for the Multiverse'', Arcane-Earth Supergirl is an elflike being with Rapunzel Hair that starts off blonde and slowly fades to red. Not red-hair red, bright primary red, to create the effect of regular Supergirl's cape.