Mythology Gag / Supergirl (2015)

From the DCU as a whole:

• Despite sharing some of the same showrunners, the show is set on a different Earth to Arrow and The Flash. Yet the trailer and the pilot have similar Opening Narration to every episode of those shows, starting with "My name is...". In subsequent episodes, the show adopts Opening Narration with similar phrasing to that of The Flash.
  "To the outside world/To most people, I'm [...]. But secretly/But in secret, I [...]. I am the Flash/I am Supergirl."
• J'onn tells Alex that she "made the hard decisions. That's a difference between a hero and a soldier." He also made the distinction between heroes and soldiers when referring to his work with Stormwatch.
• In "Mr and Mrs Mxyzptlk", J'onn says a fifth-dimensional imp was responsible for the Zook Uprising on Mars. In Silver Age Martian Manhunter comics, Zook was a being from "a parallel world in another dimension", who was something like an intelligent animal and kept by J'onn as a pet, but was otherwise broadly similar to the extradimensional imps that bedeviled other heroes (Mxy, Bat-Mite, Quisp, etc.)
• And in "In Search of Lost Time", M'yrnn says when J'onn was a child he had an imaginary friend named Zook who was supposed to be a fifth dimensional imp.
• In "Call to Action":
  • Nia claims to be narcoleptic. In the Reboot Legion Of Superheroes, Nura Nal suffered narcolepsy as a side-effect of her powers.
  • When Nia says Dox's mother raised him right, he replies "She most certainly did not." Again in the reboot, Brainiac 4 was an insane villain who wanted to kill her son.
  • Manchester Black wishes he had a way to get inside a Son of Liberty's head. His comics counterpart is a telepath.
• In "Elseworlds Part 3", in the alternate reality created by Dr Deegan, Barry and Oliver are criminals known as the Trigger Twins. In the comics, the Trigger Twins have been a pair of Western heroes, and a pair of modern-day criminals with a Western theme.
• In "The House of El", the cookies Luthor gives Red Daughter are Chocos, the Bland-Name Product version of Oreos that are J'onn's Trademark Favourite Food in the comics.

From the Supergirl, Superman and related mythos:

• The show takes place in National City, which is a reference to DC Comics' original name, National Periodical Publications.
• As Kara fine-tunes her costume, elements used through the decades in the comics show up like bare legs, a red headband and an exposed midriff.
• James Olsen says to Kara: "You know... up, up and away?"
• Kara's disguise as a clumsy nerd, like her cousin, and her comic book counterpart as Claire Connors.
• Kara is called a guardian angel on the news. The version of Supergirl before Kara was properly reintroduced to the Post-Crisis DC Universe was the "Earth-born Angel of Fire", born from the merger of the human Linda Danvers and the artificial life-form Supergirl also known as Matrix. In the Pre-Crisis comics, Kara protected anonymously the small town of Midvale for a while during which locals rumored they were protected by a "guardian angel".
• That Linda Danvers had a similar "I'm not gay, I'm Supergirl" exchange with her parents.
• Jimmy Olsen goes by "James" instead. A number of comics, particularly modern age ones, have had Jimmy try to get people to call him James or Jim, but it doesn't stick.
• The Otto Binder Bridge and Plastino Chemicals are a reference to Supergirl's creators Otto Binder and Al Plastino.
• The Gates and Igle intersection is a reference to Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle, the creative team responsible for arguably the best Supergirl's run.
• After Kara receives Vartox's message, she performs a Superman-esque costume change, discarding her glasses and opening her blouse to reveal the S-symbol.
• Cat suggesting Supergirl could be Superman's girlfriend. In the comics, Post-Crisis Linda Danvers married a Silver Age Superman from another reality. Also, the song "Superman" by Stereophonics^note which was in the Smallville episode "Splinter" has the lyrics "sleep with a teenage blonde" (which might refer to Supergirl).
• In "Stronger Together", Kara comments that a dangerous situation "sounds like a job for Supergirl"; after it fails, she laments having gone from "hero to eco-terrorist in a single bound." Both of these statements are references to the classic Superman stories.
• Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel also has a street named after him.
• Plastino Chemicals is named after Supergirl co-creator Al Plastino.
• Cat Grant calls Olsen Superman's "Pal."
• There was some Ship Tease between Kara/Supergirl and Olsen in the comics as well. Same with Olsen and Lucy Lane.
• James Olsen has the same signal watch that so many of his incarnations have had in the comics.
• In her first rescue, Kara is photographed with brown hair instead of her natural blonde. Olsen comments that the engine contrails and water made her hair look darker. This is in reference to some versions of Supergirl using a brown haired wig as part of their Clark Kenting disguise. (Or, in the case of Peter David's Supergirl, actually having brown hair as Linda Danvers.)
• James uses himself as bait to lure Reactron away from Supergirl, both as a reference to, and (like in some comics) invoking/weaponizing, his Cosmic Plaything status.
• In "How Does She Do It?", Cat has just won the Siegel Award.
• General Lane didn't like Lucy going out with James Olsen. In the comics, General Lane didn't like Lucy marrying Ron Troupe (another black man).
• When Supergirl temporarily drains her powers by overcharging her heat vision, James notes that Superman calls it "Solar Flare". The New 52 Superman first learned he could drain his powers like that in the comics just before Convergence. Supergirl used it first, though.
• During online conversations between Kara and her cousin, his answers arrive instantly, alluding to his common use of superspeed for typing.
• The episode title "Strange Visitor from Another Planet" references the classic description of Superman. Similarly, the episode title "For The Girl Who Has Everything" references the Superman story For the Man Who Has Everything.
• One that's easy to miss, from 1.14 (Truth, Justice, and The American Way): Kara, J'onn and Alex are discussing the bad guy of the week -
  J'onn: We could be dealing with an interstellar bounty hunter.
  Alex: (sudden worried look) You don't think...
  J'onn: No. No. If he were in town, we'd know.
• "Bizarro" references Sterling Gates' classic story Bizarrogirl, basing Bizarro's characterization on Gates' version.
• Superman's costume resembles the New 52 styling, though using the standard S-Shield instead of the jagged design that era used.
• Superman and Supergirl save a space plane, as Supes did in his public debut in The Man of Steel.
• Winn notes that while Mon-El can't fly, he can "leap tall buildings in a single bound." This is almost certainly deliberate on Winn's part, since that's Superman's phrase catch in this universe.
• In the episode "Changing," the Arctic project is named "Thorul." In the comic books, when Lex Luthor's family disavowed themselves from him, they changed their family name to "Thorul," an anagram of "Luthor."
• The Parasite takes its version from All-Star Superman: a fleshy purple Body Horror that withers its victims.
• Jimmy Olsen chose to become a superhero, in the comics he's donned several superhero identities, including Flamebird and Mr. Action.
• In the episode "Mr and Mrs Mxyzptlk", Mxy sarcastically calls Mon-El "McGurk-El". Mr Mxyztplk's first appeared in the comics wandering round an art gallery calling for "McGurk", which has become a popular Mxyzptlk Mythology Gag in post-Crisis comics and Superman: The Animated Series.
• Likewise, that episode is a loose adaptation of Supergirl story: Action Comics #291: The Bride of Mr. Mxyzptlk! (August, 1962).
• In the same episode, bystanders call out "It's a bird, it's a plane" when they see what turns out to by Mxyzptlk in a Superman costume. He has an "M" on the chest, similar to when comicbook Mxy rewrote reality so Superman was "Mxyman".
• Supergirl saves a train in a similar way to how Superman did it in Superman: The Movie.
• Gayle Marsh was born in Skokie, Illinois, which is her hometown in the Supergirl comics.
• In "Wake Up", Reign gets a Fortress of Solitude in the desert which she calls "Fortress of Sanctuary". In Action Comics issue #271 Supergirl built her own Fortress in a desert. And in Supergirl (2011) #13 she gained a base which she called "Sanctuary of Solitude".
• Also in "Wake Up", Mon-El exclaims "Grife!" at one point, a swearword commonly used among members of the Legion.
• In Crisis on Earth-X, Kara fights Overgirl, an alternate Nazi Supergirl who made her first appearance in Final Crisis. At the end of their battle, Supergirl delivers a Super-Clap, a movement used by both her cousin and herself in animated movies and comics like "Red Lanterns" story arc "Atrocities".
• In the novel Supergirl: Age of Atlantis, an Atlantean mentions he has a son called Jerro, named after Jerro the Mer-Boy, one the love interests of Silver Age Kara.
• In that same novel, Supergirl lampshades a certain scene of Superman: The Movie: "First of all, it's too late to change what I did. Unless you want me to, I don't know, fly around the Earth a bunch and reverse time."
• In The Legion of Superheroes, Kara recalls adopting a stray cat shortly after arriving on Earth. The cat's name was Streaky.
• Lillian Luthor's Powered Armor in "For Good" looks exactly like Lex Luthor's in the comics. Winn refers to it as the "Lexosuit", suggesting it was his originally.
• The first episode of Season 4 is called "American Alien", which is also the title of a Superman miniseries.
• The Kryptonite-Proof Suit Kara wears between "Fallout" and "Ahimsa" has an opaque helmet that resembles the one worn by The New 52: Futures End's Superman.
• In "Elseworlds Part 3":
  • In the alternate reality created by Dr Deegan, Kara is kept prisoner in the Pipeline under the codename Subject One, the same designation Project Superman gives Kal-El has in Flashpoint.
  • Deegan's Superman costume is black, resembling the Kryptonian resurrection suit from The Death of Superman and the stealth suit from Superman: Lois and Clark.
• In "The House of L":
  • The Krasnian duplicate Supergirl is named as "Red Daughter" and given a costume with a hammer-and-sickle version of the S-shield, all references to Superman: Red Son.
  • The US arms company is AmerTek, which is the weapon manufacturer John Henry Irons used to work for in the comics.

From media outside of the DCU comic canon (other TV series, films, and animations):

• Early on, Kara's costume doesn't have the cape and S-symbol. Kara's costume in Smallville also didn't have the symbol and cape.
• The S-symbol is the crest of the House of El again as established by the Christopher Reeve Superman films, but Kara specifically corrects Winn that "it's not an S" like in Man of Steel. However, in the second episode it's said that the symbol means "stronger together" instead of "hope" as in Man of Steel (taken from the Birthright version of Superman's origin), which is unique to this show.
• Kara's first big superhero deed is to rescue a crashing plane, like Clark's in The Man of Steel miniseries, in Superman: The Animated Series, and in Superman Returns. Christopher Reeve's Superman also saved Air Force One on his first night. In-Universe, James notes that this was Superman's introduction to the world, too. The bridge Kara passed over while she was carrying the plane was called the Otto Binder Bridge (named after Supergirl's co-creator).
  • And when Clark Kent appears as an actual character rather than The Faceless in the Season 2 premiere, thus in a sense making his first real appearance in the show, the first heroic thing Superman is shown doing is helping save a crashing spaceplane.
• Vartox gets Kara's attention by broadcasting on a high frequency only Kryptonians can hear, like Lex Luthor does in Superman: The Movie. Moreover, when Kara arrives she assumes that a lead-lined container is being used for concealment, when in fact the villain counted on that assumption to set a trap, just as Luthor did in the movie.
• Vartox was sent to the Phantom Zone by Alura Zor-El, and will take his revenge on her heirs, similar to how General Zod wanted to get revenge on Jor-El in Superman II. Same goes for Vartox's boss, Alura's sister, who is a General.
• Kara vetoes calling her and Winn the "Superfriends".
• Richard Donner has a street named after him in "Stronger Together".
• In "How Does She Do It?", Supergirl flew to Maxwell Lord's window to confronts him on her suspicions of his involvement. Just like when Superman confronted Lex Luthor in Lois & Clark and Superman: The Animated Series.
  • She later did the same to Morgan Edge in "Girl of Steel".
• Also in the same episode, a cover of "Time After Time" by Jessica Mauboy is featured. An earlier cover by Eva Cassidy was featured in an episode of Smallville.
• "Hostile Takeover" features several references to Man of Steel. In a flashback it's specified that mining the core of the planet lead to Krypton's destruction, a mythology detail introduced in that film. Supergirl's fight with Alura in the city skies also mimics a lot of the camera angles and movement of Superman vs. Zod in the climax.
• While Indigo (and by extension, Brainiac) originated from Colu like in the comics, Krypton also had a hand in their creation like in the DCAU and Smallville.
• The episode "Falling" features references to Superman III; notably, the scene where Evil Supergirl begins flicking peanuts at wine and liquor bottles, much like what Evil Superman did in the aforementioned movie.
• Just like in Smallville, the Red Kryptonite removes any inhibitions and makes Supergirl act on erotic and selfish emotions.
• "Manhunter" has a flashback to Kara's childhood where Jeremiah Danvers acts much like Jonathan Kent in Man of Steel, warning her that using her powers to save people could bring unwanted attention (though with the bonus that Superman himself is already out there doing the job).
• In "Worlds Finest" one of the names Cat suggests for Barry is "The Blur", which is one of the names that Clark Kent used in the later seasons of Smallville when he was being a hero before becoming Superman.
• The Omegahedron in "Better Angels" is taken directly from the Supergirl (1984) movie.
• Cat's new assistant? MISS TESSMACHER!!!
• Winn mentions Lex Luthor causing an earthquake in California. Lena also mentions she hates flying even though "statistically, it's the safest way to travel."
• Kara notes that even though human alcohol doesn't affect Clark, he still never drinks and flies - a reference to a line from Superman: The Movie.
• James tells Kara that at one point Clark and Lex used to be best friends.
• John Corben has a British accent, just as he did in Superman: The Animated Series, and sets a trap for Superman by pretending to be a jumper like in Justice League: Doom.
• In "Crossfire", the street gangs being armed with super-advanced tech guns is reminiscent of the first storyline in Steel.
• In "Alex", Kara mentions that she can't fly fast enough to turn back time, like the infamous scene from her cousin's film.
• In "Girl of Steel", Supergirl floats in the sky hearing everything, similar to Superman in Superman Returns. Only Supergirl was not as high as her cousin was.
• In "Midvale", a Whole Episode Flashback to Kara's teenage years, named after the small town she grew up in, Flashback!Kara says Clark has a friend called Chloe with a Wall of Weird. The same episode also has J'onn disguising himself in the likeness of Alura Zor-El pretending to be an FBI agent named "Noel Neill", after the actress who played Lois Lane in The Adventures of Superman. For added bonus, Alura is (now) played by Erica Durance, the actress who played Lois on Smallville.
• This isn't the first attempt of Jimmy Olsen being played by an African-American actor. Chris Rock was offered the role of Jimmy for the cancelled Superman Lives.
• In "City of Lost Children", Rhea told Supergirl how all the death about to occur on Earth will be her fault, just like Darkseid does to Superman in the Justice League Unlimited finale. The final part of the invasion, with the hero dueling against the Big Bad while ships are attacking the city, removes any doubts about this being a coincidence.
• The whole story arc of Mon-El's parents alludes heavily to the transition arc between seasons 3 and 4 of Lois & Clark"
  • They arrive because they need a ruler for the survivors of his people. In Lois and Clark, Kal-El needed to go to New Krypton for the same purpose.
  • In Lois and Clark, Superman found out he was married off at birth. In "The Darkest Place", Mon-El mentions that as a possibility for Daxamites.
  • The villain attempted to hire alien bounty hunters in order to kill Kara. Lois and Clark had the villain hire an alien assassin to kill Superman.
  • The clothing of the Daxamite guards looks rather similar to the clothes of the Kryptonian judges from the other series.
  • The villain orders to keep Mon-El in jail, and has the guards take him away. In Lois & Clark, the villain, when all else failed, had resorted to executing Kal-El by Kangaroo Court and has him taken away.
  • The villain in Lois and Clark makes Kal-El surrender by taking his parents hostage. The villain in Supergirl threatens to kill Kara.
  • The final battle of the arc in Lois and Clark has Superman and the villain fight a Trial by Combat using double headed maces buzzing with lightning and capable of shooting energy beams. Similar weapons are wielded by Daxamite guards aboard the ship.
  • Supergirl attempts to end the conflict by digging up some ancient Trial by Combat law. Rhea tries to cheat in combat, while on the heroes' side, a Well-Intentioned Extremist is working on a chemical weapon against the aliens. Mon-El survives the weapon, but the villain dies. In Lois & Clark, Kal-El was saved by his friends likewise digging up an ancient Trial by Combat law for nobility. Nor attempted to cheat by bringing in some soldiers. Meanwhile, a rogue general ordered to deploy a Kryptonite laced gas grenade against them. Superman survived, the bad guys didn't.
• Ruby Arias's school is shown in "The Faithful" to be named Davis Middle School. In Smallville, Davis Bloome was the human form of Doomsday, whose story arc was similar to that of Ruby's mother, Sam/Reign.
• The security measures outside the saferoom in the Luthor mansion in "Shelter from the Storm" match up to the death traps Lex Luthor had outside his hideout to test/deter Superman in the extended version of the 1978 film. Reign even used the "drill spin" trick to tunnel into the hallway with the security measures, the same way Superman drilled underground into the death trap corridor in the movie.
  • Speaking of, earlier in the season Kara was stopped from attempting the very same "drill spin" by J'onn, who phases her and Winn down to their target. She mentions that she heard her cousin did it once.
• Mercy Graves, who was first introduced in Superman: The Animated Series as Lex Luthor's bodyguard and personal assistant, appears in season 4 along with a newly-invented brother named Otis, the same name as Lex's henchman in Superman: The Movie.
• In "Ahimsa", when the Graves siblings are boasting about being in control, Otis starts to say "Welcome to Otisburg", which was the name of the town his movie counterpart added to Luthor's new West Coast.
• In "Elseworlds Part 3", Kara and Barry slow time by running round the Earth and reducing its spin, a reference to Superman travelling back in time.
• In "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Lex says that when he was a child he had a dog named Ignatius. This was also the name of his pet iguana in Krypto the Superdog.