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Power Girl, also known as Kara Zor-L, Karen Starr, and Paige Stetler, is a
superheroine A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses Superpower (ability), ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, t ...
appearing in
American comic books An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...
by
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
, making her
first appearance In comic books and other stories with a long history, first appearance refers to the first issue to feature a fictional character. These issues are often highly valued by collectors due to their rarity and iconic status. Reader interest in fir ...
in ''
All Star Comics ''All Star Comics'' is an American comic book series from All-American Publications, one of three companies that merged with National Periodical Publications to form the modern-day DC Comics. While the series' cover-logo trademark reads ''All St ...
'' #58 (January/February 1976).''Who's Who in the DC Universe'' #18 (August 1986) Power Girl is the cousin of the superhero Superman, but from an alternate universe in the fictional multiverse in which DC Comics stories are set. Originally hailing from the world of
Earth-Two Earth-Two (also Earth 2) is a setting for stories (a "fictional universe") appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in ''The Flash'' #123 (1961), Earth-Two was created to explain differences between the original ...
, first envisioned as the home of DC's wartime heroes as published in 1940s comic books, Power Girl becomes stranded in the main universe where DC stories are set, and becomes acquainted with that world's Superman and her own counterpart,
Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. Th ...
. In common with Supergirl's origin story, she is the daughter of Superman's
aunt An aunt is a woman who is a sibling of a parent or married to a sibling of a parent. Aunts who are related by birth are second-degree relatives. Alternate terms include auntie or aunty. Aunt, auntie, and aunty also may be titles bestowed b ...
and
uncle An uncle is usually defined as a male relative who is a sibling of a parent or married to a sibling of a parent, as well as the parent of the cousins. Uncles who are related by birth are second-degree relatives. The female counterpart of an un ...
and a native of the planet
Krypton Krypton (from 'the hidden one') is a chemical element; it has symbol (chemistry), symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a colorless, odorless noble gas that occurs in trace element, trace amounts in the Earth's atmosphere, atmosphere and is of ...
. The infant Power Girl's parents enabled her to escape the destruction of her home planet by placing her in a rocket ship. Although she left the planet at the same time that Superman did, her ship took much longer to reach Earth-Two. On Earth, as with other Kryptonians, Power Girl discovered she possessed abilities like super strength, flight, and heat vision, using which she became a protector of innocents and a hero for humanity. Though the specifics of how vary over subsequent retellings, Power Girl is later stranded on another Earth when a cosmic crisis affects her home of Earth-Two, and later carves out a separate identity for herself from her dimensional counterpart Supergirl once they are forced to coexist. Although she and Supergirl are biologically the same person, there are vast differences between the two. Power Girl is older and more level-headed due to her maturity, and her fighting style is more aggressive. She also adopts a different secret identity from her counterpart. These changes are reflected in their differing costumes and superhero names as well; Power Girl sports a bob of blond hair; wears a distinctive white, red, and blue costume with a
cleavage Cleavage may refer to: Science * Cleavage (crystal), the way in which a crystal or mineral tends to split * Cleavage (embryo), the division of cells in an early embryo * Cleavage (geology), foliation of rock perpendicular to stress, a result of ...
-displaying cutout. The name Power Girl reflects that she chooses not to be seen as a derivative of Superman, but rather her own hero and this choice is reflected in the strong independent attitude of the character. Over various decades, Power Girl has been depicted as a member of superhero teams such as the
Justice Society of America The Justice Society of America (JSA) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Books. It first appeared in '' ...
, Infinity, Inc., Justice League Europe, the
Sovereign Seven ''Sovereign Seven'' is a creator-owned United States, American comic book ongoing series, series, created by Chris Claremont and Dwayne Turner, and published by DC Comics. Publication history Launched in April 1995, ''Sovereign Seven'' was crea ...
, and the
Birds of Prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...
. Power Girl's origin has gone through revisions, but over time has reverted to her original conception as the Supergirl of Earth-Two. The 1985 limited series ''
Crisis on Infinite Earths ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is a 1985 to 1986 American comic book fictional crossover, crossover series published by DC Comics. Written by Marv Wolfman and penciller, pencilled by George Pérez, it was first released as a 12-issue limited ser ...
'' eliminated Earth-Two from history, causing her to be
retcon Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in fictional story telling whereby facts and events established through the narrative itself are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subsequently published work ...
ned as the granddaughter of an Atlantean
sorcerer Sorcerer may refer to: Magic * Sorcerer (supernatural), a practitioner of magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources * Sorcerer (fantasy), a fictional character who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sou ...
known as
Arion Arion (; ) was a kitharode in ancient Greece, a Dionysiac poet credited with inventing the dithyramb. The islanders of Lesbos claimed him as their native son, but Arion found a patron in Periander, tyrant of Corinth. Although notable for his mu ...
. This was an unpopular change and writers depicted the revised Power Girl inconsistently. The 2005–2006 ''
Infinite Crisis "Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, ...
'' limited series then restored her status as a refugee from the Krypton of the destroyed Pre-Crisis Earth-Two universe. This has been her consistent depiction ever since.


Publication history

Power Girl was introduced in ''
All Star Comics ''All Star Comics'' is an American comic book series from All-American Publications, one of three companies that merged with National Periodical Publications to form the modern-day DC Comics. While the series' cover-logo trademark reads ''All St ...
'' #58 in 1976, and was a member of the superhero team the
Justice Society of America The Justice Society of America (JSA) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Books. It first appeared in '' ...
through the remainder of the 1970s and 1980s period known as the Bronze Age of Comics.
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
' then-publisher
Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...
said in 1978 that when
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
created Power Girl after Marvel had introduced
Power Man Power Man may refer to: * Luke Cage, a Marvel Comics superhero, originally called Power Man * Erik Josten, a Marvel supervillain later known as Smuggler, Goliath and Atlas * Victor Alvarez, the current Power Man introduced in the mini-series ''Sh ...
, "I'm pretty annoyed about that. ...I've got to ask the
Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics ...
lawyer – she's supposed to be starting a lawsuit about that and I haven't heard anything. I don't like the idea. ... You know, years ago we brought out
Wonder Man Wonder Man (Simon Williams) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in '' The Avengers'' #9 (October 1964). The character, wh ...
, and C Comicssued us because they had
Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...
, and ... I said okay, I'll discontinue Wonder Man. And all of a sudden they've got Power Girl. Oh, boy. How unfair." Ironically, Marvel had previously published ''
Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...
'' #207, written by Power Girl co-creator
Gerry Conway Gerard Francis Conway Thomas, Roy. "Roy's Rostrum" (" Bullpen Bulletins") in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #43 and other Marvel Comics cover-dated May 1974. (born September 10, 1952) is an American comic book writer, comic book editor, science ficti ...
, in which
Len Wein Leonard Norman Wein (; June 12, 1948 – September 10, 2017) was an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine (character), Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel sup ...
's character says, "Whoever heard of Powergirl, anyhow?" After ''All Star Comics'' was canceled as a part of the
DC Implosion The "DC Explosion" and "DC Implosion" were two events in 1978 – the first an official marketing campaign, the second a sardonic reference to it – in which American comics company DC Comics expanded their roster of publications, then abruptly cu ...
, the character would continue to appear along with the rest of the JSA in ''
Adventure Comics ''Adventure Comics'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1938 to 1983 and revived from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues (472 of those after the title changed from ''New Adventure Comics''), ...
'' for a six-issue run. Due in part to her being one of the more popular characters in ''All Star Comics'' at the time, she was given a solo tryout in '' Showcase'' issues 97–99, which expanded on her pre-Crisis origin. During this time, she was a regularly featured character in the annual Justice Society crossovers in the original ''Justice League of America'' series. She was a founding member of '' Infinity Inc.'', appearing in each of the first 12 issues and making later guest appearances. After DC's continuity-altering ''
Crisis on Infinite Earths ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is a 1985 to 1986 American comic book fictional crossover, crossover series published by DC Comics. Written by Marv Wolfman and penciller, pencilled by George Pérez, it was first released as a 12-issue limited ser ...
'' storyline, her origin was
retconned Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in fictional story telling whereby facts and events established through the narrative itself are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subsequently published work ...
in ''Secret Origins'' (vol. 2) #11 and she became a magic-based character with ties to ancient Atlantis, leading to appearances in '' The Warlord''. The character did not receive her own self-titled series until the ''Power Girl'' miniseries of 1988. The character became a featured member of '' Justice League Europe'' (a spin off from ''Justice League International'') for the run of the series. After the cancellation of JLI, the character joined
Chris Claremont Christopher S. Claremont (; born November 25, 1950) is an English-born American comic book writer and novelist. Claremont is best known for his 16-year stint on ''Uncanny X-Men'' from 1975 to 1991, far longer than that of any other writer,Clarem ...
's creator-owned series ''
Sovereign Seven ''Sovereign Seven'' is a creator-owned United States, American comic book ongoing series, series, created by Chris Claremont and Dwayne Turner, and published by DC Comics. Publication history Launched in April 1995, ''Sovereign Seven'' was crea ...
'' and appeared in several issues of ''
Birds of Prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...
''. She eventually rejoined the Justice Society in ''JSA'' #31 and became a regular part of that series and its follow-up, ''Justice Society of America'' vol. 3. Power Girl played a significant role in the continuity-changing events of ''
Infinite Crisis "Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, ...
'' (2005), which tied into her starring role in the first '' JSA: Classified'' story arc "Power Trip" in 2005 (issues #1–4 of the series). These stories heavily featured the revelation that Power Girl was in fact the Earth-Two Power Girl and a Kryptonian, who survived ''Crisis'', and that her Atlantean backstory had been a lie. Starting in July 2009, Power Girl received her first
ongoing series In comics, an ongoing series is a series that runs indefinitely. This is in contrast to limited series (a series intended to end after a certain number of issues thus limited), a one shot (a comic book which is not a part of an ongoing series), ...
, simply titled ''Power Girl'' (vol. 2), with the first twelve issues written by
Jimmy Palmiotti James Palmiotti (born August 14, 1961) is an American writer and inker of comic books, who also does writing for games, television and film. Early life Palmiotti attended the High School of Art and Design in New York City. Career Palmiotti star ...
and
Justin Gray Justin Gray is an American comic book writer working mostly for DC Comics. He lives in Ossining, New York. Career Gray has often collaborated with fellow writer Jimmy Palmiotti on series such as ''Hawkman'', '' Jonah Hex'', '' Power Girl'', ...
, drawn by Amanda Conner, and colored by Paul Mounts. According to
Comic Book Resources ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...
, the series has been "wildly praised for its fresh and fun approach." When Palmiotti, Grey and Conner left the series after issue #12, Palmiotti said, "Amanda always said she could just commit to the book for a year, and as we got into the series we realized that we just couldn't do the same type of book with another artist at this point and decided it was a good idea to leave with her and give another team a shot."
Judd Winick Judd Winick (born February 12, 1970) is an American cartoonist, comic book writer and screenwriter, as well as a former reality television personality. He first gained fame for his stint on MTV's ''The Real World: San Francisco'' in 1994, before ...
took over as writer with artist Sami Basri beginning with issue #13. Winick stated that the tone of the book will continue, and the premise of the character in New York. The trade paperback "''Power Girl"'' () collects ''Showcase'' issues #97–99, ''Secret Origins'' (vol. 2) issue #11, ''JSA'' issues 32 and 39, and ''JSA: Classified'' issues #1–4. "''Power Girl: A New Beginning"'' () collects the first six issues of the 2009 series. "''Power Girl: Aliens & Apes"'' () collects issues 7 through 12, and "''Power Girl: Bomb Squad"'' () covers 13 to 18, and "''Power Girl: Old Friends"'' collecting issues 19–27. The entirety of the Palmiotti/Grey/Conner run is contained in "''Power Girl: Power Trip" ()'' which collects ''JSA: Classified'' #1–4 and ''Power Girl'' #1–12.


Fictional character biography


Journey from Krypton-Two

Kara's father discovers that Krypton is about to explode, and places her in a spacecraft directed towards the Earth. Although this occurs at the same time that Kal-L's ship is launched, Kara's ship travels more slowly, and she arrives on Earth decades after her cousin has landed. Kara's Symbioship is designed to keep her in stasis during the journey and provide her with life experiences and education in the form of
virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a Simulation, simulated experience that employs 3D near-eye displays and pose tracking to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video gam ...
. The Symbioship allows her to interact with virtual copies of her parents and fellow Kryptonians. Originally, by the time she arrives on Earth, Kara is shown to be in her early twenties. However, as mentioned in ''JSA: Classified'' #1, her age at arrival has now been
retconned Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in fictional story telling whereby facts and events established through the narrative itself are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subsequently published work ...
to eighteen in post-''Crisis'' continuity. In '' Showcase'' #97, Kara is reclaimed by the sentient Symbioship and reimmersed into Kandorian society for a time. Several years of virtual time elapse, in which Kara is married and has a child. She is freed with the assistance of newspaper reporter Andrew Vinson, at which point she disables the ship.


Debut

Power Girl's existence is not revealed to the general public until much later; her cousin Clark and his wife
Lois Lane Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning ...
provide her a family environment to assist her transition towards real life relationships. In her first recorded adventure, Kara assists Justice Society members Flash and
Wildcat The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while th ...
with containing an artificially induced volcanic eruption in China. She then joins Robin and Star-Spangled Kid to form a Super Squad to assist the Justice Society in defeating Brainwave and Per Degaton, who were causing disasters around the world. She pushes their base towards the
Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...
, the heat causing the villains to fall unconscious. Later, she becomes a full member of the Society when Superman retires from active membership. Having been raised by the Symbioship with artificial Kryptonian life experiences, Power Girl finds it difficult to adapt to life on Earth. However, with the help of reporter Andrew Vinson, she adopts the
secret identity A secret identity is a person's code name, cryptonym, disguise, incognito, Cover (intelligence gathering), cover and/or alter ego which is not known to the general populace, most often used in fiction. Brought into popular culture by the Scarlet Pi ...
of computer
programmer A programmer, computer programmer or coder is an author of computer source code someone with skill in computer programming. The professional titles Software development, ''software developer'' and Software engineering, ''software engineer' ...
Karen Starr (she obtains her knowledge in this field from exposure to
Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...
's Purple Ray on
Paradise Island Paradise Island is an island in the Bahamas formerly known as Hog Island. The island, with an area of (2.8 km2/1.1 sq mi), is just off the shore of the city of Nassau, which is itself on the northern edge of the island of New Providence ...
). On the pre-''Crisis'' Earth-Two, Power Girl's closest friend is the Huntress, the daughter of the Earth-Two
Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
and
Catwoman Catwoman is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, she debuted as "the Cat" in ''Batman (comic book), Batman'' #1 (spring 1940). She has become one of the superhero Batman' ...
. The first contact between Power Girl and Earth-One's universe was on the crossover ''Justice League of America'' #147, written by
Paul Levitz Paul Levitz (; born October 21, 1956) is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002 to 2009, he worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles. Along with publisher Jenette Kahn ...
&
Martin Pasko Martin Joseph "Marty" Pasko (born Jean-Claude Rochefort; August 4, 1954– May 10, 2020) was a Canadian comic book writer and television screenwriter. Pasko worked for many comics publishers, but is best known for his superhero stories for DC Com ...
, where the character shows her attraction to that reality saying, "It has a much nicer brand of Superman, y'know?".


Atlantean

The 1985–1986 ''
Crisis on Infinite Earths ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is a 1985 to 1986 American comic book fictional crossover, crossover series published by DC Comics. Written by Marv Wolfman and penciller, pencilled by George Pérez, it was first released as a 12-issue limited ser ...
'' limited series erased the existence of the Earth-Two Superman, and Power Girl's continuity was thus substantially disrupted. Initially she believed herself to be Superman's cousin, as she had been before the
reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
. However, her background was
retconned Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in fictional story telling whereby facts and events established through the narrative itself are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subsequently published work ...
; she was told that she was the descendant of the Atlantean sorcerer
Arion Arion (; ) was a kitharode in ancient Greece, a Dionysiac poet credited with inventing the dithyramb. The islanders of Lesbos claimed him as their native son, but Arion found a patron in Periander, tyrant of Corinth. Although notable for his mu ...
, and was frozen in
suspended animation Suspended animation is the slowing or stopping of biological function so that physiological capabilities are preserved. States of suspended animation are common in micro-organisms and some plant tissue, such as seeds. Many animals, including l ...
for millennia until the present day. After the Justice Society disbands, Power Girl would join the
Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...
. Later, while a member of Justice League Europe, she suffers a near fatal injury while battling a mystical being. Superman must assist in her medical treatment, using his heat-vision to perform surgery on her otherwise-invulnerable tissues.''Justice League Europe'' #9 (December 1989). DC Comics. Although she recovers, Power Girl is significantly weaker, as she lost her vision powers and could not fly for a time. However, she regained them all as time went on. Power Girl adopts a one-eyed mangy cat, an animal which would affect much of the team. One aspect of this is her beloved cat is used to spy on the group by intelligence gathering criminals. During the 1994 '' Zero Hour'' event, Power Girl experiences a mystical pregnancy and gives birth to a son (supposedly named Equinox), who ages rapidly. Finally he disappears, and has never been mentioned again. Power Girl appeared in later issues of the ''
Sovereign Seven ''Sovereign Seven'' is a creator-owned United States, American comic book ongoing series, series, created by Chris Claremont and Dwayne Turner, and published by DC Comics. Publication history Launched in April 1995, ''Sovereign Seven'' was crea ...
'' series,
Chris Claremont Christopher S. Claremont (; born November 25, 1950) is an English-born American comic book writer and novelist. Claremont is best known for his 16-year stint on ''Uncanny X-Men'' from 1975 to 1991, far longer than that of any other writer,Clarem ...
's creator-owned comic book for DC. However, the final issue revealed that the entire series had been a story appearing in a comic book, and events in the book have had no bearing upon DC continuity. Power Girl was one of Oracle's first agents. Their short-lived partnership ended after a disastrous mission which resulted in a large loss of life. Power Girl believes that Oracle's poor leadership was responsible for the tragedy, being disgusted that Oracle would sacrifice hundreds of lives & herself following orders. Although she has worked with her again on a few occasions when needed, the relationship between the two is tense. In ''Birds of Prey'' #35, Power Girl admitted that she is primarily to blame for the tension, but is unable to overcome the memories of the deaths. Power Girl is a key member of the Justice Society, which she joined when it was reformed in the late 1990s. During an adventure with the JSA, she meets Arion, who reveals her Atlantean heritage to be a lie he concocted at the behest of Power Girl's "mother". While attempting to save her teammate
Ted Grant Edward Grant (born Isaac Blank; 9 July 1913 – 20 July 2006) was a South African Trotskyist who spent most of his adult life in Britain. He was a founding member of the group Militant tendency, Militant and later Socialist Appeal (UK, 1992), ...
from the new female
Crimson Avenger The Crimson Avenger is the name of three separate superheroes and supervillains in the DC Comics Universe. The character debuted in 1938 and is notable as the first masked hero in DC Comics. The first Crimson Avenger, Lee Walter Travis, first app ...
, Power Girl is severely wounded by supernatural bullets fired from the vigilante's cursed handguns. Despite being saved by Doctor Mid-Nite, Power Girl comments that her near-death experience has shown her that she needs to make more personal connections outside of the superhero community.


''Infinite Crisis''


''JSA: Classified – Power Trip''

The Psycho-Pirate shows Kara multiple versions of her origin in an effort to drive her insane. Eventually, he reveals the truth: Power Girl is a survivor of
Krypton Krypton (from 'the hidden one') is a chemical element; it has symbol (chemistry), symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a colorless, odorless noble gas that occurs in trace element, trace amounts in the Earth's atmosphere, atmosphere and is of ...
from the dimension which contained the pre-''Crisis''
Earth-Two Earth-Two (also Earth 2) is a setting for stories (a "fictional universe") appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in ''The Flash'' #123 (1961), Earth-Two was created to explain differences between the original ...
.


The other survivors

In the "
Infinite Crisis "Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, ...
" storyline, Kal-L himself returns to the post-''Crisis'' DC Universe after breaking down the walls of the paradise dimension in which he, Lois Lane Kent (of
Earth-Two Earth-Two (also Earth 2) is a setting for stories (a "fictional universe") appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in ''The Flash'' #123 (1961), Earth-Two was created to explain differences between the original ...
), Alexander Luthor, Jr. (of
Earth-Three Earth-Three, or simply Earth-3 or Earth 3, is a “partially-reversed” Earth, where supervillainous counterparts of the mainstream DC superheroes reside. It first appeared in ''Justice League of America'' #29 (August 1964), and the concept has ...
), and
Superboy-Prime Superboy-Prime (Clark Kent; colloquial: "Prime") is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. A boy from the Reality, real world Isekai, transported to the DC Universe, as an Alternative vers ...
(of Earth-Prime) had been living since the end of ''
Crisis on Infinite Earths ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is a 1985 to 1986 American comic book fictional crossover, crossover series published by DC Comics. Written by Marv Wolfman and penciller, pencilled by George Pérez, it was first released as a 12-issue limited ser ...
''. Appalled by the rapidly deteriorating state of affairs on the contemporary Earth, their goal is to replace the post-''Crisis'' Earth with a recreated
Earth-Two Earth-Two (also Earth 2) is a setting for stories (a "fictional universe") appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in ''The Flash'' #123 (1961), Earth-Two was created to explain differences between the original ...
. Kal-L's first order of business is to track down Power Girl and explain the events of the original Crisis to her. Kal-L also reiterates her pre-''Crisis'' history as his cousin. A touch from the ailing Lois of Earth-Two inexplicably restores Power Girl's memories of pre-''Crisis'' Earth-Two.''Infinite Crisis'' #2 (January 2006). DC Comics. Soon after this revelation, Power Girl is confronted by Superboy-Prime, who renders her unconscious. She is attached to a "tuning fork", a device controlled by Alex Luthor whose purpose is to bring back the multiple Earths. Alex Luthor and Psycho Pirate coerce Black Adam (who is also attached to the machine) into saying "SHAZAM!", and use the now-raw magical energy to power the tower. After the reappearance of the created Earth-Two, everyone associated with that Earth is transported onto it (although Power Girl remains on New Earth because of her proximity to the tower). After being brought to the barren created Earth-Two by Kal-L, Lois Lane Kent collapses and dies. A violent confrontation between the two Supermen ensues, at the end of which Kal-L comes to the realization that this created Earth-Two had not been a perfect world, since "a perfect earth doesn't need a Superman." Power Girl is freed by
Wonder Girl Wonder Girl is the alias of multiple list of superheroines, superheroines featured in comic books published by DC Comics. They are associated with the superheroine Wonder Woman and possess Amazons (DC Comics), Amazonian powers. The Wonder Girl a ...
and Kon-El, and joins them in fighting Superboy-Prime and Alex Luthor. During a savage battle on Mogo, Superboy-Prime beats Kal-L to death and is later subdued by Kal-El. Power Girl is brought to Mogo by the
Green Lantern Corps The Green Lantern Corps is a intergalactic Peacekeeping, peace keeping agency appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians, a race of immortals residing on the plan ...
just in time to bid a tearful farewell to her dying cousin.


"One Year Later"

In the "
One Year Later "One Year Later" is a 2006 comic book storyline running through the books published by DC Comics. As the title suggests, it involves a narrative jump exactly one year into the future of the DC Universe following the events of the "Infinite Crisi ...
" storyline in ''Supergirl'', Kara takes up the mantle of
Nightwing Nightwing is a superhero alias used by multiple characters in American comic books published by DC Comics. The most prominent bearer is Dick Grayson, the original Robin, who adopts the Nightwing identity to assert his independence from Batman. ...
in an attempt to free the natives of Kandor.
Ultraman The , also known as ''Ultraman'', is a Japanese science fiction media franchise owned and produced by Tsuburaya Productions, which began with the television series '' Ultra Q'' in 1966. The franchise has expanded into many television shows, fi ...
, masquerading as Kal-El and working in concert with the
Saturn Queen The Legion of Super-Villains is a team of supervillains who appear in comic books published by DC Comics, primarily as enemies of the Legion of Super-Heroes. They first appeared in ''Superman'' #147 (Aug 1961). The team originated at a time when ...
, has taken control of the bottle city. Kara Zor-El is the city's
Flamebird Flamebird is the name used by six different fictional comic book characters who have appeared in books published by DC Comics, specifically from the ''Superman'' and ''Batman'' mythos. The primary character to use the Flamebird name is Bette Kane ...
; she prevents Ultraman's forces from executing the captured Power Girl. Power Girl is forced to leave Kandor with Kara (against her better judgment) after Saturn Queen reveals to Supergirl information about Supergirl's past and purpose. This causes another rift to grow between the two women, as Power Girl feels Supergirl left an entire city of people to suffer, all because of her own selfish desires. This animosity is still on display when she next encounters Supergirl. Power Girl remains a core member of the Justice Society. Power Girl is selected as the
chairwoman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...
of the team after Mr. Terrific steps down. Power Girl is invited to rejoin
Oracle An oracle is a person or thing considered to provide insight, wise counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. If done through occultic means, it is a form of divination. Descript ...
's
Birds of Prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...
, but refuses, stating that she would do so only "when
Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...
freezes over". Her ill will toward Oracle is the result of a single mission in which she served as one of Oracle's agents, which ended badly.''Birds of Prey'' #42 (June 2002). DC Comics. However, Power Girl does come to Oracle's aid against the new female Spy Smasher's attempt to take over the group. The appearance of the Earth-22 Superman (and his resemblance to Kal-L) upsets Kara greatly when he first arrives on New Earth. However, they adopt each other as family after a period of time. Following the events of ''Infinite Crisis'', a new Multiverse is created. Among them is an Earth-2 from which its Power Girl and Superman are both missing.''52: Week Fifty-Two'' (2007). DC Comics. The Power Girl of this Earth returns to Earth-2 after failing to find her cousin. The Power Girl of New Earth is accidentally sent to the pre-''Crisis'' Earth-2 by the ''Third World'' god Gog. The Power Girl of New Earth faces off against the Power Girl and Justice Society Infinity of the new Earth-2, due to the Earth-2 Power Girl's grief and rage over the loss of her cousin prompting her to believe that the "other" Power Girl is an impostor with some role in Superman's absence. Power Girl returns to New Earth with the help of the Earth-2 Michael Holt, until the Justice Society Infinity follow her and take her back to Earth-2, where it is revealed that the recreation of the Multiverse created a new Earth-2 and duplicates of its heroes, including its own Power Girl. The Power Girl of New Earth then returns home with the JSA.''Justice Society of America'' (vol. 3) #20 (December 2008). DC Comics.


Solo series and ''All-Stars''

Power Girl briefly appears in the ''
Final Crisis "Final Crisis" is a crossover storyline that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics in 2008, primarily the seven-issue miniseries of the same name written by Grant Morrison. Originally DC announced the project as being illustrated solely ...
'' crossover event, battling the forces of
Darkseid Darkseid () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Jack Kirby, the character first made a cameo appearance in ''Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen'' #134 (December 1970), before being fully in ...
after he conquers the Earth using the
Anti-Life Equation The Anti-Life Equation is a fictional concept appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Various comics have defined the equation in different ways, but a common interpretation is that the equation may be seen as a mathematical proof ...
. After deciding to once again use the Karen Starr identity, she moves to New York City and begins rebuilding Starr Enterprises while continuing solo superheroics. She eventually takes teenaged hero-in-training
Terra Terra may often refer to: * Terra (mythology), primeval Roman goddess * An alternate name for planet Earth, as well as the Latin name for the planet Terra may also refer to: Geography Astronomy * Terra (satellite), a multi-national NASA scient ...
as her sidekick following the horrific events depicted in the '' Terror Titans'' mini-series. After the duo fight off a robot invasion of the city, Power Girl is kidnapped by the new Ultra-Humanite, who plans to transplant his brain into her body. Using her ice breath to destroy her gravity enhanced shackles and gag, Power Girl easily defeats the villain and saves New York. She also helps a trio of lost alien princesses and their bodyguard adjust to life on Earth, buying them a home in South America to stay until they can get back to their home planet. Following a massive battle that ends in the destruction of the Justice Society's HQ, the team decides to split up into two separate squads. Power Girl partners with Magog to start a more youth-oriented team dubbed the JSA All-Stars. Using Stargirl as leverage, the two are able to convince all of the teen JSA members except Jennifer Pierce to join the All-Stars. During the team's inaugural press conference, they are attacked by a group of mercenaries led by the villainous nephew of
Sylvester Pemberton Sylvester Pemberton Jr., alternately known as The Star-Spangled Kid and Skyman (DC Comics), Skyman, is a superhero in the DC Comics DC Universe, universe. Sylvester first appeared in ''Star Spangled Comics'' #1 (October 1941) and was created by Jer ...
. Karen and her team emerge victorious, only to discover that Pemberton has kidnapped Stargirl during the confusion of the battle. The team eventually rescues Stargirl.


''Blackest Night'' and ''Brightest Day''

During the 2009–2010 " Blackest Night" storyline, both JSA teams gather in Manhattan to stave off the invading Black Lantern Corps. Several of the team members examine the corpses of Kal-L and Psycho Pirate, both of whom had been reanimated as Black Lanterns only to be killed again during a battle with Superboy and Superman. Karen breaks down in tears upon seeing the twisted corpse of Kal-L, and swears vengeance upon whoever is behind the creation of the Black Lanterns. While on her way to the streets of Manhattan to assist her teammates, Karen hears Ma Hunkel screaming. She rushes to her side, only to see Ma being attacked by the Black Lantern Lois Lane-Kent of pre-Crisis Earth-Two. Black Lantern Lois sacrifices herself by removing her ring and giving it to Kal-L to reanimate him. During the battle between Kal-L and Power Girl, Mr. Terrific invents a machine to destroy the Black Lanterns. He activates the machine and it wipes out the Black Lantern ring connection and completely dissolves Kal-L's corpse. In the 2010–2011 storyline "
Brightest Day ''Brightest Day'' is a 2010–2011 Crossover (comics), crossover storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of a year-long comic book Limited series (comics), maxiseries that began in April 2010, and a number of tie-in books. The story is a dir ...
", Power Girl attacks her comrades, and after being subdued, is discovered to have been possessed by the Starheart (the cosmic entity that gave
Alan Scott Alan Ladd Wellington Scott is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, and the first character to bear the name Green Lantern. He fights evil with the aid of his mystical ring, which grants him a variety of powers. H ...
and
Jade Jade is an umbrella term for two different types of decorative rocks used for jewelry or Ornament (art), ornaments. Jade is often referred to by either of two different silicate mineral names: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in t ...
their powers) to which she was vulnerable because of her Kryptonian heritage, as Kryptonians draw their abilities from the sun. Staying out of action in order avoid another possession, she helps Mr. Terrific work on a machine that may be able to dampen the Starheart's power. Nonetheless, the Starheart takes control of Miss Martian's body and transforms into her White Martian form, causing her to attack her comrades again. Batman ultimately tells her to stay on Earth and try to fight the other metahumans being controlled by the Starheart, explaining that bringing her along would jeopardize the mission.


''Generation Lost''

During the events of '' Justice League: Generation Lost'', Power Girl assists her fellow heroes in a global manhunt to track down
Maxwell Lord Maxwell Lord IV is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''Justice League'' #1 (May 1987) and was created by Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire (artist), Kevin Magui ...
, the former head of Justice League International and the murderer of
Ted Kord Theodore Stephen "Ted" Kord is the second fictional character to use the identity of Blue Beetle, a superhero who was originally published by Charlton Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. He was created by Steve Ditko and first appeared as a bac ...
, who had been restored to life at the end of "Blackest Night". Lord uses his powers to erase his existence from the minds of everyone on the planet, including Power Girl. She subsequently helps Booster Gold find proof of Lord's existence. Through the course of their search, during which Power Girl encounters Divine, a raven-haired clone of herself, she manages to regain her memory of Lord. As she attempts to inform the Justice Society of this, Lord uses his powers to take control of her and attack the Justice League International, but manages to convince the others of his existence through the exhumation of
Ted Kord Theodore Stephen "Ted" Kord is the second fictional character to use the identity of Blue Beetle, a superhero who was originally published by Charlton Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. He was created by Steve Ditko and first appeared as a bac ...
's corpse.


DC Rebirth

In the post-
Rebirth Rebirth may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Film * ''Rebirth'' (2011 film), a 2011 Japanese drama film * ''Rebirth'' (2016 film), a 2016 American thriller film * ''Rebirth'', a 2011 documentary film produced by Project Rebirth * '' ...
DC Universe, Power Girl is trapped in an interdimensional void. Tanya Spears tries to free her using an etheric transponder that allows her to travel there in an incorporeal state, but her physical body was disconnected from the machine by an unaware Kid Flash (Wally West), so both women remain trapped as a result. In '' Doomsday Clock'', the "original" Power Girl returns to the DC Universe when
Doctor Manhattan Doctor Manhattan (Dr. Jonathan "Jon" Osterman) is a fictional DC Comics character created by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons. He debuted in the graphic novel, limited Limited series (comics), series graphic novel, ''Watchmen.'' Follo ...
, inspired by
Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
, undoes the changes that he made to the New 52 timeline that erased the Justice Society and the
Legion of Super-Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st centuries of t ...
. Following the '' Lazarus Planet'' storyline, Power Girl is given new psychic abilities by the Lazarus rains, and forges a bond with fellow psychic
Omen An omen (also called ''portent'') is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. It was commonly believed in ancient history, and still believed by some today, that omens bring divine messages ...
, who becomes her "best friend", with whom she opens a superhero counselling service. Exploring her identity, Power Girl also changes her human alias from "Karen Starr" to "Paige Stetler". In ''Power Girl Special'' (2023), Power Girl is urged by Jon and Kara to get over her imposter syndrome and "accept" the love and family that the Superman Family so readily want to give her. Kara's diary reveals she feels the most profound personal connection with Paige and longs for them to be closer friends. Paige adopts Streaky the Supercat at Kara's behest. Though she loses her psychic abilities in a confrontation with Johnny Sorrow, she is left with a new "astral punch" ability that creates doorways to the astral realm. In the ongoing series, she establishes her new civilian persona as Dr. Paige Stetler, technology specialist and columnist for the ''
Daily Planet The ''Daily Planet'' is a fictional newspaper appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. The newspaper was first mentioned in ''Action Comics'' #9 (November 13, 1939) – Underworld Politics ...
''. In issue #11, the newspaper's editor-in-chief,
Lois Lane Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning ...
, who is privy to Paige's dual identity, offers her a field-reporter position to enable her to both write longer-form stories from the scene of crises and act as Power Girl to resolve them. In the pages of " The New Golden Age", Power Girl was with the Justice Society when they fought Angle Man and an army of Bizarros when a Huntress from a possible future arrived. Per Degaton tried to use a Kryptonite ring on Power Girl only for Huntress to shoot off his finger causing him to retreat. Power Girl tells
Deadman Deadman or Deadman's may refer to: * "Deadman" or "dead man", are alternative terms for a dead man's switch * "Deadman's foot" is another name for a Salamander (metallurgy), Salamander in metallurgy * "Deadman anchor" is a buried object (log, con ...
, Detective Chimp,
Madame Xanadu Madame Xanadu (Nimue Inwudu) is a fictional character published by DC Comics. The character is identified with Nimue, the sorceress from Arthurian mythology made popular by Sir Thomas Malory's ''Le Morte d'Arthur''. Jeryl Prescott portrays X ...
, and the rest of the Justice Society that Huntress is heading to Gotham City. Power Girl is among those that catch up to Huntress and Batman as Per Degaton attacks with his time clones. It took the different Doctor Fates from across time to trap Per Degaton in Huntress' snow globe which erases Huntress' possible future. Huntress later spoke to Power Girl about how the ranks of the Justice Society of America are filling up and how her erased future had redeemed villains. Power Girl is told by Huntress that if the JSA goes down that path, they should start by recruiting Solomon Grundy. Power Girl accompanied Mister Terrific and Jakeem Thunder in visiting
Icicle An icicle is a spike of ice formed when water falling from an object freezes. Formation and dynamics Icicles can form during bright, sunny, but subfreezing weather, when ice or snow melted by sunlight or some other heat source (such as a poor ...
II in Belle Reve Penitentiary to offer him a second chance by joining the JSA. When Icicle II states that he will take the offer if they can get him away from the heat lamps, Power Girl warns him that she will use her own "built-in heat lamps" if he crosses the line.


Powers and abilities

As the biological cousin of Superman, Power Girl exhibits all of the classic
Kryptonian Kryptonians are a fictional extraterrestrial race within the DC Comics universe that originated on the planet Krypton. The term originated from the stories of DC Comics superhero, Superman. The stories also use "Kryptonian" as an adjective to ref ...
powers: super strength; flight; super speed; invulnerability; x-ray, telescopic, microscopic and heat vision; freeze breath; and super-hearing. Over the years various writers have given Power Girl's Kryptonian power differing levels, either making them consistent with the earlier Earth-Two Superman
Kal-L Superman of Earth-Two (Kal-L) is an alternate version of the fictional superhero Superman, who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was introduced after DC Comics created Earth-Two, a Multiverse (DC Comics), para ...
(who represents Superman as depicted in his earliest comic book stories) or power levels largely comparable to those of the modern day Superman and Supergirl. The latter has the favored approach from DC for the last few decades. During some eras of DC Comics, such as the 2000s, the rule was that Kryptonians were only affected by Kryptonite from their own universes. Since Power Girl hailed from the alternative universe of
Earth-Two Earth-Two (also Earth 2) is a setting for stories (a "fictional universe") appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in ''The Flash'' #123 (1961), Earth-Two was created to explain differences between the original ...
, she was therefore immune to Kryptonite from other Superman’s universe, giving her one less weakness than her counterpart Supergirl. This rule was not maintained in later publishing eras (since 2011). As Karen Starr, she is an accomplished businesswoman and is regarded by Mr. Terrific as a first rate scientist. Even though Power Girl is from an alternative universe, her biology is still similar to Superman's. In her later identity as Dr Paige Steitler, she later pursued new careers in therapy and journalism, although she did not have the same competence with those as in science and technology. As one of a handful of characters who survived the ''
Crisis on Infinite Earths ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is a 1985 to 1986 American comic book fictional crossover, crossover series published by DC Comics. Written by Marv Wolfman and penciller, pencilled by George Pérez, it was first released as a 12-issue limited ser ...
'', DC editorial was initially uncertain how to portray the character and attempted to portray Power Girl with a non-Kryptonian origin for a number of years. Power Girl's abilities have fluctuated since 1986. For some time, Power Girl believed she was an Atlantean. At one point, Power Girl possessed
telekinesis Telekinesis () (alternatively called psychokinesis) is a purported psychic ability allowing an individual to influence a physical system without physical interaction. Experiments to prove the existence of telekinesis have historically been cri ...
; at another she was vulnerable to attacks by certain natural elements (for example, wooden weapons). After sustaining severe injuries from a magic attack Power Girl retained only a degree of super strength, speed and durability. However, she later recovered her ability to fly, and writers have gradually restored her superpowers.


Physical appearance and costumes

Power Girl's original
Wally Wood Wallace Allan Wood (June 17, 1927 – November 2, 1981) was an American comic book writer, artist and independent publisher, widely known for his work on EC Comics's titles such as ''Weird Science (comic), Weird Science'', ''Weird Fantasy'', an ...
artwork (1976) showed her as relatively busty but otherwise her figure and build conformed in appearance to other contemporary comic book women. However, in ''
Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...
'' (vol. 3) #34 (2009), written by
Gail Simone Gail Simone (born July 29, 1974) is an American writer best known for her work in comics on DC Comics, DC's ''Birds of Prey (comics), Birds of Prey'', ''Batgirl'', Dynamite Entertainment's Red Sonja, and for being the longest running female write ...
, Dinah Lance, the
Black Canary Black Canary is the name of two superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. As one of the earliest female superheroes in the DC Comics universe, the character has made numerous appearances in prominent team-up titles, ...
, mentions Power Girl as having the top bosom of DCU, describing her assets as a "national treasure". Her most common outfit is a leg-baring, figure-hugging, long-sleeved white leotard with a keyhole cut-out opening in the chest. According to character writer
Jimmy Palmiotti James Palmiotti (born August 14, 1961) is an American writer and inker of comic books, who also does writing for games, television and film. Early life Palmiotti attended the High School of Art and Design in New York City. Career Palmiotti star ...
, "Okay. When the character was created, Wally Wood was the artist that drew Power Girl, and he was convinced that the editors were not paying attention to anything he did. So, his inker said "Every issue, I'm going to draw the tits bigger until they notice it. It took about seven or eight issues before anyone was like, "Hey, what's with the tits?" And that's where they stopped. True story." Power Girl was at one time portrayed as having a highly athletic but slender physique. Artists Bart Sears (in the '' Justice League Europe'' series), and later
Alex Ross Nelson Alexander Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book creator, comic book writer and artist known primarily for his painted interiors, covers, and design work. He first became known with the 1994 miniseries ''Marvels'', on which ...
(in the limited series '' Kingdom Come'') restored Power Girl's well-endowed shape. Ross rendered her as a heavily muscled ''Power Woman'' (as if she was an ardent
bodybuilder Bodybuilding is the practice of progressive resistance exercise to build, control, and develop one's muscles via hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. It is primarily undertaken for aesthetic ...
). The character is consistently depicted as a large-breasted young woman, and her physique is one of her most recognizable attributes – to the extent that various writers have acknowledged it in both serious and humorous ways. For example, ''Justice League Europe'' #37 (1992) attempts to explain Power Girl's revealing costume by having Crimson Fox question her about it; she receives the reply that the costume "shows what I am: female, healthy. If men want to degrade themselves by staring, that's their problem, I'm not going to apologize for it." Conversely, in ''JSA: Classified'' #2 (2005), writer
Geoff Johns Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash (comics), Flash, and Superman has drawn critical accl ...
has Power Girl explain her cleavage-window to Superman, revealing that "the first time I made this costume, I wanted to have a symbol, like you. I just…I couldn't think of anything. I thought eventually, I'd figure it out. And close the hole. But I haven't." A similar treatment of the character can be seen in ''Superman/Batman'' #4 (written by
Jeph Loeb Joseph "Jeph" Loeb III () is an American film and television writer, producer and comic book writer. Loeb was a producer/writer on the TV series ''Smallville (TV series), Smallville'' and ''Lost (2004 TV series), Lost'', writer for the films ''C ...
), in which the heroes need to distract the
Toyman Toyman is the name of three supervillains and one adolescent superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, as an adversary for Superman. The most well-known incarnation of Toyman is Winslow Schott, a criminal who uses toy-based or to ...
while Batman and Superman battle Captain Marvel and
Hawkman Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1, published by All-American ...
. Batman suggests that Power Girl's endowments would be likely to distract Toyman, a 13-year-old boy. Toyman later attempts to make a reference to the size of her chest before being cut off by Superman. A variant of this joke is included in the '' Superman/Batman: Public Enemies'' animated film. Power Girl's costume design has varied greatly over the years. Her classic costume design from ''All Star Comics'' #58 is that which is in use today: a red cape and belt, blue gloves and boots, and a white
bodysuit A bodysuit is a one-piece form-fitting garment, form-fitting or skin-tight garment that covers the torso and the crotch. The design of a basic bodysuit is similar to a one-piece swimsuit and a leotard, though the materials may vary. Thong or T ...
sporting a circular
cleavage Cleavage may refer to: Science * Cleavage (crystal), the way in which a crystal or mineral tends to split * Cleavage (embryo), the division of cells in an early embryo * Cleavage (geology), foliation of rock perpendicular to stress, a result of ...
-exposing cut-out on her chest (its variable size and shape determined by the artist depicting her). According to
Gerry Conway Gerard Francis Conway Thomas, Roy. "Roy's Rostrum" (" Bullpen Bulletins") in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #43 and other Marvel Comics cover-dated May 1974. (born September 10, 1952) is an American comic book writer, comic book editor, science ficti ...
, "The true, dumb reason for the circle? At the time, it was a convention for hero costumes to have a chest symbol. I thought a giant 'P' looked silly. The circle was intended as a nod to convention without being conventional. Not a sexy thing at all, until Wally Wood's inks." This window was closed for the first time in ''All Star Comics'' #64, pencilled by Wood. According to Conway, it was dictated by publisher
Jenette Kahn Jenette Kahn (; born May 16, 1947) is an American comic book editor and executive. She joined DC Comics in 1976 as publisher, and five years later was promoted to president. In 1989, she stepped down as publisher and assumed the title of editor ...
, because "she felt it was sexist". During her time with Justice League Europe/America, she wears a capeless yellow and white spandex unitard, and later a blue and white spandex unitard with a short mini-cape, headband, and a diamond shaped opening on her chest, once again exposing her cleavage. She has also worn a headband, as had
Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. Th ...
prior to her death in ''Crisis on Infinite Earths''. In a guest appearance in ''
Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
'', Kara is seen in her large wardrobe closet with every costume design she has ever worn in DC continuity, deciding which costume to wear for that mission. Her original costume returned when Johns and David Goyer had her rejoin the JSA. In ''Justice League: Generation Lost'' #16, she sports a variation of her traditional costume that includes pants.


Other versions

* Power Girl appears in a self-titled Ame-Comi one-shot. This version is Kara Jor-El, daughter of Jor-El, cousin of Supergirl, the primary protector of Metropolis, and the head of a corporation that uses Kryptonian technology to better mankind. Additionally, she lacks a secret identity and does not receive her powers from Earth's sun. * Power Girl appears in '' DC Comics Bombshells''. This version is a clone of Supergirl created by Hugo Strange during the
Siege of Leningrad The siege of Leningrad was a Siege, military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the city of Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg) in the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front of World War II from 1941 t ...
with the intention of fighting her. However, Supergirl convinces Power Girl to betray Strange and join her in escaping. * A post-''Crisis'' Earth-2 variant of Power Girl appears in '' 52'' (2007) and ''Justice Society'' (vol. 3). After
Mister Mind Mister Mind is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of Captain Marvel (DC Comics), Captain Marvel. Created by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics, the character made a cameo appea ...
absorbs several aspects of a Multiverse (DC Comics), multiverse that consisted of 52 Parallel universe (fiction), parallel realities and altering their histories, Power Girl was rewritten to be an arrogant and aggressive individual who spent years in space searching for her long-lost cousin Superman. * A red-haired Power Girl makes a minor appearance in ''Countdown to Final Crisis'' as a member of the Monarch (comics), Monarch's army who is killed by Earth-51's Batman. * A separate Earth 2 variant of Power Girl appears in ''The New 52'' series ''Worlds' Finest'' '' Mister Terrific'', ''Earth-2: World's End'', ''Harley Quinn (comic book), Harley Quinn'' (vol. 2), ''Harley Quinn and Power Girl'' (2015), ''Supergirl'' (vol. 6) #19. * Karen Starr appears in ''Justice Society of America'' #37–40 as a prisoner of Kid Karnevil's Neo-Nazi regime who lost her powers after being exposed to the Obsidian (comics), Great Darkness Engine. * A possible future variant of Power Girl appears in " The New Golden Age" as a member of the Justice Society of America before she is killed by Per Degaton. * An alternate universe variant of Power Girl appears in ''JLA: Another Nail'' as a partner of
Black Canary Black Canary is the name of two superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. As one of the earliest female superheroes in the DC Comics universe, the character has made numerous appearances in prominent team-up titles, ...
and Black Orchid (character), Black Orchid. * An alternate universe variant of Power Girl appears in ''JLA: Created Equal'' as a member of the Justice League and mother of Kara Zor-L II. * A possible future, elderly, blind variant of Power Girl from the year 2351 named "Old Karrie" appears in '' Justice League: Generation Lost''. This version lost her powers and became the sole survivor of a violent metahuman war instigated by
Maxwell Lord Maxwell Lord IV is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''Justice League'' #1 (May 1987) and was created by Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire (artist), Kevin Magui ...
300 years prior. Additionally, two separate possible future variants of Power Girl appear in the series, with one having joined the Justice League and the other taking on white hair, a black bodysuit, bracelets akin to
Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...
's, and Superman logo, Superman's S-shield. * Power Girl, renamed Power Woman, appears in '' Kingdom Come''. This version is more muscular than traditional depictions. * An alternate universe variant of Power Girl appears in ''Justice League International'' Annual #5. This version has no memory of where she came from before she arrived on Earth. * An alternate universe variant of Power Girl appears in Tangent Comics. This version is a genetic engineering, genetically engineered superhero created by the Chinese government.


In other media


Television

* A character inspired by Power Girl named Galatea appears in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU) series ''Justice League Unlimited'', voiced by Nicholle Tom. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. She is a clone of
Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. Th ...
, with whom she possesses a mental link, created by Project Cadmus scientist Dr. Emil Hamilton, who views Galatea as his daughter, as a contingency plan against the
Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...
should they threaten the U.S. government. Following her introduction in the episode "Fearful Symmetry", Galatea leads Cadmus' forces in a siege on the
Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...
's Justice League Watchtower, Watchtower in the episodes "Flashpoint" and "Panic in the Sky". However, the League defeat her army while Supergirl puts Galatea herself into a catatonic state. * A character loosely inspired by Power Girl named Lindsay Harrison appears in the ''Smallville'' episode "Covenant", portrayed by Adrianne Palicki. Initially believing her name is Kara and that she is from Krypton, she is later revealed to be a human empowered by Jor-El's technology. * Power Girl appears in the ''Mad (TV series), Mad'' segment "That's What Super Friends Are For". * Power Girl appears in ''Robot Chicken DC Comics Special III: Magical Friendship'', voiced by Mae Whitman. * A variation of Power Girl appears in the ''DC Super Hero Girls (TV series), DC Super Hero Girls'' episode "#PowerSurge". After Supergirl (voiced by Nicole Sullivan) is presumed dead following a battle with Livewire (DC Comics), Livewire, the former reinvents herself as "Power Girl". A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.


Film

* Power Girl appears in '' Superman/Batman: Public Enemies'', voiced by Allison Mack. This version initially works for President Lex Luthor until Superman is framed for Metallo's murder and she defects from Luthor to help Superman and Batman uncover the truth. * A villainous, alternate universe variant of Power Girl makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in ''Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths'' as a minor member of the Crime Syndicate. * Power Girl makes a cameo appearance in ''Teen Titans Go! To the Movies.''


Video games

* Power Girl appears as a playable character in ''DC Universe Online'', voiced by Adrienne Mishler. * Power Girl appears as a DLC character in ''Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham''. * Power Girl appears as a "premier skin" for Supergirl in ''Injustice 2'', voiced by Sara Cravens.


Miscellaneous

* Power Girl appears in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU) comic book tie-ins ''Adventures in the DC Universe'' #6, ''Justice League Unlimited'', and ''Superman and Batman Magazine'' #1. * Power Girl appears in ''Batman: The Brave and the Bold (comic book), Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' #1.


In popular culture

* Power Girl is a popular cosplay character. * Power Girl is parodied in ''Attack of the Show!'', portrayed by guest host Carrie Keagan and depicted as a stereotypical "dumb blonde". * Power Girl was ranked ninth in ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.


References


External links

* Interviews wit
Paul Levitz
an

about the 1970s All Star Comics revival—from Alter Ego (fanzine), Alter Ego Vol. 3#14. {{Portal bar, Women, Speculative fiction, Comics Alternative versions of comics characters Characters created by Gerry Conway Characters created by Ric Estrada Characters created by Wally Wood Comics characters introduced in 1976 DC Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds DC Comics characters with accelerated healing DC Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability DC Comics characters with superhuman senses DC Comics characters with superhuman strength DC Comics extraterrestrial superheroes DC Comics female superheroes DC Comics orphans Earth-Two Fictional business executives Fictional characters displaced in time Fictional characters with air or wind abilities Fictional characters with energy-manipulation abilities Fictional characters with fire or heat abilities Fictional characters with ice or cold abilities Fictional characters with nuclear or radiation abilities Fictional characters with X-ray vision Kryptonians Supergirl Superman characters