Since her conception in 1959, Supergirl, like her fellow heroic counterparts, has been on a journey of cosmic proportions. Flying through multiverses, through time, through space and through struggle, she has provided women and girls with a toughened heroine they could believe in. She has been reincarnated many times ever since her 1959 conception; reinvention has made her older, younger, a partner-in-crime, a standalone saviour, a camera operator, an ophthalmologist, a lover. But, throughout each and every rebirth Kara has gone through, one thing has stayed the same – her fierce brand of strength. And translating this to animation only made her importance burn brighter.
Young girls have always struggled to see themselves represented in the stoic, statuesque supers like Batman, Superman and The Flash. Even the existence of the DC’s female characters has been resigned to the back-seat of the car, with immense focus given to the men at the front. Whilst DC have worked hard to change this, glaring representation issues such as over-sexualisation remain alienating to many female fans. However, characters like Supergirl have overridden the mainframe, crashing the system in the most empowering of ways. Throughout trial, grief and sacrifice, Supergirl has shown-up to change the way fans think of DC heroes – even rivalling her cousin’s efforts in the process. Finally, younger girls can look up to the sky and imagine her brilliance dazzling through it.
Animation made DC’s vast and complex universe much more accessible to younger viewers, offering a more focused look at their beloved characters. The lessons their heroes learnt were fully up-for-grabs via animation; whether it was friendship, altruism, kindness or endurance, children could learn these moral tales with less graphic violence offered by their alternatives. And, Supergirl’s appearance through DC animated history presented her in the finest of spotlights – giving her own story the thrust and lift it needed to propel her sky-high.
This is Supergirl’s animated movie legacy.
Film
After a brief cameo in Justice League: The New Frontier in 2008, Supergirl would hit the 2010s with a seismic blast. She starred in Superman/Batman Apocalypse in 2010, a film based on the comic book title, The Supergirl from Krypton. Director Lauren Montgomery, known for her storyboard artwork for Kung Fu Panda (2008) and Wonder Woman (2009), added a wealth of experience to Supergirl’s animated adventures. And voice actress Summer Glau garnered praise for providing the heroine’s story with depth and realism.
The film’s title was delightfully deceptive, as Supergirl’s involvement moved Batman to a supporting role. After Metropolis has just been saved from a myriad of threats, Supergirl crashes on Earth. She has spent years in suspended animation, and Superman begins rehabilitating her to life on Earth. However, she is soon forced to grapple with various intergalactic threats – and awaken to her own powers, at the same time. The duo are forced to fight Darkseid, the ruler of Apokolips, who wishes to make Supergirl the leader of his Female Furies.
Superman/Batman Apocalypse let Supergirl fight the fight she’d been itching for. In the face of a villain seeking total control, it fell to Kara to protect a planet she barely knows or understands. And yet, her innate desire to protect carries her through. Using powers she hasn’t touched in years, she overcomes Darkseid’s powers, using the Mother Box to launch him straight into space. And, whilst critics believed it to be mundane and ambiguous, it sealed Supergirl’s fate with integrity. The film ends with Kara deciding to remain on Earth and, like her cousin, fight altruistically for all life on that planet. And, just like that, it proved that Supergirl’s impact could outlast any medium, whether it be animated or live-action.
In 2013, Superman: Unbound saw Superman take centre-stage once more – whilst giving Kara a personal challenge to rise to. Directed by James Tucker and based on the comic Superman: Brainiac, Supergirl was voiced this time by Molly Quinn. Receiving average-to-good reviews, the film was praised for making Superman a vehicle for important life lessons.
The animated feature made sure to test our Super-cousins like never before, piling on the pressure until they were forced to hold their ground. Superman, facing personal struggles with Lois, is forced to reckon with the sudden presence of Brainiac on Earth. This forces Supergirl to confront long-held trauma, as she reveals Brainiac miniaturised Kandor (the capital city of Krypton), leading to her parent’s disappearance. Eventually, she gains the courage to fight him, standing alongside her cousin to remove the impending threat.
Disillusioned and affected by PTSD, Kara is tested in this film – and rises to the occasion once more. Those puppeteering her waste no time in giving her a challenge worthy of her cousin or Batman. And, by forcing her to confront the source of her trauma, they give her the ultimate coming-of-age tale, one which children can look up to with eyes shining, and hearts pounding.
As the 2010s powered by, Supergirl graced the screen with boldly new appearances, with a clear focus on reaching younger audiences. In 2016, she would appear in lego form for Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League, fighting alongside her fellow Justice League members. After several of the team are sent to different time periods by Brainiac, Cyborg calls on Supergirl to help fight him in the present. And, in 2018, she would ridicule the Teen Titans in their feature film, Teen Titans Go! To The Movies. Supergirl showing up, even in films like these, was a reminder to young fans that heroines can exist, no matter the format, style or setting.
In more recent years, however, Supergirl has made a marked return to grittier stories, filled to the brim with threat and peril. 2023’s Legion of Super-Heroes charted Supergirl’s journey to join the ranks of the team, a story told in the comic series of the same name – and it made sure that earning her membership was anything but quick and painless.
After reuniting with Superman and yet again struggling to adapt to life on Earth, Superman suggests joining the Legion Academy in the 21st century. After arriving in the future, Kara is immediately on edge after meeting Brainiac 5, a direct descendant of her arch-nemesis. However, they are soon forced to work together when he is suspected of stealing weapons from the school for the villainous Dark Circle. After defending him, a fellow trainee named Mon-El is revealed to be an agent of the Circle, who is now being lead by the one and only, Brainiac. Suddenly, Supergirl is forced to work together with her fellow students to defeat this looming threat – and prove she has the mettle for the Legion.
Whilst Comic Book Resources remarked that the film gets to “the heart of what makes the Legion tick,” Legion of Super-Heroes also did this for Supergirl. It demonstrated something that many female-centric films often get wrong; a heroine can demonstrate independence, tact and physical strength – and she can let herself feel too. During the runtime, Kara both falls in love with Brainiac 5 and is presented with the chance of restoring her home planet. She feels love and grief, which are so closely intertwined, with the blaze of both barrels bursting inside of her chest. And ultimately, when she does prevail, she both attains a Legion membership, and the courage to reckon with the emotions blossoming inside of her.
After being so central in 2023, Supergirl’s most recent appearance in animated film was remarkably smaller – but no less impactful. In 2024, Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths released, a trilogy which traversed multiverses with a remarkable depth. Based on the crossover storyline that debuted in 1985, it told an epic tale, stuffed with alternating planets and myriads of heroes. And Kara fit into this puzzle piece with a great importance.
Across its three parts, the film reveals Kara to its audience in a newly-packaged light. After Krypton’s destruction, instead of crash-landing at Superman’s feet, Supergirl is rescued by a being known as Mar Novu (or The Monitor). After nursing her back to health, he is forced to reveal the previously concealed truth of Superman’s presence on Earth. Supergirl is furious, joins her cousin and begins her training at the Legion, all whilst Mar Novu watches over her. And, when the time is right, he approaches her to warn her of multiverse-ending threat – known as ‘The Anti-Monitor.‘ After channelling some of his energy into her, she becomes ‘The Harbinger,‘ and unites many other heroes to prepare for war. And this is how we meet her at the beginning of the film.
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths gave new rhyme and reason to Supergirl’s being, removing her from her cousin’s shadow for a whole new, cosmic purpose. Awash with fresh power, Supergirl is also given a weighty level of consequence to her actions. Due to the influence of Psycho-Pirate, Kara’s rage is enhanced that she regrettably kills Mar Novu, who had once been her protector. Forced to deal with real guilt and shame, she takes Superman’s place in killing the Anti-Monitor, making the ultimate sacrifice.
It is a remarkably dark end to a character who always moved with buoyancy and light – and yet, it ended the heroine’s journey with a home-grown level of maturity. Throughout her animated film appearances, she went from fighting small battles to giant, intergalactic wars. And, whilst she grapples with real feelings of shame in 2024, she is light-years away from heroine just starting out in 2010.
Supergirl will fly back once more onto our screens in June 2026, for her next live-action movie. Directed by Craig Gillespie, the movie looks to promise a jaded chapter for the heroine, who is wrestling with the loss of her home planet. With huge handfuls of rage heaped upon her plate, it looks like we can expect to see Supergirl demonstrate her physical and emotional strength once more. And, hopefully, she’ll look a little something like the heroine we’ve come to love, through her lifetime in animated movies.
