By Sofia Yang
| Published
Supergirl is set to make a big return to the world of movies, with her first feature film since the 1980s version starring Helen Slater. Audiences were teased with an appearance by her at the end of 2025’s Superman and the new Supergirl arrives in theaters in 2026.
Wondering what to expect? Will she just be a girl Superman? Maybe not. These are the differences between Superman and Supergirl’s powers.
How Supergirl Started
It all started in 1938 when Superman was created by writers Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel. Superman made his first ever appearance in Action Comics #1. Supergirl arrived much later, created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino for Action Comics #252 back in 1959.
Supergirl Was Written As Superman’s Biological Cousin
Originally Supergirl, whose real name is Kara Zor-El, has been written as the biological cousin of Superman. Later when comic writers wanted to establish Superman as the Last Son of Krypton her origins were muddied a bit, with a wide variety of characters using the Supergirl alias.
Supergirl’s Origins Have Changed A Lot
Superman has always been written as an orphan who escaped the death of the planet Krypton as a baby, only to be raised by humans here on planet Earth. Supergirl’s origins are far less straightforward and have been changed repeatedly over her life in fiction. In her most basic form though, she was a teenager when Krypton exploded and came to Earth as someone raised not as a human or an American, but as a Kryptonian.
Supergirl’s History On Screen
While Superman has been an off-and-on fixture at the movies for decades, Supergirl faded from memory after that one awkward movie outing back in 1984. The character found new life in 2004 with a reintroduction in pivotal DC Comics storylines. More recently, Supergirl had a home on television, where The CW gave the Supergirl TV series numerous seasons.
Supergirl And Superman’s Close Relationship
But when it comes to Superman (aka Clark Kent) and Supergirl (aka Kara Zor-El), what you’re probably wondering is: What’s the difference? Besides their gender, that is.
The two Kryptonian characters have been intertwined since Supergirl’s introduction. Yet while their similar names and backgrounds might lead you to believe them identical, they actually have some big differences in their super-powered abilities.
Supergirl’s Basic Powers
Both Superman and Supergirl have the same basic power sets. Both characters can fly, are invulnerable, have super strength, super speed, super hearing, super vision, heat vision, and super strong cold breath. But where Superman grew up on Earth and grew into his powers, Kara did not. Supergirl is newer to this whole superhero thing and lacks the experience Clark has in using his powers. That leaves her struggling to defeat villains that her cousin Superman could have taken down easily.
How Supergirl’s Strength Compares To Superman’s
Both Superman and Supergirl (at least in their current incarnations… there have been others) are Kryptonians. Like all Kryptonians, they draw their strength from Earth’s yellow sun. Superman has spent far more time on Earth than Supergirl, so he has absorbed more energy from our sun. That means Superman is far stronger than his female counterpart.
Powers Supergirl Has But Superman Does Not
Eventually, after spending time on Earth, Kara Zor-El manifested new powers never developed by Clark Kent. The Supergirl mythos explains these as a result of the natural difference between male and female Kryptonian bodies. Basically, Supergirl processes energy from our yellow sun differently than Superman does. These other powers take different forms, but specifically, Supergirl has been known to manifest protective crystals in times of stress as a form of protection.
Supergirl’s Power Ring
Recent comic book Supergirl storylines have her gaining a power ring from the Red Lantern. This ring gives her powers similar to those of the Green Lantern, only where the Green Lantern’s ring is powered by force of will, Supergirl’s red ring is powered entirely by rage.
A Permanent Connection
Given their origins, Supergirl and Superman will always be connected, but over the years, DC’s writers have taken them on different paths. Whether it’s on television, in movies, or in print, each will fly to their separate destiny and separate success.
