It’s a great time for Superman fans, with the Man of Steel soaring into movies, TV, animation and comics. To help us stay on top of it, writer Tim Beedle shares what's grabbed his attention and why in this monthly Super-Family column.
Yes, they’re both superheroes, symbols of hope and inspirations to us all. But there’s another way you can describe Superman and Supergirl that’s even more fundamental and just as apt.
Survivors.
It’s not discussed nearly as much as what they accomplished afterwards, but the fact that Superman and Supergirl both managed to survive the destruction of their homeworld, make it to Earth and reach adulthood is pretty amazing. Here in the real world, even making it around our own moon under the best circumstances and with formidable resources is a remarkable accomplishment. Krypton is more advanced than Earth, but what the Els managed to achieve is nothing short of miraculous, even by their standards. After all, if rocketing to far flung planets was simple and commonplace for them, every Kryptonian would have done it the minute they realized the planet was doomed.
No, the choice to send Kal and Kara to Earth was always a desperate, last ditch effort to save both of their lives. And while desperate, last ditch efforts can make for entertaining stories (I see you, Project Hail Mary), in actuality, they very often fail. And in the case of Superman and Supergirl, not only does the effort succeed, but it succeeds twice!
Or rather, it does in most variations of their story. Ethan S. Parker, Griffin Sheridan and Rod Reis’ new DC Elseworlds series, Supergirl: Survive, offers a very different take on their flight from Krypton. Here, Krypton isn’t destroyed by a natural occurrence or Kryptonian greed sapping too many of the planet’s natural resources. Rather, it’s the Kryptonian equivalent of nuclear annihilation that takes down the planet in this reimagining. Kara and her cousin also don’t make their journey separately. They’re placed in the rocket together by their desperate parents, with a terrified Kara asked to look after her younger cousin.
But the biggest change here, setting up a future that promises to be vastly different than the Supergirl and Superman story we’re all familiar with, is that the rocket doesn’t make it to Earth. In fact, it doesn’t even make it out of Krypton’s orbit. Clipped by a missile as it leaves the atmosphere, Kara and Kal are forced to crash land on Krypton’s moon.
We know very little about the moon at this point. It’s unclear if it has an atmosphere and if it has breathable air, food, water and other necessities for life. We don’t know if it’s been colonized, and if so, by whom. About the only thing we do know is that it’s green—something that’s not a natural occurrence. But it’s not even clear who turned it green, why they did it or what the green actually is. Is it Kryptonite? It looks like it could be, but we don’t yet know.
All these questions really get to the root of any good survival story—the drama, excitement and horror all come from a place of uncertainty. Survivors usually don’t know what struggles they’re going to face. The idea of having to start a new life on a completely foreign planet—but one that has been studied and thoughtfully chosen by their parents—is overwhelming and frightening enough. Now, Kara’s responsible for ensuring that she survives along with her infant cousin, in a situation and environment that’s entirely different from what she expected.
It draws an obvious parallel in my mind, but before I get to it, let’s talk about Supergirl: Survive’s Kara Zor-El. At only one issue in, we’re still getting to know her, but what’s clear is that she’s very much a teen. She’s trying to figure out her wants, needs and place in life, while facing rampant insecurities, fears and more than a little anxiety. She struggles to understand the turmoil within Kryptonian society and worries about where it’s all heading. She doesn’t understand her parents or their strained relationship with Jor-El and Lara, but she clearly loves her little cousin.
I know teenagers and young adults just like her. I used to be one myself. And I can’t imagine anyone at that stage of their life being asked to do what Kara is now facing. Forget about destiny and donning the blue and red. Right now, Kara’s biggest challenge will be to find the strength and perseverance within herself to survive and keep her helpless cousin safe. She doesn’t need to be a hero to millions—just to one.
The uncertainty, fear and feeling overwhelmed that come with that? Those are exactly the feelings that every new parent has felt when they’ve held their newborn child and realized that they’re now responsible for every aspect of their survival. True, they’re not typically raising their new baby on a hostile, foreign world, but the responsibility is the same. Kara didn’t plan on becoming a parent (many new parents don’t) and she almost certainly doesn’t feel ready for it. I’d also be surprised if her story wasn’t much more action-packed than that of your average new mother’s. But the feelings that come with it are highly relatable and so is the underlying message. After all, what is a successful parent if not a survivor?
I don’t know where Supergirl: Survive is going. As an Elseworlds series, all possibilities are on the table. But I like this Kara Zor-El. I believe in her and am pulling for her. No matter where things go and how things end up, her world’s Superman is lucky to have her, and so are our world’s comic readers.
Supergirl: Survive #1 by Ethan S. Parker, Griffin Sheridan and Rod Reis is now available in print and as a digital comic book.
Tim Beedle covers movies, TV and comics for DC.com, writes our monthly Superman column, "Super Here For...", and is a regular contributor to the Couch Club, our recurring television column. Follow him on Instagram at @notabard and on Bluesky at @TimBeedle.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Tim Beedle and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.
