Comic Book / The Killers of Krypton

"We face so much evil. So many liars. I need to find out the truth. Did Zaar do it? And if he did, who knew? Who helped him? Who murdered my friends? My family?"

— Supergirl

The Killers of Krypton is a 2018 Supergirl storyline written by Marc Andreyko, with art by several artists (Kevin Maguire, Evan Shaner, Emanuela Lupacchino and Eduardo Pansica, among others). One of the storylines which dealt with the fallout of Man of Steel (2018), it happens concurrently with the first half of Superman (Brian Michael Bendis).

Rogol Zaar, the monster who claimed to be the real destroyer of Krypton, has been defeated and banished to the Phantom Zone; but his words have shaken Superman and Supergirl to the core. Was Rogol Zaar delusional or did he indeed blow Krypton up? Was he working alone, or he was someone else's pawn?

Supergirl is feeling especially pained and angry since, unlike Clark, she grew up in Krypton. It was her home, not a history lesson. Kara cannot let the matter go, so she builds a spaceship and sets on a journey across the galaxy to find answers.

Supergirl soon finds evidence that there was indeed a conspiracy to wipe out the Kryptonian race. And she does not need to be told that whoever is behind her race's genocide will be also willing to kill her to protect their secrets.

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This storyline contains the next tropes:

• Alliterative Title: "The Killers of Krypton"
• Akashic Records: The Green Lantern Archives in Mogo store all the universal knowledge. Supergirl is outright told that "If it is not in the archive, it likely didn't happen."
• Antagonist Title: The story revolves around Supergirl investigating who were the real culprits for her homeworld's destruction... in other words, the killers of Krypton.
• Apocalyptic Log: During one of his journeys across the galaxy, Z'ndr Kol finds the ruins of a ravaged Kryptonian outpost. As exploring, he stumbles upon a record where one of the settlers is sending a distress signal which ends up with the woman getting speared to death.
  I am Revell-Tor of the Kryptonian outpost on Idieg Prime! We are under attack! Please! They are butchering us! They are— here. AAIIIEEEE!!
• An Arm and a Leg: Supergirl grabs Harry Hokum's left arm when he attempts to stab her with a knife. Right then Hokum is teleported away, but his left hand is sliced up and left behind by the teleporting portal.
• Artificial Limbs: Z'ndr Kol's right arm was replaced with a prosthetic one after losing his natural limb during an Alien Invasion.
• Asshole Victim: Empress Gandelo slaps Harry Hokum with her rock-hard, razor-sharp hand and then she gets him dumped into space. It is not a pretty or clean way of dying, and you would almost feel sorry for him... if Hokum wasn't an utterly amoral, sadistic tyrant who regards people as tools, blames his own mistakes on his loyal subordinates and has murdered countless people in atrocious ways. Gandelo does not care about any of his misdeeds, though; she is pissed off because he revealed her organization's secrets to Supergirl.
• Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Empress Gandelo grows to gigantic size when she finally decides to fight Supergirl.
• Badass Boast: When she decides to interrogate a bar full of aliens, Supergirl burns Rogol Zaar's insignia into the floor and calmly states:
  Supergirl: If anyone here knows Zaar, speak now or I'll make you myself. Your choice. Either works for me.
• Bad Boss: Harry Hokum treats his subordinates as garbage: he makes unreasonable demands, dismisses their warnings and advice, and when everything goes pear-shaped because of his stupid orders, he blames his minions for his own mistakes and abuses them physically.
• Bar Brawl: Kara goes to an intergalactic bar seeking answers, and a fight breaks out when she demands information on Rogol Zaar.
• Bar Full of Aliens: In seeking answers, Kara goes to an intergalactic dive bar at the far end from the Vega system at the outskirts of the galaxy. Most of patrons look humanoid except for some trait like strange skin colors, horned heads, multi-armed bodies, bug-like faces, lumpy heads or furred hides.
• Batman Gambit: Supergirl, who has been captured by Harry Hokum, spits on his face while he is wondering what to do with her. As expected, Hokum gets so mad that he forgets about cutting her up on the spot, and orders she is dragged to a cell instead. On the way, Kara taunts his minion Splyce until the alien fires her solar blasts at her. Supergirl feels her cells recharging, but she pretends to pass out; and after being dumped into a cell, she breaks her handcuffs and makes her getaway.
• Big Bad: Gandelo, Empress of the Trilium Collective and member of a secret organization known as the Circle, who secretly helped Rogol Zaar blow Krypton up in the past and then covered up his crime, manipulates events behind the scenes to get Supergirl killed before she uncovers the truth and exposes the Circle.
• Blood from the Mouth: Kara collapses and starts bleeding from her mouth and nose when her ship arrives in Krypton's radioactive remains.
• Blood Knight: As fighting a bar full of aliens, Supergirl cannot help but ponder how much she is enjoying that brawl and wonder whether she is a bad person for admitting it.
• A Boy and His X: Krypto goes with Kara during the entire quest.
• Breaking the Bonds: Captured by Harry Hokum, Supergirl is handcuffed and tossed into a cell. Quickly, she uses her Super-Breath to freeze the manacles and then she shatters the strained metal.
• Bring It: Surrounded by several dozens of Green Lanterns whom she mistrusts, Kara challenges them to catch her.
  Supergirl: Come and get me, Green Lanterns— I'd like to see you try!
• Bullying a Dragon: When Kara goes to a space bar to find clues on Rogol Zaar, several of his followers start mocking and taunting the obvious Kryptonian by openly praising Zaar's genocidal act and dissing Krypton. Kara beats all of them up, and she did not even need to be fully powered.
• Cape Snag: As Supergirl is bar-brawling, a thug hinders her by grabbing onto her cape.
• Casual Interplanetary Travel: Supergirl builds and rely on a faster-than-light spaceship to travel between planets and colonies across the edge of the galaxy.
• Casual Interstellar Travel: Supergirl builds her own faster-than-light spaceship to reach and navigate around the edges of the galaxy in a ridiculous lapse of time.
• Clipped-Wing Angel: Empress Gandelo's giant form merely turns her into a target which is simultaneously too weak and slow to hurt Kara, and too big to miss.
• Clone Army: Harry Hokum steals genetic samples from Supergirl and then orders his head scientist to manufacture an army of Kryptonian clones. Nonetheless, Hokum demands to speed their development up, and his batch of new super-soldiers begin decaying quickly shortly after being released.
• Clone Degeneration: Harry Hokum takes a tissue sample from a captured Supergirl and orders his head scientist to grow an army of Kryptonian clones immediately, ignoring his warnings that accelerating their incubation is risky. When the Supergirl clones engage their template, their cellular structure is so unstable their bodies break down into puddles of organic matter after being hit by a shockwave clap.
• Clones Are People, Too: Harry Hokum's Supergirl clones are defective, malformed, mindless killing machines; but even so, Kara regards them as poor, unfortunate innocent souls whom she tries to reach out and persuade to snap out of their programming and let her help them.
• Combo Platter Powers: Villain Splyce is a shape-shifter alien with energy-generation powers who can survive in space, prompting Supergirl to deduce Splyce must be some kind of artificially engineered bioweapon.
• Complexity Addiction:
  • Harry Hokum has captured a depowered Supergirl, who defiantly refuses to speak, and he orders his men to take her to a cell to be tortured and dissected later instead of killing her quickly on the spot.
  • Later, the Omega Men have broken into Hokum's stronghold, and he plans to let them flee after they have rescued clones posing as their captive comrades. One of his minions suggests to simply nuke them, and Hokum admits it sounds tempting, but he will stick to his plan.
• Continuity Nod: Supergirl drops by the same bar visited by Rogol Zaar in Man of Steel (2018) #2.
• Could Have Been Messy: In the hands of Supergirl, Rogol Zaar's extremely sharp and powerful alien axe fails to hack or even cut anyone, despite being wielded by someone strong enough to chop one planet into half, and being an empathetic weapon which constantly fuels her fury.
• Covered in Scars: Kara's face becomes covered in scratches, courtesy of Splyce's claws, during the first skirmish between the Omega Men and the Circle, and they last until she gets some sunlight, and her healing factor kicks in.
• Crater Power: When fighting Gandelo in planet Tavaar, Kara creates a literal crater when she punches the ground below her and magma starts welling up out of the fissure.
• Crazy-Prepared: Kara finds an intergalactic bar whose facilities include charging stations for suits powered by different energy sources, including solar energy. Kara right away proceeds to recharge her suit via the inbuilt hose coupling which she attached to her sleeve in the event that she came upon one such station.
• Cruel Mercy: After Supergirl has defeated Splyce, the Omega Men agree to spare the villainess and let her go back to her master because they cannot imagine a fate worse than facing Harry Hokum after having failed him.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: It took Hal Jordan two minutes and fifteen seconds to get the Royal Flush Gang knocked out and tie up. He insists he took so long because he just ate a Reuben.
• Data Crystal: Supergirl must gather multi-shaped data stones scattered across the galaxy to discover the truth about the destruction of Krypton.
• Dead Man Writing: Guardian of the Universe Appa Ali Apsa left a holographic message detailing the crimes of the Circle, to be found after his death.
• Deadly Nosebleed: Kara starts bleeding from her nose when her starship is approaching her next stop. Seconds later they have reached the radioactive remains of Krypton, and Kara falls to the floor, still bleeding.
• Death from Above: As battling Gandelo, Supergirl flies high up above her and then unleashes her eye beams. Gandelo's body endures her attack, but her heat vision mows down to ashes the island where Gandelo is standing on.
• Defiant Captive: Harry Hokum captures Supergirl and demands to know what business have brought her from Earth to his neck of the galaxy. Supergirl's only response is to spit on his eye.
• Distress Call: As poking around a destroyed Kryptonian outpost, Z'ndr Kol finds a recording of a settler sending a distress call to ask help because the colony was under attack.
• Dramatic Space Drifting: After the climactic battle between the Omega Men and the Citadel, Harry Hokum's corpse is seen floating through space.
• Even the Dog Is Ashamed: When Kara is going to kill Gandelo to avenge all murdered Kryptonians, Krypto gets in front of her and gives her a sad, ashamed look. Realizing she was about to commit murder, Kara gets horrified and spares her enemy's life.
• Evil Gloating:
  • Harry Hokum has captured a depowered Supergirl, and instead of killing her, he brags about torture her and cut her up before ordering his men to drag her to a cell. In the way, Supergirl finds a way to get her powers back, escape and begin wrecking his base.
    Harry Hokum: You won't be so defiant when I break you down for spare parts. And I'll be far less forgiving.
  • As she is being dragged to a cell, Supergirl taunts Splyce until the villain shoots an energy bolt at her. Splyce starts mocking her, unaware that her solar blast has recharged Kara, who is just pretending to be knocked out.
    Splyce: "I may not be allowed to kill you... But I can do... this!" (fires an energy blast) "I have heard the legends about you and your cousin. So unearned. Who's the pathetic one now?"
    Supergirl: (thinking) Tamaranean solar power. Not quite as smooth as Earth's. Don't react, Kara. Not just yet.
• Evil Weapon: Rogol Zaar's axe influences its bearer by making them angrier and more violent.
• Expendable Clone: Harry Hokum regards his Supergirl clones as completely replaceable tools, and he could not care less when they die.
• Fleeting Demographic Rule:
  • Supergirl learning to get over her grief, anger and feelings of abandonment and accepts Earth is a plotline which was already used in "Girl Power" (2005), Last Daughter of Krypton (2011) and Red Daughter of Krypton (2014).
  • Epress Gandelo is not the first villain who has claimed responsibility for the destruction of Krypton. Other examples are: Klax-Ar in Superboy #67 (1958), Raspor in Action Comics #338 (1966), Black Zero in Superman #205 (1968), -possibly- Brainiac in Superman: Brainiac (2008)...
• Forceful Kiss: Kara and Starfire's brother Ryand'r are fighting an army of Supergirl clones, but Kara is running low on solar power. Kara asks Ryand'r to give her a power boost as quickly as he can, so Ryand'r grabs her and kisses her. Later he assures he was not looking for excuses to be a creep, but that was really the fastest way to transfer energy into her cells in the middle of a battle.
• Foreshadowing: In the first issue, Hal Jordan warns Supergirl she should not let her negative emotions control her, since that was how Parallax got to influence him. Later, Kara realizes Rogol Zaar's axe is influencing her by fueling and feeding from her anger.
• Frankenstein's Monster: Supergirl's clones are malformed and mindless monsters created by Harry Hokum's head geneticist. They cannot talk or think, they only attack people because they have been ordered to, and they die when their unstable cloned bodies fall apart. Kara considered them tragic and pitiable creatures.
• Free-Sample Plot Coupon: After explaining to Supergirl that she will need to gather six data stones scattered all over the galaxy to discover why and by whom was destroyed Krypton, Appa Ali Apsa gives her the first stone.
• Gem Tissue: Crystals protrude all over Empress Gandelo's skin.
• Genocide Backfire: Driven by hatred towards Kryptonians, Rogol had asked the Circle -a clandestine interplanetary peacekeeping council- for help to destroy Krypton. His request was rejected by every member minus Empress Gandelo, who also feared Kryptonians, and secretly provided Rogol with the means to destroy the planet. However, Superman and Supergirl survive, Supergirl finds evidence to expose the crimes of the Circle, and it gets both Rogol Zaar and his backer captured and punished after a tough beatdown.
• Giant Equals Invincible: Subverted. Empress Gandelo makes herself giant to fight Supergirl. She would be a formidable opponent against anybody else, but her greatly magnified strength is still insufficient to overpower a Kryptonian. All in all, she just made herself a giant target, and impossible to miss.
• Girl with Psycho Weapon: Throughout the story, sweet, cute, sixteen-year-old Supergirl carries around Rogol Zaar's axe, an oversized, double-headed battle axe which manipulates and fuels its wielder's anger.
• Goshdang It To Heck: Parodied in issue #21:
  Supergirl: You're a strong, independent young woman. Heck, you're a superhero. Cousin of THE superhero. And he must have rubbed off on you. Why else did I just use the word "heck"?
• Gotta Catch Them All: The plot has Supergirl travel across the galaxy, hunting down six data stones which, if gathered, will reveal how, why and under whose orders Rogol Zaar destroyed her homeworld.
• Hallucinations: As battling amidst the ruins of Krypton, Kara begins seeing Kryptonite-induced hallucinations where her parents transform into zombies and attempt to kill her.
• He Knows Too Much: Empress Gandelo orders her minions to find and kill Supergirl before her investigation uncovers Gandelo is responsible for Krypton's destruction.
• Heroic Dog: Krypto joins Supergirl in her quest across the galaxy to discover the truth about Rogol Zaar and her claims of destroying Krypton. Krypto's help proves to be invaluable, either beating baddies or taking care of Kara.
• Hoist by His Own Petard:
  • If Rogol Zaar had dismissed the mere existence of a couple of Kryptonian survivors, he and the Circle would have continued to get away with their crimes. Instead, he travels to Earth because he absolutely must ensure that all Kryptonians are dead, boasts needlessly about being Krypton's real killer, gets his posterior kicked, compels Supergirl to investigate his claims, and ultimate gets the Circle and himself exposed and punished because of his antics.
  • Splyce fires an energy blast at Supergirl, expecting to fry her. Instead, Supergirl is healed and recharged by Splyce's solar blast. She learns her lesson in their second fight and fires around Kara to hit her with debris instead.
• Hologram: When on route to Mogo, Kara peruses a holo-vid displaying one battle between the Green Lantern Corps and the Darkstars.
• Hologram Projection Imperfection: Appa Ali Apsa's hologram fizzle and flickers as talking to Supergirl.
• How We Got Here: The story opens with Kara building a spaceship in the Fortress of Solitude. The story then flashes back to the prior conversation between Kal and Kara where she declared she was going to investigate Rogol Zaar's claims of destroying Krypton.
• I Fight for the Strongest Side!: Rogol Zaar's followers quickly and unanimously bow down to and join Supergirl when she beats Rogol Zaar down.
• I Know You're Watching Me: After defeating her clones, Supergirl stares upwards, right at Harry Hokum's flagship hovering out of the atmosphere and snarls his name. Hokum, who was watching the battle, realizes she has somehow seen him, and starts sweating.
  Supergirl: (glaring spaceward) Someone will pay for this atrocity, and that someone is... Hokum.
  Harry Hokum: (sweating) S-she's looking at me! H-how is that possible?
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: As exploring some ruins, Z'ndr Kol finds a holo-vid where a settler is trying to send a distress call before being speared to death by one of the invaders.
• In Space, Everyone Can See Your Face: Supergirl's face is clearly visible through her spacesuit's helmet while she is exploring the remains of Krypton.
• In the Hood: In order to perform several stealth operations, Kara dons a full-body black-and red suit complete with a black cowl which effectively obscures her features from the nose up.
• Intimate Healing: Supergirl is wounded and exhausted during a battle, so a Tamaranean teammate quickly kisses Kara to transfer solar energy into her body, which efficiently heals her wounds and reenergizes her cells.
• Invulnerable Knuckles: Subverted. Supergirl gets into a bar brawl, and since she is running low on power, she winces and feels her hand hurting and her knuckles bruised after punching someone.
• Killed Mid-Sentence: Supergirl has just scared an alien into confessing everything he knows about Rogol Zaar, but he is blasted to ashes right when he is about to spill the beans:
  Alien: Okay, Okay, Okay. I'll spill my guts! Just don't use his axe on me! Please! What do you wanna-
  He is struck by an energy beam
• Knuckle Cracking: During the final battle between the Omega Men and the Citadel, one Supergirl clone cracks her knuckles to show she is not listening Kara's pleas to stop fighting.
• Kryptonite Is Everywhere: A belt of Kryptonite asteroids is occupying Krypton's former orbit around Rao, for which Kara needs a radiation-proof suit to explore the region.
• Kryptonite-Proof Suit: Subverted. Kara dons a Kryptonite-proof spacesuit to explore Krypton's radioactive remains. Unfortunately, the intensity of the Kryptonite radiation is too strong to be completely filtered out by the suit, and it can only protect Kara for a short while.
  Supergirl: I underestimated the potency of all the Kryptonite radiation here. The suit will filter out most of it.
• Living Lie Detector: When Kara is interrogating the alien bar's patrons about Rogol Zaar, she uses her super-hearing to know who is being truthful and who is lying.
• Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter: Gender-flipped. Znd'r is Empress Gandelo's handsome adoptive son, who inevitably falls for Kara, much to his mother's anger.
• The Man Behind the Man: Supergirl sets out to find out whether Rogol Zaar was a madman working independently or was being backed by someone. Eventually she learns he tried and failed to convince a clandestine organization known as The Circle to exterminate the Kryptonian race. However, Empress Gandelo went behind of the Circle's back and helped Rogol Zaar destroy Krypton. Later, Hokum found out about what she did, so Gandelo gave him the strip-mining rights to Krypton's ruins as long as he kept his mouth shut, which is because he owns Kryptonian cloning tech.
• Meteor Move: Supergirl opens the Final Battle by punching Empress Gandelo's face hard enough to send her flying into the sky. Supergirl instantly takes off after her, uppercuts Gandelo again, overtakes her sailing body a second time and then finally spikes her enemy. Gandelo crashes into the land with such a devastating force that the impact brings the surrounding mountains down. Then Supergirl finishes off by nuking the whole island with her heat vision.
• Mineral MacGuffin: Supergirl must hunt down powerful gemstones scattered across the edge of the galaxy to find the responsible for Krypton's destruction.
• Movie Superheroes Wear Black: And at some points, Kara replaces her blue threads with a black stealth suit.
• Muscles Are Meaningless: In an intergalactic bar, an alien tries to bully Supergirl. He is twice as tall as her, his arms are twice as thick as hers, and he is outpunched anyway.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Splyce, Harry Hokum's genetically-engineered ruthless enforcer.
• Neck Lift: Supergirl grabs Hokum's neck when he tries to run away and lifts him up as demanding answers.
• Never My Fault: Harry Hokum orders his head scientist to clone Supergirl and speeding her clones' growing up, ignoring his warnings that the clones would be unstable. When the clones inevitably fall apart, Hokum blames his underling for essentially doing as he was told.
  Harry Hokum: Those clones were supposed to kill her and those damned rebels! What happened to them?!
  Scientist: Most revered one, we told you accelerating the incubation of the clones was a risk. Their cellular matrices were unstable, and like an empty shell—
  Harry Hokum: You don't get to tell me anything! You do what I command! And you failed me!
• Non-Action Big Bad: Downplayed. Gandelo spends most of the story expecting her underlings to do her work for her. When she finally confronts Kara, she displays several impressive powers, but neither of them is enough to seriously endanger a Kryptonian.
• Obstructive Bureaucrat: C'Zal tries to hinder and dissuade Supergirl from checking the vault storing the most sensitive items in the Green Lantern Archives -where she might find evidence regarding Rogol Zaar and the Circle's dirty dealings- by listing the massive amount of paperwork she must fill to be allowed access to the Tower.
• Oh, Crap!: Harry Hokum's starship is hovering over the planet where the Omega Men are fighting his Supergirl's clones. Hokum is watching the battle when Supergirl, who has just defeated her clones, glares upwards. realizing she is glaring straight at him, Hokum pales.
  Supergirl: (glaring spaceward) Someone will pay for this atrocity, and that someone is... Hokum.
  Harry Hokum: (sweating) S-she's looking at me! H-how is that possible?
• Oh, My Gods!:
  • Planet Colu native Z'ndr Kol exclaims "Thank P'llcyd" after putting a Kryptonite-proof suit on Krypto. When asked, he explains P'llcyd is one of his family's gods.
  • Kara also swears by "Rao's beard" every so often.
• Omnidisciplinary Scientist: Subverted. Z'ndr Kol is an archaeologist, spacecraft engineer, and he calls himself a doctor... but when Kara gets sick, he finds himself helpless because he is not that kind of doctor.
• Orcus on His Throne: Empress Gandelo spends most of time doing nothing but sending her minions after Supergirl and getting mad when they are unable to kill her as they were instructed to.
• Pass the Popcorn: As he watches Splyce fighting Supergirl, Harry Hokum states he wishes he had some popcorn.
• People Jars: When she bursts into Hokum's cloning facility, Supergirl finds rows of aliens trapped in liquid-filled transparent cylinders.
• Pocket Dimension: Rogol Zaar's axe drags Kara into an extra-dimensional bubble to listen to Appa Ali Apsa's confession and testament.
• Portal Cut: Empress Gandelo teleports Harry Hokum into her lair when he is defeated, but her dimensional portal deliberately slices up and leaves behind Hokum's left arm, since it had been grabbed by Supergirl. Unfortunately for her, his hand had another one of the crystals Kara is searching for in a ring on his finger.
• Power Crystal: Empress Gandelo's minions use glowing green crystals to send and receive messages.
• Power Glows:
  • Rogol Zaar's sentient axe gives a sinister, electrical red glow when it awakens.
  • Supergirl's special suit includes an in-built sunlight collector shaped as her Chest Insignia which gives off a soft golden glow while it is working.
• Pre Ass Kicking One Liner: In a space bar, an alien praises Rogol Zaar's for exterminating the Kryptonians to taunt Supergirl. Kara replies saying he did not kill all of them and lunges at him.
  Unnamed Alien: You out of "revenge" for him destroying your planet... Kryptonian?
  Supergirl: What did you say?
  Unnamed Alien: I may be big, but I ain't stupid. And all of us wanna thank Rogol for ridding the universe of your entitled, resource-stealing race.
  Supergirl: Most.
  Unnamed Alien: What?
  Supergirl: Zaar killed most of my people— (charging ahead) But not all!
• Prepositional Phrase Equals Coolness: The Killers of Krypton.
• Publicly Discussing the Secret: When the owner of the space bar sees Supergirl walking into her place and spots her "S"-shield, she takes Ambush Bug aside to discuss over a Kryptonian's arrival shortly after Rogol Zaar dropped by. In their defense, they were whispering. Yet still, they were talking about Krypton's genocide while standing three meters away from a Kryptonian, and they should know whispering would not help.
• Punched Across the Room: As fighting Empress Gandelo in planet Taavar, Supergirl punches her enemy into the clouds, then flies up and punches her into the island beneath them, triggering an earthquake.
• Punctuation Shaker: Kara bumps into a green-skinned alien named Z'ndr Kol who purports to help her in her mission.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Kara cuts off Empress Gandelo's self-righteous rant by stating she is one of the worst monsters she has ever met.
  Supergirl: I've fought my fair share of monsters in my time— But you are neck and neck with Darkseid on the pure evil scale. Tell me, Gandelo, how do you drown out the screams of your victims? Do they haunt you? Because the voices of Krypton— of Kandor— I hear them always. And I do this for them! They demand justice.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When one group of Rogol Zaar's followers starts a bar brawl with Supergirl, Ambush Bug quickly rushes towards the bar's exit lest she decides he also needs to be punched.
• Sculpted Physique: Empress Gandelo and the rest of the Trilium alien species look like they are carved out of crystalline, blue gemstones.
• Seeker Archetype: Z'ndr Kol is devoted to exploring ancient ruins and discovering lost lore of extinct civilizations.
• Series Continuity Error:
  • The flashback scenes in issues #21 and 25 ignore the Post-Flashpoint Supergirl's origin established in Last Daughter of Krypton.
  • Hal Jordan references the One Punch meme when taking the Royal Flush Gang out by quipping they should be called "the Guy Gardner Quartet" because they were knocked out with one punch... except that meme was born from an incident that did not happen in Post-Flashpoint continuity.
  • The GL Corps do not mention Supergirl's stint as a Red Lantern because Andreyko was unsure of whether Red Daughter of Krypton is still canon.
• Shapeshifter Baggage: It is not explained how Empress Gandelo can grow to gigantic size, or where her extra mass goes when she turns back to normal.
• Shapeshifter Weapon: Alien shapeshifter Splyce turns her arms into spiked clubs as fighting Kara.
• Shockwave Clap: As fighting her clones, Supergirl claps her hands together. The concussive blast blows her clones away, but unfortunately, it also makes their unstable cellular structure fall apart.
• Shooting Superman: Hokum tries to stab Supergirl, prompting her to sneer at him:
  Harry Hokum: Die!
  Supergirl: A knife? Really?
• Shoryuken: Supergirl uses a rising uppercut on Gandelo, followed quickly by a Meteor Move at the start of their final battle.
• Shut Up, Hannibal!: Kara cuts off Empress Gandelo's taunts by punching her face so hard it cracks.
  Empress Gandelo: Did he break your heart, girl? One more painful loss to add to your grief? Under all of your posturing, you are nothing but a mewling infant crying for love. So weak. So sad. And so utterly predictable.
  Supergirl: In all your infinite wisdom, did you predict this?!
  Supergirl punches her face
• Silicon-Based Life: The bodies of the Trilium alien species are made of some crystalline, blue organic mineral.
• Sizeshifter: Empress Gandelo displays the ability to grow to giant size during the Final Battle.
• Spectacular Spinning: Supergirl tunnels her way out a Green Lantern's construct by rapidly whirling around.
• Speech Impediment: The owner of the space bar located at the far end of the Vega system mispronounces words and has a slight but noticeable lisp.
• Spikes of Villainy: Sharp crystal spikes protrude from Empress Gandelo's head, shoulders and arms.
• Spinning Out of Here: Kara spins around quickly to dig her way out of the GL Headquarters.
• Spit Take: When Krypto comes to Supergirl's help by bursting through the alien bar's ceiling, one of the patrons gets so shocked or afraid that he spits his drink out.
• Spiteful Spit: Harry Hokum has captured Supergirl and demands to know why she is so far from home. Supergirl says she will reveal her super-secret mission if he comes close enough to hear her whispering... and then she spits right on his eye.
• Standing Between the Enemies: Supergirl has just knocked Empress Gandelo down and is seriously considering killing her to avenge her family when Krypto leaps between them. Seeing Krypto standing in harm's way, Kara gets horrified and stops herself from delivering the killing blow, reminding herself she is not a murderer.
• Stating the Simple Solution: When the Omega Men are storming into the Citadel, Harry Hokum plans to let them "find" and "rescue" several clones posing as their captive comrades. Then he will let them flee back to their base, and when they are feeling safe, he will activate his moles, and while the Omega Men are busy fighting them, he will send out an army of Supergirl clones to destroy the rebels and their base. One of his minions suggests that, since they are on board a starship loaded with nukes and the rebels are all gathered in one extremely vulnerable spot, they could just... nuke them? Nonetheless, Hokum retorts they will follow through with his perfect plan.
  Minion: Most revered leader Hokum, we have a rare opportunity at hand. With the rebel leadership and the Kryptonian in our sights, is it out of bounds for me to suggest an option? A nuclear option, perhaps?
  Harry Hokum: It is a tempting thought, isn't it? But this is a chess game. And I am four moves ahead.
• Subspace or Hyperspace: Supergirl's ship travels across the galaxy quickly by leaping through the Hyperspace (which looks like a glowing, multi-colored limbo).
• Superhero Packing Heat: Kara finds herself depowered as fighting the alien horde known as The Citadel, so she arms herself with a big energy gun.
• Surveillance as the Plot Demands: As Supergirl and the Omega Men fight an army of Kryptonian clones, Harry Hokum watches the battle while in his starship, which is standing by out of the planet.
• Survivor Guilt: Kara explicitly tells she cannot forget about Rogol Zaar's claims because she is still alive whereas her family and her friends are all dead.
  Supergirl: I had a life there. Years of memories. I had so many people I loved... Friends I laughed with. Silly crushes I daydreamed about the future with— And they are all dead. And I'm still here. You can never understand how I feel.
• Talk to the Fist: When Gandelo finally confronts Supergirl and starts taunt her as a "weak, sad and utterly predictable infant", Supergirl cuts her rants off by punching her crystalline face so hard it cracks, as asking if she predicted that.
• Tears of Joy: After reading her cousin's letter where Kal says she can take Krypto with her during her quest and wishes her luck, Kara cries in happiness. Seeing her tears, Krypto thinks she is upset, but Kara reassures that she is in fact happy.
  Supergirl: (smiling between tears) "I'm okay, buddy. It's a good cry."
• Tempting Fate: Gandelo reassures her underling Hakmon that they do not need to worry about Supergirl's inquiries since "There is no way she will uncover all of the truth." Of course, that is what Supergirl ends up doing.
• There Was a Door:
  • When Krypto comes to Supergirl's help, he bursts through the space bar's ceiling, alarming all patrons.
  • Kara smashes her way through a starship's hull to capture Harry Hokum.
• They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!: Subverted. In the beginning, Gandelo was called Lord Gandelo. At some point, though, it became Empress Gandelo.
• Thrown Out the Airlock: Empress Gandelo punishes Harry Hokum's failure by getting him thrown out of her spaceship.
• Tracking Device: As Supergirl's ship is being repaired on Mogo, Gandelo's minion C'Zal hides a tracking device aboard her ship which lets Gandelo track her through the galaxy.
• Tunnel King: Attempting to capture Kara, Kyle forms an energy bubble around her, but he forgets to close his construct's bottom. Kara capitalizes on his carelessness and tunnels her way out of the place.
• Underestimating Badassery: Upon being informed that Supergirl is investigating Krypton's destruction, Empress Gandelo calmly states she will be unable to find out anything evidence, or she will be easily dealt with anyway. Not only does Supergirl find out the truth, but also, she defeats Gandelo with little trouble when the Empress decides to "look after" her personally.
• Villain: Exit, Stage Left: When his clone army have been defeated by Supergirl, Harry Hokum orders his men to take him out of there. However, Supergirl bursts into his flagship before they can take off. Then Hokum tries to crawl away, but Supergirl grabs him, asking if he is "going somewhere".
• Villain Teleportation: Splyce battles Supergirl amidst the ruins of Krypton, but before being defeated, she uses her master Harry Hokum's teleporting device to send both her and Supergirl to Hokum's lair, the Citadel.
• Villains Want Mercy: After being defeated by Kara, Splyce begs for mercy. Supergirl is sorely tempted to use Rogol's axe to hack that child murderer into pieces, but she reminds herself she is not a killer.
• Virtue Is Weakness: Supergirl is wrestling with Splyce when suddenly the alien villain incinerates a little girl who was just running by. Seeing Supergirl's horrified expression, Splyce mocks her compassion. Kara angrily retorts compassion is not a weakness, and despite being weakened, rips Splyce's tentacles off.
  Splyce: "Your affection for the weak is baffling! And it is your downfall!
  Supergirl: "Caring about the vulnerable isn't a weakness!" (ripping Splyce's tentacles off) "It is my biggest strength!"
• Waking Up Elsewhere: Supergirl has just fought and beaten Splyce among the radioactive remains of Krypton when she is suddenly teleported away. Supergirl passes out, and when she comes around, she finds herself in the Citadel, captured by Harry Hokum.
• We Need a Distraction: Supergirl needs to escape from a squad of Green Lanterns surrounding her, so she looks up briefly before rocketing downwards, succeeding in catching off guard the Lanterns who expected her to fly off upwards.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: After Kara manages to escape from Mogo, Salaak is determined to hunt her down and arrest her, but neither he nor the Green Lantern Corps are seen again.
• What You Are in the Dark: Supergirl fights and defeats Empress Gandelo in uninhabited planet Tavaar. She could have taken revenge for her dead kin and friends by killing Gandelo right there and then, and nobody would probably have found out about it. Instead, she chooses to keep her imprisoned in a rock while she figures out who turn Gandelo over to.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Kara tries to talk her clones out of fighting her by stating they can overcome their programming and fight their rage and pain. Unfortunately, it does not work.
  Supergirl: All of you, wait! If there is any true part of me within you, let it hear me! Fight your rage. Fight your pain. This is not who you— who we— are. There is always a way out. There is hope. I want to help you! Will you let me?
• You Can't Go Home Again: During her quest, Kara makes a stop by the ruins of Krypton. As overwhelmed by old memories, she can see all that remains of her former home is a radioactive asteroid belt orbiting the Rao star.
• You Have Failed Me: Empress Gandelo gets Harry Hokum executed as a punishment for being defeated by Supergirl and the Omega Men.
• You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: To recap: Supergirl travels through the galaxy in search of several hidden data stones recording evidence of a genocide perpetrated by a secret galactic organization. Then, while she is resting by a lakeside in planet Tavaar, Krypto casually digs up one of the super-hidden Stones. Kara has a "Are you serious?" reaction, and concludes her universe is weird.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Harry Hokum manages to capture Supergirl and take tissue samples for cloning. Then he wonders what he should do with her now she is no longer useful to him, since executing such a pretty girl would be a waste...
  Harry Hokum: Now, what do I do with you? Technically, your usefulness is over. And to simply execute you now would be a tragic waste of such a pretty frame...
• You Killed My Father: The plot revolves around Supergirl seeking and punishing the ones who were behind of Rogol Zaar killing her family and friends.
• Your Magic's No Good Here: During her journey, Kara visits worlds and space bases orbiting non-yellow stars, forcing her to rely on a sunlight-collector suit.

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