Comic Book / The Supergirl from Krypton (2004)

Batman: "What were you two talking about?"
Superman: "This is Kara Zor-El... My cousin from Krypton."
Superman: (thinking) I am... not alone...
Batman: (thinking) Who— or what are we dealing with here?

The Supergirl from Krypton (2004) was a DC Comics story arc in Superman/Batman authored by Jeph Loeb and Michael Turner, featuring Superman and Batman, which revolved around the return of Supergirl to The DCU after an eighteen-year absence. It is named after the 1959 storyline which introduced the original version of the character.

After the events of Public Enemies, wherein a giant Kryptonite meteorite was destroyed before it crashed into Earth, countless radioactive fragments have been scattered across the world. Batman is cleaning up the Gotham Bay's bed, where the meteorite's biggest chunk fell, when he finds an empty rocketship...which has just been abandoned. Meanwhile, its passenger -a young blonde girl- makes it to the docks and starts wandering aimlessly, accidentally causing chaos and mayhem due to wielding huge powers she does not control or understand. Batman manages to bring the girl to the Batcave and get Superman to talk to her. Superman reveals that girl is his cousin, Kara Zor-El.

Although Superman is ecstatic to meet a long-lost relative, Batman does not trust that strange girl who came from the sky and claims being Clark's family. So, Batman spies on both cousins as Clark shows Kara around Metropolis, when Wonder Woman suddenly shows up and announces she is taking Kara to Themyscira for her own safety, and she will not take no for answer.

Later, Superman and Batman fly to Paradise Island, where Kara is learning how to use her powers, and Wonder Woman explains an oracle foretold Kara's arrival will bring about great destruction. Thus, fearing someone powerful, dangerous and evil will take note of the appearance of a young, pliable Kryptonian, she took Kara to her island to protect her. Shortly after, an army of clones of Doomsday attacks Themyscira to keep the heroes and the Amazon army busy while Darkseid abducts Kara.

Superman angrily declares he will go to Apokolips and get his cousin back, even if Darkseid himself tries to stop him.

This storyline was popular enough to get an animated film adaptation: Superman/Batman: Apocalypse and become a plot point in the later seasons of Young Justice (2010).

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Tropes:

• Age Lift: Kara Zor-El was originally Superman's younger cousin, having been born on a section of Krypton that survived the extinction, making her an actual teenager. Her reimagined incarnation is fifteen years older than Superman.
• Amnesiac Dissonance: Subverted. Given how easily Darkseid broke her, Kara spends a long while wondering whether she was a bad person before losing her memories, despite Superman scoffing at the notion. Eventually, Kara gets her memories back and finds out she is naturally good and kind-hearted.
• Amnesiac Hero: When she arrives in Earth, Kara only remembers her name, her cousin's family, and the fact that her parents sent to her to Earth to meet Kal. After being rescued from Darkseid, she manages to remember her mother Alura's name. Later, it is revealed that her scrambled memory was caused by Kryptonite poisoning.
• Amnesiacs are Innocent: Subverted. Kara is a sweet, naive teenager; but being brainwashed by Darkseid makes her wonder whether she was a bad person before losing her memories. Eventually, she gets her memories back, and it turns out that she is a sweet, naive teenager.
• And I Must Scream: Kara lands on Earth after spending thirty-five years boxed in a tiny pod which was likewise stuck in a cluster of Kryptonite asteroids.
• And This Is for...: After beating Darkseid down, Superman declares that his defeat has been on Kara's behalf.
• Apologetic Attacker: When Superman realizes that he has no option but to fight his brainwashed cousin, he apologizes before hitting her.
  Superman: "This breaks my heart, Kara Zor-El."
• Back-to-Back Badasses: Wonder Woman and Big Barda fight side by side against Darkseid's Female Furies.
  Big Barda: "They'll go for positions, Diana. Try and separate us."
  Wonder Woman: "Let them try..."
• Badass Boast: When Darkseid kidnaps Kara, Superman declares "[He's] going to Apokolips... AND TAKING KARA BACK!"
• Batman Gambit: After rescuing Supergirl from being a Female Fury, Supes inducts her as an official hero and sort of parades her around Earth. Angered about losing his prize, Darkseid comes to Earth and seemingly vaporizes her with his Omega Beams. Superman goes apeshit over losing her, beats Darkseid to a pulp and seals him inside the Source Wall. Superman then meets with Supergirl, who used a device to teleport away at the last second, and reports that the plan was successful. They were able to goad Darkseid into coming to fight them personally, and the mere sight of Supergirl's seeming death was able to trigger Superman's Unstoppable Rage so he could curb stomp Darkseid's ass. Batman muses that the plan had not input from him, it was all Clark, and it was brilliant.
  • Darkseid's attack on Themysecira. He sends in an army of Doomsday clones, knowing the Amazons and Superman will have no choice but to fight them before they overrun the island and kill everyone. The army's imperfect, but that's fine because they don't have to win. The Doomsdays just have to keep the Amazons and Superman busy long enough for a strike team (boomed in under cover of the first Boom Tube) to grab Kara (whose security detail was pulled away to stop the Doomsdays attack).
• Being Watched: Clark and Kara are taking a peaceful walk together through Metropolis Centennial Park when they notice they are being watched by several hostile strangers hiding behind the trees.
• Big Bad: Darkseid kidnaps Superman's cousin with the intent to brainwash Supergirl into becoming his loyal -and mind-controlled- soldier.
• Big "SHUT UP!": Darkseid -apparently- burns Kara to ashes, mocks her for stupidly jumping in the way of the Omega Beam that was intended for Superman, and blames Superman for her death. Superman enragedly tells him to "SHUT THE HELL UP!" and then proceeds to beat him down.
• Beast of Battle: On Apokolips, Batman runs into Darkseid's Demon Dog cavalry. Their mounts are armored, dog-monsters which can easily swallow an adult man with one bite.
• Beneath Notice: Kara cannot understand why her cousin is able to fool everybody by wearing glasses until she sees a Superman statue; whereupon she realizes that humans regard him as their larger-than-life champion, and they would never assume he would choose to live as a clumsy, mild-mannered journalist.
  Supergirl: This is how they see you. [...] You're their champion. Bigger than life. No wonder the eyeglasses work— nobody would look for you dressed like them!
• Blade Below the Shoulder: Darkseid's dog-riders are armed with two long blades attached to the back of their gauntlets.
• Body Horror: Superman flies to the edge of the cosmos and finds the Source Wall, an infinitely vast wall of living, breathing, screaming flesh and faces that act as the "wall" fencing the universe. Its form is apparently made of everyone who's ever tried and failed to pass through it and discover the secrets hidden on its other side.
• Both Sides Have a Point: As per the norm for Superman/Batman, but especially here given Bruce and Clark's contrasting concerns and views on Kara and letting her into their lives (let alone the larger DC Universe).
• Boxing Lessons for Superman: Wonder Woman drags Kara to Themyscira to give her hand-to-hand and armed combat training.
• Brainwashed and Crazy: Darkseid brainwashes Supergirl into becoming his Fury and fighting Superman.
• Breaking the Bonds: After being put to sleep, Kara comes around and finds out she has been shackled to a bed. She instantly flexes her arms and easily rips her shackles apart.
• Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu: Bruce vs. Darkseid in the penultimate issue.
• Broken Tears: Superman falls to his knees and cries in despair when he sees his cousin turned into a pile of charred ashes. Subverted in that it was a fake-out to sell the idea of Kara's 'death'.
• Call-Back: As was the case during Loeb's Batman: Hush, Bruce again privately gripes that he hates Metropolis and how its lights and architecture makes it difficult for him to operate as Batman.
• Came from the Sky: A huge meteorite crashes into Gotham Bay. As investigating the crash landing, Batman finds an empty spaceship, and an alien teenager swimming towards the docks.
• Cassandra Truth: Invoked in-story, as Clark and Bruce now realize that Lex Luthor wasn't irrational or lying in the preceding arc when he said the Kryptonite Meteor was coming to Earth because of Superman. It was coming to Earth because of Kara's craft and the guidance systems.
• Clark Kenting: Invoked when Kara's trying to make sense of Clark's civilian identity and how nobody realizes her cousin's actually Superman. When she gets her first look at Superman's memorial statue in Centennial Park, she ''finally' comprehends how humanity sees the Man of Steel and why it would never occur to them to see their champion as one of them.
• Clone Army: Darkseid raises an army of Doomsday clones to keep the Amazons busy while he kidnaps Kara.
• Combat Pragmatist:
  • Batman knows he cannot win against Darkseid, so he rigs two hundred hellspores to blow up before blackmailing him into releasing Kara.
  • Superman comes up with a complex plan to guarantee that Darkseid leaves his cousin alone which includes Supergirl faking her death in order to make him go berserk.
• Conservation of Ninjutsu: Justified when Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman face an army of Doomsday clones. Said clones have not inherited his invulnerability, nor his regeneration, reducing them to extremely fragile shells. The army is taken out with heat vision and exploding batarangs.
• Cool Gate: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Big Barda use a mother box to spawn a dimensional tunnel which will lead them to Apokolips.
• Corrupt the Cutie: Darkseid kidnaps Kara -who by this point is a naive, kind-hearted fifteen-year-old girl- and starts breaking her mind until she is his loyal slave.
• Crazy-Prepared: Superman keeps a Kryptonite ring inside a lead-lined pocket in his belt buckle just in case that he must fight a Kryptonian.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Darkseid apparently kills Supergirl, and Superman, after shedding some tears for his cousin, dons his red eyes of doom and gives Darkseid the beatdown of a lifetime. It helps that Superman uses a motherbox to teleport him and Darkseid to the Sun. It turns out that fighting a berserk Superman in the Sun isn't a good idea.
• Darker and Edgier: In the 1959 namesake storyline, Kara lands on Earth and is found by her cousin who sees that she is being taken care of (even if his methods are questionable). In contrast, the 2004 origin involves kryptonite meteors, fanservice, a paranoiac Batman and Darkseid kidnapping and brainwashing Kara. On the plus side, Superman immediately wants to adopt his cousin and introduce her to Lois.
• Death by Origin Story: Subverted. Kara believes her parents died after shoving her into a rocket and blasting her into space right before Krypton's explosion, but later story Superman: Brainiac reveals they survived.
• Death World: Apokolips is described as a death-smelling, flaming inferno of horror.
  Wonder Woman: Smells like death.
  Barda: There's no place like home.
  Batman: The concept of Apokolips is, at best, difficult to explain. A blazing inferno of misery, the planet exists in another universe. The gates of Hell can only be opened via Boom Tube.
• Disaster Dominoes: Kara's rocketship crashes into Gotham Bay, forcing her to swim to the surface, where she finds the Batboat. Kara tries to bring it ashore, but not knowing how to drive a boat, she ends up crashing it on the boardwalk. Kara stumbles into the docks dazedly and is accosted by a trio of dock workers. Kara beats them up easily, but she panics and runs off, accidentally causing a traffic incident and destroying public property when her powers begin manifesting. Kara becomes increasingly terrified by the bright lights, loud noises, strange people shouting in a strange language, so she runs off again and involuntarily takes off upwards. Unable to control her flight, Kara accidentally smashes herself into a blimp, which catches fire and begins falling, threatening to crash down on Gotham City.
• Died in Your Arms Tonight: Superman holds Harbinger's body when she gets killed as attempting to stop Darkseid from kidnapping Kara.
• Does Not Know His Own Strength: As she is wandering naked around the docks, Kara is harassed by a man. Kara grabs his hand, intending to shove it away, and she accidentally crushes his fingers.
• Dramatic Irony:
  • During their clash over rescuing Kara from Apokolips, Clark angrily states that Bruce wouldn't be hesitating if it was Jason Todd's life at stake and that Bruce (and Diana) don't understand what he's going through. The irony, of course, is that Bruce had just gone through this kind of emotional wringer the previous year during Loeb's Batman: Hush when it appeared Jason had come back to life.
  • While recounting her memories of Krypton's destruction, Kara bitterly says that Batman has no idea what it's like to lose his family or entire world in an instant. Played with in that Bruce wonders if she genuinely means this and is ignorant of his history, or if she deliberately said this to evoke sympathy.
• Dropped a Bridge on Him: Harbinger is abruptly killed offscreen by Apokolips forces when she tries to prevent them from kidnapping Supergirl, a role that could have easily been filled by any generic Amazon.
  • Justified in hindsight, given that Harbinger's death ended up being very important to George Perez's Return of Donna Troy mini-series and the road to Infinite Crisis.
• Dual Wielding: Gilotina uses two twin blades to fight Wonder Woman and Big Barda.
• Due to the Dead: The Amazons build a mausoleum, complete with a giant statue and four burning lamps, to honor Harbinger's sacrifice.
• Earth-Shattering Kaboom: A flashback scene shows Krypton shaking and rumbling before exploding.
• Enemy Mine: As far as Big Barda is concerned, "Any enemy of Darkseid is a friend of mine."
• Escape Pod: Batman finds Kara's rocketship, which took her from her dying planet to Earth, lying on the bottom of Gotham Bay: it is a small, sleek and fish-like yellow pod◊.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Darkseid lets Batman and Supergirl leave Apokolips because Batman forced that promise out of him, and Darkseid keeps (the letter of) his promises.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: As fighting Darkseid, Superman shouts Kara was an innocent fifteen-year-old who will never enjoy the small pleasures of life because of him. When Darkseid replies he does not care about meaningless nonsense, Superman sneers that of course the concept of simply leading a happy life means nothing to someone whose only life goals are to conquer everything and ruin everybody's lives.
  Superman: You know nothing about a glorious life, Darkseid. There are so many things Supergirl— she'll never experience because of you... Of course, none of what I've said has any meaning to you. You only know death. A blackness that has brought you nothing.
• Evil Costume Switch: When she is captured by Darkseid and turned into one of his Furies, Kara wears skintight red-and-black pants and a black bra.
• Evil-Detecting Dog: Played with. Batman argues Krypto disliking Kara should be a sign that she is not trustworthy, but Superman points out that it is Krypto's job to protect the Fortress of Solitude...and his dog hates everybody.
• Evil Mentor: Darkseid kidnaps Supergirl with the aim of breaking her mind and reforging her into one of his Furies.
• Evil Plan: Darkseid wants a real powerful Female Fury to slay his enemies, so he kidnaps and brainwashes Supergirl.
• Evil Smells Bad: When Clark, Bruce, Diana and Barda set foot on Apokolips, they cannot help but comment on the extremely foul, rotten stench pervading the atmosphere.
• Exact Words: When Darkseid ambushes the group in the Kent Farm, he reminds them he promised he would not come for Kara, but he never said nothing about Superman.
  Darkseid: "I gave my word I would not come for the girl. Your death, however, is something that is long overdue, Superman."
  • When Clark breaches Darkseid's Throne Room earlier, Darkseid states that Kara is safe and she is free to leave Apokolips if it's what she desires. It's not, though it's subverted in that Kara had been brainwashed by that point and wasn't acting of her own free will.
• Faking Amnesia: Subverted. Batman suspects Kara may be faking amnesia to hide her real identity and goal, but her memory loss is very real.
• Faking the Dead: Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman trick Darkseid into believing he has killed Kara, so he does not attempt to kidnap her again.
• Falling into the Cockpit: Following her escape from her crashed rocketship, Kara stumbles upon Batman's motorboat and can drive it safely to land despite having never found such a vehicle.
• Fate Worse than Death: At the end of the story, Superman takes Darkseid to the Source Wall at the edge of the universe, behind which is The Source. Various carvings on the Wall are described as being the imprisoned forms of gods, would-be conquerors, and others who wished to control the Source. Darkseid's face becomes the newest addition to the collection, but later Darkseid's goons blackmail Superman into breaking him free.
• Fetal Position Rebirth: Kara slept curled-up inside her ship until she crash-landed, awoke and crawled out of her pod.
• Fighting Your Friend: Superman faces off against his brainwashed cousin. He does not want to fight Kara, but when she almost kills him, he forces himself to use Kryptonite to knock her out.
• Fight Off the Kryptonite: Darkseid forces Superman to fight her cousin. In order to gain the upper hand, Superman is forced to use a kryptonite ring, although it also hurts him.
• Fingore: When Kara stumbles into an alley, she is spotted by three workers. One of them mistakes her for a prostitute and reaches for her. Kara grabs his hand and accidentally crushes two fingers.
• Fish out of Water: Kara is a sixteen-year-old who, after spending her formative years growing up in Kryptonian society, has been dumped in a backwards alien society. As Clark shows her around Metropolis, and she tries to figure hot dogs out, Clark comments on the difficulties of adapting to a new culture.
• Fling a Light into the Future: Before sending Kara to Earth to save her life, Zor-El engraved on her rocket the next lines:
  Zor-El: "This vessel carries my daughter Kara Zor-El from the now dead planet Krypton. Treat her as you would your own child for you will see the treasure she will be for your world."
• Friendship Moment: At the end, Batman is not yet convinced that Kara is trustworthy, but he will set -momentarily- aside his doubts for Superman's sake.
• Funny Background Event: While Big Barda is arguing with Superman and Wonder Woman, Batman can be seen wandering around the room observing furniture and decorations, until a panel or so later he discovers a secret switch that reveals a false wall hiding Mr. Miracle's costume. Barda is not amused.
• Give Me a Sword: Batman borrows one battle-axe from an Amazon warrior when a legion of Doomsday clones storms the Amazons' realm.
• Glowing Eyes of Doom: Superman's eyes give off a terrifyingly burning red glow when Darkseid's Omega Beams appear to vaporize Kara.
• Good Is Old-Fashioned: Defied by Batman, who argues those who regard Superman as an outdated, emasculated boy-scout cannot recognize a real hero when they see it.
  Batman:" There are those who think of him as outdated, the "boy scout" whipped by his selflessness. They do not, cannot, see him for what he is... a hero."
• Grave-Marking Scene: At the end of the story, Kara pays a visit to Harbinger's grave to say goodbye and apologizing for being unable to save her.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Superman reacting harshly to Kara being apparently endangered makes several Amazons believe that his fuse is shorter than they previously imagined.
  Harbinger: I didn't realize Superman had such a hair-trigger temper, Kara.
  Kara: He's... just a little overprotective of me, Lyla.
  Unnamed Amazon: A little...?
• Heroes Love Dogs: Subverted. Kara becomes heartbroken when she tries to befriend Krypto, and the dog reacts by angrily barking at her and chasing her around the Fortress.
• Hero Insurance: Smallville is trashed when Superman and Darkseid fight. Once the battle is over, the entire Justice League pitches in to rebuild the town.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Harbinger dies while defending Kara from Darkseid's raiders. Batman notes that she fought at least four enemies at once and didn't die quietly.
• Hidden in Plain Sight: While watching a Superman statue, Kara guesses her cousin's disguise is so effective because humans would never suspect Superman walks among them looking like a completely average guy.
• Hold the Line: When an army of Doomsday clones is teleported in the shores of Themyscira, Wonder Woman and her Amazons fight them off for as long as possible while Harbinger protects Kara.
  Superman: Protect Kara. I'll handle this. Darkseid replicated the monster...
  Batman: Wait. The tube... It isn't closing.
  Wonder Woman: Then we draw a line in the sand and hold them there!
• Hurl It into the Sun: Subverted. Superman grabs Darkseid and flies into the Sun, but he doesn't intend to hurl Darkseid into it (since it would not work) but getting a power boost which lets him fight Darkseid.
• Hypnotize the Captive: After being captured by Darkseid, Supergirl is mind-controlled into becoming the tyrant's elite soldier.
• I Just Want to Be Normal: Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman turn to Mister Miracle and Big Barda when they need to go after Darkseid. Both New Gods are living in a neighborhood, trying to lead normal lives.
  Batman: Which brings us to the home of Mister Miracle and his wife, Big Barda. Former residents of Apokolips. They are trying to achieve something that resembles a normal life.
• "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: As trying to fend off the strikes of a brainwashed Kara, Superman tries to reach her out and remind her she is not Darkseid's puppet. His words do not manage to snap her out of mind-control, so he knocks her out.
  Superman: Kara. Darkseid has taken control of your mind. This isn't you.
• I'm Standing Right Here: Kara interrupts Superman and Wonder Woman's "What should be done with Kara?" argument to remind them that the person who they are arguing about is standing right there.
  Supergirl: Hey. Can I say something? Not that I mind you two talking about me like I'm not here... Well, actually, I do...
• I'm Taking Her Home with Me!: When Batman and Wonder Woman try to convince Superman that Kara staying in Themyscira is for the best, Clark replies he is taking her home with him and that's it.
• In the Back: Barda embeds her spear into Stompa's back when the latter is being distracted by Wonder Woman.
• In the End, You Are on Your Own: In the final battle, Superman must fight Darkseid on his own after all his friends and allies have fallen.
• It's Personal:
  • When Darkseid kidnaps Kara, Superman states he is going to Apokolips, bringing Kara back, and stomping over whoever gets in his way. And then he does so. Later, Darkseid attacks Kara, and Superman unleashes on Darkseid one of the most brutal beatdowns that he has ever delivered.
  • Superman tries to dissuade Barda from joining Kara's rescue party, arguing that it is a personal matter; however, Barda retorts it is also personal for her by the mere fact that Darkseid -the monster who made her and her husband's lives- Hell is behind Kara's kidnapping.
    Big Barda: From what you've told me, I'm willing to bet that it was the Female Furies who killed Harbinger... and made off with your cousin. That makes it personal for me too.
• The Joy of First Flight: Subverted. When Kara takes off for the first time, it is completely accidental. Since she does not know or understand what is happening, she is more confused and scared than joyous.
• Kill Him Already!: The Female Furies try to force Wonder Woman to surrender by holding Big Barda hostage. Barda defiantly tells Diana to let her die and kick their rears.
  Gilotina: Surrender. Now. Or Barda dies...
  Barda: Let them kill me, Diana. Never surrender!
• Kirby Dots: As they fight in the Sun, Superman and Darkseid are surrounded by swirling masses of black and orange dots.
• Knight Templar Big Brother: Bruce and several Amazons remark Superman is behaving as a violently overprotective big brother since Kara landed on Earth. This is reflected when Superman pummels and embeds Darkseid into the Source Wall for attacking Kara again.
• Knight Templar Parent: Superman took on this role with Supergirl when she first arrived on earth. He even jumped down the throat of one of the Amazons of Themyscira for besting her while they were sparring.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: Darkseid decides his scheme to kidnap and brainwash Kara Zor-El into becoming his slave is not worth the trouble after Wonder Woman has defeated his Furies, Superman has knocked Kara out and Batman has reprogrammed his Hellspore bombs to blow Apokolips up. Darkseid calmly snorts and tells the heroes to take Kara and get out of his planet.
• Kryptonite Factor: Both Batman and Superman use Kryptonite to knock Kara out on two separate occasions.
• Kryptonite Is Everywhere: When the giant Kryptonite meteorite carrying Kara's pod is shattered into pieces, countless chunks of multiple varieties of Kryptonite are scattered across the world.
• Kryptonite Ring: Since Kara is too frightened to be brought to the Batcave quietly, Batman pulls out a piece of Kryptonite and puts her to sleep. Later, when Darkseid has brainwashed Kara into attacking her cousin, Superman uses a kryptonite ring to knock her out.
• Lady Legionnaire Wear: Kara wears a golden-and-red Legionnaire skirt during her sword training in Themyscira.
• The Law of Diminishing Defensive Effort: A squad of parademons tries to stop Superman by smashing themselves into his body. Superman just ignores their relentless assault as continuing his march forward.
• Leave Me Alone!: When Batman begins stalking an upset Kara across the Fortress of Solitude, the young girl gets angry and demands to be left alone.
• Male Gaze: This arc was (in)famous for excessive fanservice as not only does Supergirl emerge from her rocket in her birthday suit with only a coat and later Superman's cape to cover her naughty bits and later trains with Amazons in full detail.
• Mind-Control Eyes: Kara gets a red glow in her blank eyes when she is under Darkseid's control.
• Mistaken for Prostitute: A naked Kara wanders confused into an alley, having just woken up from her rocket, and is spotted by three workers. One of them mistakes her for a prostitute and decides to hit on her only to have his hand crushed and be slammed through a wall.
• Modesty Towel: When Clark, Bruce and Diana go to visit Big Barda and Mister Miracle, Barda answers the door wearing a towel.
• Mook Horror Show: When the Earth's heroes invade Apokolips, a legion of parademons turn themselves into suicide bombers in a futile effort to stop Superman. Their comrades can do nothing but watch how dozens of parademons detonate upon impact against Superman's body while the Kryptonian hero relentlessly strides forward, unharmed and unhindered.
• More than Mind Control: Subverted. Kara wonders whether Darkseid truly brainwashed her or merely awoke her inner evil, but Superman completely dismisses her fears: Darkseid has eons of experience in manipulating, torturing and breaking minds, and he knows his cousin is a good person.
  Supergirl: Honestly...? I'm... torn. I remember what Darkseid turned me into—
  Superman: ...We've been over this, Kara. Darkseid lives for manipulation. He has magics at his disposal. Hypnotists. Scientists whose only function is to break your spirit. Ask Barda if you want to hear the horror stories she and Scott suffered through. Darkseid IS evil.
  Supergirl: But... Did he influence me... or bring out a darkness that is already there?
  Superman: I already know that answer.
• Mugging the Monster: A naked Kara wanders confused into an alley, having just woken up from her rocket, and is spotted by three workers. One of them mistakes her for a prostitute and decides to play Lothario only to have his hand crushed and be slammed through a wall. The second tries to help his friend. The third wisely proclaims he's not with the other two and offers her his coat.
• Mythology Gag: The story arc's title is an homage to Action Comics #252, which was Kara's first appearance and shared the same title.
• Naked on Arrival: Kara was found naked in stasis in her spaceship; justified as her nakedness let her absorb yellow sun energy more efficiently.
• Neck Lift: Superman furiously grabs Artemis and lifts her off her feet when she is about to stab Kara during a sparring match.
• Never My Fault: Darkseid apparently kills Kara and puts the blame on Superman, since he had the gall to rescue his cousin from the cosmic tyrant.
  • Before the Trinity heads to Apokolips, Clark makes it clear he holds Diana partly responsible for Kara's abduction. He feels that if Kara had remained with him, she'd have been safe — even though his behavior was what prompted Bruce and Diana to bring in the Amazons in the first place. Diana is especially livid that Clark is trying to scapegoat her given the losses the Amazons sustained during Darkseid's attack.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Superman beats the crap out of Darkseid when the Lord of Apokolips attempts to murder his cousin. Earlier Darkseid gives Batman a beatdown when Bruce reveals that he has rigged Darkseid's bombs to blow Apokolips up.
• No One Could Survive That!: Darkseid believes Kara has died when his blasts struck her body, and she is replaced by a pile of ashes.
• No-Sell: Wonder Woman's bracelets deflect Darkseid's usually unstoppable Omega Beams.
• Not Enough to Bury: Subverted when Kara throws herself between Darkseid's blasts and Superman, being apparently reduced to smoking ashes. Though, it turns out that Kara was teleported away and swapped with a pile of ashes to trick Darkseid into believing she had been killed.
  Darkseid: "Instead, my Omega Beams reduced your cousin to ash. There will be even less of you to bury."
• Obfuscating Stupidity: After comparing his cousin's civilian disguise with a Superman statue, Kara guesses that his disguise works because nobody would believe Superman is a meek, clumsy and unassuming guy.
• Older Than They Look: Kara looks physically sixteen, but in reality, she is at least fifteen years older than her middle-aged cousin.
• Origins Episode: Origin story arc for Post-Crisis Supergirl, changing details such as her age and the circumstances of her meeting Superman.
• Our Hero Is Dead: The second-to-last issue ends with Darkseid blasting Supergirl to ashes. The next issue reveals Kara was swiftly teleported away and replaced with a pile of ashes as part of a plan to fool Darkseid into believing her dead.
• Out-of-Character Alert: During a battle against an army of Doomsday clones, Batman notices that something's wrong. Before Lex Luthor handed the beast over to Darkseid, Doomsday had finally displayed some degree of sentience— yet the clones are almost mindless and bestial. Batman realizes that the clones are imperfect and easily destroyed, hence they're a mere distraction to keep the heroes busy with while Darkseid's agents nab Kara.
• Pedestrian Crushes Car: Some guy's car crashes onto Kara as she roams the streets of Gotham aimlessly just after her crash-landing.
• Pietà Plagiarism: Superman holds Harbinger's body in his arms after she gets killed while protecting Supergirl. Later, Kal carries Kara in his arms after being to forced to knock her out.
• Pre-Asskicking One-Liner:
  • Before obliterating one army of Doomsday clones, Superman delivers one warning:
    Superman: "Diana. Pull your army back. This ends NOW."
  • Big Barda delivers one before engaging her ex-soldiers, the Female Furies.
    Big Barda: "I'd tell you go to Hell, Gillotina — but, given the situation, that'd be redundant."
• Precision F-Strike: Superman utters a rare curse upon hearing Darkseid gloating about his cousin's death.
  Superman: "Darkseid... SHUT THE HELL UP!"
• Punch Catch: As fighting in the proximity of the Sun, Darkseid flings his massive fist at Superman, but it is easily grabbed by Clark thanks to the huge amounts of sunlight overflowing his body.
• Punched Across the Room: Kara pushes away a dockworker harassing her, accidentally making him crash into the opposite wall.
• Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: When Artemis is about to slash Kara while sparring, Superman pushes the Amazon away, growling: "Don't. Touch. Her."
• Rage Breaking Point: Superman tries to remain calm and controlled when Kara is kidnapped by Darkseid. He even manages to keep himself focused and rational when he finds out Darkseid has brainwashed his cousin into slavery. When Darkseid shoots his Omega Effect at Kara, though, Superman finally snaps and delivers a savage beatdown.
• Ramming Always Works: Superman manages to hurt Darkseid by hurling himself at the tyrant at full speed.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Superman gives a short but utterly scathing speech to Darkseid, pointing out that his commitment to power and suffering has in fact made him weaker.
  Superman: Of course, none of what I've said has any meaning to you. You only know death. A blackness that has brought you nothing.
  Darkseid: It has made me a god.
  Superman: No. It has made you vulnerable.
• Relative Button: Darkseid kidnaps Superman's cousin to brainwash her into becoming his minion. At the end of the history, he has been beaten up and nailed to the Source Wall (the physical edge of the universe) by an enraged Superman.
• Ret-Canon: The idea that while physically and mentally younger, Kara is technically older than Clark came from the DC Animated Universe's adaptation of the character.
• Sadistic Choice: When they fight, Gillotina holds Big Barda hostage and will slice her throat unless Wonder Woman submits to Darkseid. Diana retorts by taking Granny Goodness hostage. Fearing for her life, Granny orders her Female Fury to release Barda.
• Sealed Evil in a Can: Superman finishes Darkseid off by nailing him into the Source Wall, at the very edge of the universe. Unfortunately, his imprisonment did not last long.
• Security Cling: Kara glomps onto her cousin and sobs into his chest once Darkseid's mind-control has been broken.
• Sexy Scandinavian: Discussed when Kara first lands on Earth and meets some dock workers who believe her to be Swedish because of her blonde hair, blue eyes and her strange language, though she is speaking Kryptonian.
• Sexy Villains, Chaste Heroes: After being brainwashed by Darkseid, Kara replaces her modest outfit with black, tight leather clothes which show her figure off.
• Shout-Out: During the glimpses of Superman's Fortress, Michael Turner snuck a Lightsaber into the Weapons Museum.
• Shrine to the Fallen: The Amazons build a spectacular memorial for Harbinger by their island's seaside: her tomb is sitting on top of a platform, guarded by a giant, luminous statue and flanked by two burning columns.
• Shut Up, Hannibal!: When Darkseid hits Kara with his Omega Effect, and then blames Superman for her death, Kal-El has a very loud answer.
  Superman: (punching him out of the barn) Darkseid... SHUT THE HELL UP!
• Shoryuken: Superman uses a flying uppercut to punch a Doomsday clone's face in half.
• The Slow Walk: When Superman heads towards Darkseid's throne room, he strides slowly and firmly, ignoring the dozens of parademons smashing themselves against him and blowing up in a futile attempt to stop him.
• Spectacular Spinning: When he is surrounded by Harbinger's clones, Superman gets rid of them by rapidly whirling around and hitting all of them simultaneously.
• Staring Down Cthulhu: As Superman is fighting a brainwashed Supergirl off, Batman threatens to blow up Apokolips if Darkseid doesn't give up Kara. Even though Darkseid pummels him, Batman theatrens him until Darkseid concedes.
• Stripperific: This series is known for two things: reintroducing Supergirl, and putting her in skimpy outfits whenever possible. She spends the first issue either totally nude or in a lose-fitting trench coat, her civilian clothes consist of a bare midriff with a visible thong, and her official superhero costume has a micro-skirt that can't possibly be hiding anything when she's flying over someone.
• Stealth Hi/Bye: When Superman and Wonder Woman drop by Scott Free and Big Barda's home, Barda invites them into her house, turns around and finds Batman is already inside.
  Big Barda: Batman...? But... How... Where? WHEN did you get here? Why do I even ask...?
• Storming the Castle: After Darkseid kidnaps Kara, Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman and Big Barda storm Apokolips to rescue her.
• Strapped to an Operating Table: Since the newcomer alien girl is confused, frightened and does not know her own strength, Batman puts her to sleep, brings her to the Batcave and straps her to an operating table to run tests on her.
• Suddenly Shouting: Darkseid quickly switches over from whispering quietly ("You dare...!") to roaring very loudly ("YOU DARE?!") when Batman reveals he has reprogrammed and set off his Hellspores firebombs.
• Super Hero Origin: The origin story for Post-Crisis Supergirl.
• Superman Stays Out of Gotham: As travelling to Apokolips, Batman thinks he is out of his comfort zone when he leaves his city and its familiar dangers to go to alien worlds and face evil cosmic horrors.
  Batman: I don't belong here. My place is in Gotham. Where my parents were murdered in the streets.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: The clean-up of the Kryptonite meteor from the preceding story arc. Given the size of the planet, and the amount of irradiated ore that crash-landed, the entire superhero community's been enlisted to cover the globe and recover the fragments.
• Sword Fight: During her stay on Themyscira, Kara has several sword-matches with Artemis.
• Sword Sparks: Kara and Artemis' swords send up sparks every time they clash during their sparring match.
• Taking the Bullet: Kara throws herself between Darkseid's Omega Beams and Superman.
• Talking to the Dead: After Darkseid's defeat, Kara pays a visit to Harbinger's grave to tell her how thankful she is for her friendship and kindness, and how she hopes to prove her sacrifice was not in vain.
• Tears of Joy: Kara sheds tears of happiness when she learns she has finally arrived on Earth and found her long-lost cousin.
• Technical Pacifist: Batman's philosophy against lethal force does not seem to extend to anything that is not human. In Themyscira you see him standing side-by-side with the Amazons wielding a battle axe, which he proceeds to bury in the bodies of numerous clones of Doomsday. His justification? They were never alive to begin with.
• Teens Love Shopping: Clark Kent takes her sixteen-year-old cousin to Metropolis so she can buy Earth clothes. Kara very quickly takes to shopping like a fish to water, and declares it a very fun pastime.
  Clark Kent: "You certainly have the shopping part of being an Earth girl down."
  Kara Zor-El: "Omigosh, that was so much fun."
• Teleportation: Both the heroes and Darkseid's forces use Boom Tubes to jump back and forth between Earth and Apokolips.
• Tempting Fate: Kara cheerfully states "[She thinks] we're going to be friends for a long time" some few hours before Harbinger heroically dies as trying to protect Kara from Darkseid's forces.
• There Is Another: The story begins with Superman dwelling on the kind of loneliness that comes with the fact of being the only surviving member of yours species in the whole of the universe. Then he meets Kara, and Superman happily ponders that he is not alone anymore, and never again.
• There Was a Door: In the Fortress of Solitude, Kara bursts through a reinforced metal door while she is being chased by Krypto.
• Trap Is the Only Option: Invoked. When Superman expresses his desire to go to Apokolips and bring Kara back, Batman suspects it may be a setup, but he goes along with his friend anyway.
  • Justified beyond just friendship. Darkseid having a Kryptonian at his disposal would be bad for Earth, New Genesis, and the rest of the DC Universe.
• Troubled Fetal Position: When Batman finally catches up with Kara, she is sitting on the floor, with her knees pulled to her chest and her arms wrapped around her knees, and she is sobbing.
• Unstoppable Rage: When Darkseid fires his Omega Effect at Supergirl, Superman's berserk rage does not become quenched until Darkseid has been beaten down and pinned to the Source Wall.
• Villain Teleportation: Darkseid teleports himself inside the Kent Farm to ambush Superman.
• Villainous Breakdown: Darkseid flies into a brief rage when he realizes that Batman has set off his own bombs to detonate Apokolips. After spending several minutes pounding Batman in blind rage, Darkseid regains his self-control, accepts that his current plan has failed, and allows the heroes to take Supergirl back home.
• Waking Up Elsewhere: After running around an alien city and crashing through a ceiling, Kara is knocked out by one man carrying one glowing rock. When she wakes up, she finds herself lying on a stretcher placed inside a cave.
• Wham Episode: Kara Zor-El is formally re-introduced to the DC Universe nearly 20 years after her death during Crisis on Infinite Earths. This understandably had a massive impact on the Superman status quo and the then-current DC Universe.
  • Downplayed with Darkseid's imprisonment in the Source Wall. While removing the Lord of Apokolips was a major development, it only had very minimal impact on the DC Universe and only lasted a year before he was freed. That being said, the imprisonment ended up being part of the catalyst for Alan Burnett and Dustin Nguyen's Torment arc a year after Loeb left the book.
• Wham Line: At the end of the first issue, Superman states the line which would change the history of his franchise and affect the whole DC Universe.
  Superman: This is Kara Zor-El... my cousin from Krypton.
  • Darkseid's on the receiving end of one from Batman during the penultimate issue. Darkseid initially thinks Batman's bluffing about arming Apokolips' Hellspores. To prove he's not bluffing, Bruce recites one of the launch codes:
  Batman U.R.7.X.L.L.0.0.9.
• What Measure Is a Non-Human?: During his prior battles with Doomsday, Superman agonized over the fact that he might have to stoop down to Doomsday's level and personally take the monster's life. However, when Themiscrya is invaded by an army of Doomsday clones, Superman ends the fight by firing a full force heat vision blast after it is noted that they are much weaker than the normal Doomsday.
• Who Dares?: Darkseid roars a very loud "YOU DARE?!" when Batman reveals he has reprogrammed and set off his Hellspores firebombs, hence Apokolips will explode unless Darkseid releases Kara.
  Batman: They say one Hellspore will create a fire pit. What will happen to Apokolips when five hundred of them go off...Simultaneously?
  Darkseid: You dare...! YOU DARE?!
• Worthy Opponent: When Darkseid trashes Batman, but the Caped Crusader refuses to back down, Darkseid lets him go and commends Batman on his strength of character.
  Darkseid: Well played. Had the Kryptonian or the Amazon taken this gamble, they would have lost. They do not have the strength of character it would take to destroy an entire planet to achieve success. But...you. A human. You kill your own kind to win battles. It is...an admirable quality.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: When Kara worriedly wonders whether Darkseid brainwashed her or brought out her true nature, Clark states he knows his cousin is not a bad person.
• You Can't Thwart Stage One: The combined forces of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Amazon army are unable to prevent Darkseid from kidnapping Kara and breaking her mind, forcing them to take the fight to Apokolips to rescue the Kryptonian girl.
• You Didn't Ask: When Kara mentions Batman's lead-lined cowl, Clark is surprised that her X-Ray Vision is already working:
  Clark: You noticed the lead, hmm? I didn't know your X-Ray vision had kicked in.
  Kara: You didn't ask.
• You Must Be Cold: Superman gives Supergirl his cape when she lands on Earth naked.

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