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When non-comic-reading audiences go to see Supergirl this weekend, it's likely they'll have their expectations challenged. As opposed to her more bright-eyed, hopeful cousin, Kara Zor-El witnessed the death of her entire planet, and thus sees the universe as a darker place. For DC Comics fans, this tragic characterization of Superman's cousin came to the fore when Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow hit shelves in 2022, reintroducing the hero through the lens of her trauma. 

But according to that comic's author, the tragedy of Supergirl was there from the very beginning. 

That author is, of course, Tom King, who created the comic upon which the Supergirl movie is partially based along with artist Bilquis Evely and colorist Matheus Lopes. Speaking to Gizmodo in 2025, the creative team recounted how the comic reframed Kara Zor-El's story as one driven by grief, but as King pointed out, that grief didn't just come from how they planned out the miniseries.

"One of the interesting things about Kara," said the Mr. Miracle author, "Was that one of her original creators, Otto Binder, created her as a dedication to his daughter. He created two characters as a dedication to her—Kara and Ms. Marvel from the Captain Marvel family. But soon after he created Supergirl, his daughter tragically died."

King explained that Silver Age staple Binder "spent the rest of his life haunted," and that the loss of his daughter, "ruined him, destroyed him as a man and a creator."

"I always felt," king continued, "I don’t know, some transference, like that character has a little bit of that ghost in it. That little bit of haunting, a little bit of her that’s not like Superman."

I know, I know, that's not exactly the kind of 'feel-good' story that you'd expect from someone with a big red S on their chest - certainly not from the titular character of a Hollywood superhero movie. But the way King tells it, its's the real-world grief imbued into the character of Kara that makes her such a hero in her fictional world.

"[H]er actual origins come from tragedy and how that changes a person," King concluded, "How it makes them a little tougher, a little more cynical, a little more open-eyed towards the world [...] But also a little stronger. A little more powerful and compassionate, because they’ve actually seen the other side of it. They’ve seen the pain that they’re saving people from."

Enjoy our guides to how to watch the recent DCEU, the Arrowverse, and James Gunn's upcoming DCU. Oh, and don't forget our guide to what's coming up for DC projects on the big and small screens.