In the wake of the Supergirl television show announcement, I thought I would look back at the other non-comic incarnations of the character. And as I like to get a feel for the Supergirl fandom, I thought I would open it up as a poll to the blog's audience.
It turns out that, for the most part, Supergirl has been treated very well in live action and animated features. There is something commendable in almost every interpretation. And as a result, this poll (my most popular on the blog) was a close race.
Do you like the grace, optimism, and innocence of Helen Slater in the Supergirl movie?
The complete hero's journey we see over the years of animated series in the Timm-Verse?
The fierce nature and proactive stance of Laura Vandervoort in Smallville?
The need to protect and mete out justice as portrayed by Molly Quinn in Unbound?
If anything, looking at these versions, it shows me just how complex Supergirl is as a character. That may be why DC struggles and only the finest creators can grasp her. Supergirl can be graceful and optimistic. And she can be fierce and protective. And she can be on the hero's journey. It might be tough to merge all those aspects ... but it isn't impossible. Look at Paul Kupperberg and Peter David and Sterling Gates stories and you'll see.
96 of you voted and I thank you all. As I always say, this isn't a statistically significant number of voters ... but it is a damn good focus group!
The poll was open for a week. The Timm-verse Supergirl jumped out to a quick lead with Helen Slater pushing her for a bit. But as the week closed, the animated features rocketed forward especially the Unbound movie.
The poll closed and the Timm-Verse Supergirl remained on top. But looking at the percentages, things were close and all the versions had their proponents.
I am not surprised by the Timm win. Given the luxury of time, we actually see the whole spectrum of Supergirl in this universe.
In the beginning on Superman:The Animated Series, Kara is an eager young hero hoping to reach past the borders of the Kent farm. This feels like the Silver Age Supergirl trying to get out of the orphanage and into heroing.
Then in the early Justice League Unlimited episodes, she is more established but fierce and proactive. She will jump into the fray earlier than Superman, often to try to bring about justice more quickly. The episode where she flies to meet the returning Amazo in the upper atmosphere shows exactly who she is. While everyone else waits for Amazo to come to Earth, she decides to be proactive and bring the fight to the android. Perfect.
And then, in the later episodes, we see the completion of this Kara's hero's journey. She is mature enough to be her own hero. She isn't stuck in Superman's shadow. She is her own person. And she chooses her own destiny, joining the Legion in the future.
If I ranked them ... the Anj list ... it would go like this.
1) Timm verse
2a) Supergirl the Movie - Helen Slater
2b) Smallville - Laura Vandervoort
3) Unbound - Molly Quinn
4) Apocalypse
Thanks again for everyone who voted.
And soooooo sorry that I left off Lauren Faust's Super Best Friends Forever!
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