For all his power, Superman is not perfect. Indeed, his latest cinematic adventure had him declare “I screw up all the time, but that is being human and that’s my greatest strength.” However, a recent retcon in the Supergirl monthly comic revealed that one of the Man of Steel’s biggest missteps has been made canon again.
Written and drawn by Sophie Campbell, Supergirl #7 is a Thanksgiving special. The comic finds Superman and Lois traveling to Midvale, to share a meal with Supergirl, her adoptive parents, and her friends. These include Lesla-Lar; a Kandorian delinquent and Supergirl fan placed in Kara Zor-El’s care as part of her parole.
Like many Kryptonians, the emotionally-stunted Lesla-Lar has issues with strong emotions. She finds herself confused by the conflicting emotions Thanksgiving seems to inspire in people. However, there is no conflict regarding her apparent anger at Superman, regarding what he views as the biggest mistake of his life regarding his cousin.
What was Superman’s biggest mistake regarding Supergirl?
Lesla-Lar confronts the Man of Steel regarding how he treated Supergirl when she first came to Earth. Specifically, how he placed her in an orphanage and hid her existence from the world. To her surprise, Kal-El not only doesn’t deny this, but expressed his deep regret for his actions.
After years of thinking he was the last Kryptonian, Superman was astonished to learn his cousin had also survived. This led him to try and hide Kara away from the world, for fear his enemies might use her to get to him. This represents a slight change from Supergirl’s origins, while restoring a major aspect of her classic backstory.
Supergirl was first introduced in 1959. At that time, it was unthinkable that a bachelor like Clark Kent could raise a teenage girl on his own. The fact that she is his cousin would be immaterial. Even today it would attract attention Superman would hope to avoid. However, the slight change in motivation – that he was more focused on protecting his cousin than himself – seems more in character for the Man of Steel.
Supergirl #7 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
