Kara Danvers
Kara Danvers | |
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Arrowverse character | |
First appearance | |
Last appearance | |
Based on | |
Adapted by | |
Portrayed by |
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In-universe information | |
Full name | Kara Zor-El |
Species | Kryptonian |
Gender | Female |
Title | Supergirl |
Affiliation |
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Significant other | Mon-El |
Relatives |
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Origin | Krypton |
Kara Danvers, also known as Kara Zor-El on her homeworld, is a fictional character in the
Kara's powers and abilities include
Creation and casting
For the role of Kara Zor-El / Supergirl, the producers wanted a Caucasian actress aged between 22 and 26 years.[3] In January 2015, it was announced by The Hollywood Reporter that Melissa Benoist would star as the character.[4] Benoist later revealed that auditioning for the part "was a long, drawn-out, three-month process";[5] she was the first actress looked at for the role,[6] although Claire Holt and Gemma Atkinson were also considered.[7][8] Actress Elizabeth Lail auditioned for the role.[9] Other performers include her stunt double Jennifer Clarke, who performed stunts for the Supergirl character throughout the entire show.[10] In flashbacks, Malina Weissman and Izabela Vidovic portray Kara as a teenager and child, respectively. The series reimagines Kara Zor-El as a young adult when becoming a superhero (more similar to Linda Danvers), deviating from her comic book counterpart, more usually depicted as a teenager. Benoist expressed her excitement over portraying the character, and being able to "[tell] a story about a human being really realizing their potential and their strength".[11] Benoist portrays present-day Kara for all six seasons of Supergirl.[12] In addition in the third season, she portrays Earth-X doppelganger Overgirl, and in the fourth season, a clone of Kara called Red Daughter.[13]
Characterization
For the second season, regarding the end of Kara and James Olsen's relationship,
In season five, the series introduces a new Supergirl suit which eschews the red skirt and sheer black pantyhose seen in the older suit in favor of a bodysuit with trousers. Benoist and the showrunners said giving Supergirl pants was something they discussed since the first season.
Storylines
Supergirl
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Crossovers
As of 2021, Benoist has appeared as Kara Danvers in five Arrowverse shows: Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman.
In the 2015-16 television season,
In the 2016-17 television season, Barry and his friend
In the 2017-18 television season, Kara and her sister
In the 2018-2019 television series, Dr.
In the 2019-2020 television series, the multiverse is slowly being erased by the
Alternate Earths
Overgirl (Earth-X)
During the Crisis on Earth-X crossover event, one of the main antagonists is the Earth-X Nazi doppelganger of Kara known as Overgirl. She served alongside Dark Arrow, who is revealed to be the Earth-X doppelganger of Oliver Queen. Eventually, during a battle with Kara, Overgirl's solar radiation goes nuclear and Kara carries her into space, where her body explodes, killing her.
Tie-in comics and novels
Kara Danvers appears in the show's digital tie-in comic book series, Adventures of Supergirl. in 2017 Kara appeared in a trilogy of novels written by Jo Whittemore aimed at middle-grade readers. The first, Supergirl: Age of Atlantis, was released on November 7, 2017. it features Supergirl dealing with a surge of newly powered people in National City, as well as a mysterious humanoid sea creature captured by the DEO who is seemingly attracted to the new superpowered people. A sequel, Supergirl: Curse of the Ancients was released on May 1, 2018, with the third novel title Supergirl: Master of Illusion, released on January 8, 2019.
Reception
Graeme Virtue of The Guardian praised Supergirl and Melissa Benoist's performance as Kara Danvers.[23] David Sims of The Atlantic reviewed the series positively, saying: "A lot of the credit has to go to the casting of Benoist as Kara—she's as perfect a fit as Grant Gustin was for The Flash."[24] Brian Lowry of Chicago Tribune complimented the casting of the series, stating, "Benoist nails the title role."[25] Evan Valentine of Collider called Benoist's adaptation of the character the "best Supergirl we've seen in live action" because "it managed to capture a sense of fun among the cast that was infectious."[26] Max Nicholson of IGN praised both Benoist's performance and the character, saying, "Melissa Benoist [... ] totally encapsulated the lead role and portrayed both the vulnerability of Kara Danvers and the determination of Kara Zor-El," calling the character "strong, capable, upbeat" despite noting some flaws.[27] In her review for Common Sense Media, Emily Ashby praised Melissa Benoist and praised Kara Danvers for her qualities and values, writing, "Kara has a lot of great qualities that have nothing to do with her superpowers; she's industrious, self-motivated, and empathetic. Even as a hero, she's not out for recognition. She does what she does because it's what she's meant to do. [...] There are strong themes of self-reliance, embracing destiny, and following your own heart's desire, all portrayed by a very likable, fresh-faced heroine."[28] Some critics have stated the series's Kara as not being distinct enough from Superman, simply being a ¨female Clark Kent¨.[29]
The relationship between the Danvers sisters has been among the things praised about the Supergirl character.[30][31] Kara and Alex were named as one of "The 10 Greatest Ride or Die TV Siblings" by TV Guide's Keisha Hatchett, who stated: "These two might not come from the same species, but their unconditional love for each other proves that you don't need to share the same blood in order to be sisters. Both have helped each other through a difficult journey to self-acceptance [...] in a fierce display of sisterhood that keeps us coming back each week."[32]
Legacy
The identity of Kara Danvers and other aspects from the television series (such as working with the DEO and at Cat Grant's CatCo Worldwide Media) were adapted into the DC continuity during the Rebirth event, in 2016. The miniseries Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow reintroduces Kara as a 21-one-year-old, more mature than on previous iterations in the comics and closer to Kara's portrayal on the series, in which she is a young adult rather than a teenager. By the end of Woman of Tomorrow, Kara dons a new costume with pants, more similar to Kara Danvers' second costume from the fifth season.[33][34]
Accolades
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Saturn Awards | Best Actress on Television | Melissa Benoist | Nominated | [35] |
Breakthrough Performance | Melissa Benoist | Won | |||
2017 | Saturn Awards | Best Actress on a Television Series | Melissa Benoist | Won | [36] |
Teen Choice Awards | Choice Action TV Actress | Melissa Benoist | Won | [37] | |
Choice Liplock | Melissa Benoist and Chris Wood | Nominated | |||
Choice TV Ship | Melissa Benoist and Chris Wood | Nominated | |||
2018 | Saturn Awards | Best Actress on a Television Series | Melissa Benoist | Nominated | [38] |
Teen Choice Awards | Choice Action TV Actress | Melissa Benoist | Won | [39] | |
2019 | Saturn Awards | Best Actress on Television | Melissa Benoist | Nominated | [40] |
Teen Choice Awards | Choice Action TV Actress | Melissa Benoist | Nominated | [41] | |
2021 | Critics' Choice Super Awards | Best Actress in a Superhero Series | Melissa Benoist | Nominated | [42] |
References
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (March 9, 2015). "CBS Casts Young 'Supergirl' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ Swift, Andy (September 5, 2017). "Supergirl Recasts Two Key Roles". TVLine. Archived from the original on September 5, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
- ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (October 30, 2014). "Meet CBS's Supergirl (and Her Sister), Get Scoop on Kara's Big Entrance". TVLine. Archived from the original on October 30, 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (January 22, 2015). "'Glee,' 'Whiplash' Breakout Set as CBS' 'Supergirl'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 5, 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ Abrams, Natalie (July 2, 2015). "Supergirl: Melissa Benoist on landing the role of a lifetime, and empowering women". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
- ^ Roy, Jessica (July 12, 2015). "Peter Facinelli Has Joined Supergirl – But Will He Be Good or Evil?". TV Guide. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
- ^ Kenneally, Tim (December 1, 2014). "'Vampire Diaries' Star Claire Holt in Contention for CBS's 'Supergirl' Series (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Archived from the original on December 2, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
- ^ Roffman, Marisa (December 8, 2014). "'The Originals' Boss on the Fallout From the Rebekah Twist". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 2, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
- ^ "'Countdown' Star Elizabeth Lail on 'You' Success and Auditioning for 'Supergirl'". The Hollywood Reporter. November 2, 2019.
- ^ Tessier, Colin (September 15, 2020). "Supergirl's Stunt Double Looks Exactly Like The Star". Looper.com. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ Scott Huver (February 25, 2015). "Melissa Benoist Embraces "Supergirl's" Iconic Qualities & Powerful Humanity". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ "The CW Network to Launch Its New Season in January 2021". The Futon Critic. May 14, 2020. Archived from the original on May 17, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- ^ Burlingame, Russ (November 30, 2018). "'Supergirl' Star Melissa Benoist Talks Red Daughter". Comicbook.com. Archived from the original on May 8, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
- ^ Thomas, Kaitlin (October 11, 2016). "Supergirl Boss Explains Why Kara and James Are Better as Friends". TV Guide. Archived from the original on February 13, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
- ^ Swift, Andy (June 19, 2018). "Supergirl's Chris Wood Not Returning for Season 4 – EPs Explain Mon-El's 'Bittersweet' Departure". TVLine. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- ^ Drum, Nicole (August 7, 2018). "'Supergirl': Melissa Benoist Teases the Start of Filming for Season 4". Comicbook.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
- ^ Drum, Nicole (August 7, 2018). "'Supergirl': Melissa Benoist Teases the Start of Filming for Season 4". Comicbook.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
- ^ Gelman, Vlada (July 21, 2018). "Supergirl @ Comic-Con: 'Grounded' Season 4 Brings Back Kara the Reporter". TVLine. Archived from the original on August 17, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
- ^ Agard, Chancellor (July 15, 2019). "Melissa Benoist talks ditching the skirt in new 'Supergirl' suit: 'It's more adult'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 16, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
- ^ Netzley, Sara (October 6, 2019). "'Supergirl' recap: New season, new secrets, new suit". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
- ^ Agard, Chancellor (July 15, 2019). "Supergirl star Melissa Benoist to make her directorial debut in season 5". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
- ^ Agard, Chancellor (March 29, 2021). "'Supergirl' star Melissa Benoist teases Kara's 'lovely' ending: 'I feel fantastic about it'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
- ^ "Supergirl review – she's got the Krypton factor". the Guardian. October 29, 2015. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
- ^ Sims, David (October 26, 2015). "In 'Supergirl,' a Maligned Heroine Leans In". The Atlantic. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
- ^ Lowry, Brian (October 19, 2015). "'Supergirl' review: Reason to believe this 'girl' can fly". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
- ^ Valentine, Evan (May 30, 2016). "All of This Year's Superhero TV Shows, Ranked". Collider. Archived from the original on January 30, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
- ^ Nicholson, Max (April 26, 2016). "Supergirl: Season 1 Review". IGN. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
- ^ "Supergirl TV Review | Common Sense Media". www.commonsensemedia.org. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- ^ "'Supergirl's' final season needs to defy expectations, because most seasons have been disappointing". Hypable. October 22, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ Agard, Chancellor (May 1, 2017). "Supergirl recap: 'Alex'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 29, 2017.
- ^ Drum, Nicole (September 7, 2017). "The Danvers Sisters Will Be the Focus of Arrowverse's Next Crossover". Comicbook.com. Archived from the original on May 22, 2018.
- ^ Hatchett, Keisha (August 16, 2018). "The 10 Greatest Ride or Die TV Siblings". TV Guide. Archived from the original on August 17, 2018. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
- ^ "A New Costume for Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (Spoilers)". February 15, 2022.
- ^ "Supergirl Debuts a Stylish New Costume". June 14, 2022.
- ^ McClendon, Lamarco (May 11, 2016). "'Better Call Saul', Melissa Benoist, Nichelle Nichols To Be Honored at Saturn Awards". Variety. Archived from the original on May 12, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
- ^ McNary, Dave (March 1, 2017). "Saturn Awards Nominations 2017: 'Rogue One,' 'Walking Dead' Lead". Variety. Archived from the original on March 3, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
- E! Online. Archivedfrom the original on June 19, 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
- ^ McNary, Dave (March 15, 2018). "'Black Panther,' 'Walking Dead' Rule Saturn Awards Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- ^ "Teen Choice Awards 2018: Here's the Full List of Nominations". Moviefone. Archived from the original on June 22, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
- ^ Mancuso, Vinnie (July 16, 2019). "'Avengers: Endgame', 'Game of Thrones' Lead the 2019 Saturn Awards Nominations". Collider. Archived from the original on July 16, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
- ^ "Teen Choice Awards 2019: Complete List of Winners and Nominees". Us Weekly. August 12, 2019. Archived from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- ^ Hammond, Pete (November 19, 2020). "'Palm Springs', 'Lovecraft Country' Top Movie And Series Nominations For Inaugural Critics Choice Super Awards; Netflix Lands 35 Nods". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 12, 2020.