Reel Weird: 5 Strange Facts About Supergirl's Body In Movies & TV
Supergirl (2026) has arrived in theaters, bringing the titular heroine to the big screen in live-action for her first solo movie since Supergirl (1984). The film’s release marks the perfect time to delve into Supergirl lore. Her backstory is, arguably, a bit more interesting than her cousin Superman’s.
Kal-El’s parents sent him to Earth as an infant during the destruction of Krypton, but Kara Zor-El actually lived through the ordeal, growing up on a fragment of Krypton until the city, too, fell. Hence, she not only has the advantage of being a Kryptonian but also of having been raised on Krypton rather than on Earth.
Use our guide to find out five strange facts about Supergirl’s physiology that made it into her movies and TV shows.
Supergirl Is Stronger Than Superman
Biologically, Supergirl is actually stronger than her cousin, Superman. Her superior strength stems from differences in their upbringings. In the majority of storylines, from the TV series Supergirl (2015) to the new Supergirl movie, Kara grows up on Krypton or Argo until at least her teenage years. According to comic lore, Krypton is far more massive than Earth, and greater mass means greater gravity. Theoretically, since Kara grew up under the higher gravity of Krypton while Clark did not, she’d surpass him in muscle density.
The ability to withstand higher gravity isn’t her only biological advantage from her delayed journey to Earth. In the Supergirl TV show, Kara’s (Melissa Benoist) ship gets stuck in the Phantom Zone for 24 years. In the comics, she actually got stuck orbiting the sun for several years, which supercharged her powers. On top of that, her Kryptonian upbringing made her more adept than Superman at absorbing solar radiation, from which she derives her powers.
Supergirl’s Blue Heat Vision, Explained
You’re likely familiar with the iconic red heat vision of Supergirl and Superman, but the Supergirl TV show also revealed that Kara’s heat vision can run blue. While the blue heat vision may have been more of a stylistic choice in the Arrowverse, from a scientific standpoint, it’s more powerful than Superman’s standard red heat vision. Blue flames signal higher energy than red, meaning Supergirl’s blue heat vision is hotter and more powerful than Superman’s.
An Evil Supergirl Had a Vision Power Much Stronger Than Superman’s
Arrowverse’s Supergirl features an alternate evil Supergirl known as Overgirl (Melissa Benoist). Overgirl hails from Earth-10, the notorious DC universe, where the Nazis won World War II. In the comics, Overgirl boasts a few unique powers, including a particularly powerful form of enhanced vision. Enhanced vision is typical of Kryptonians, as Superman and Supergirl both have X-ray vision, or the ability to see through objects. Overgirl takes her vision up a notch, though, with the ability to see into the full electromagnetic spectrum. As a result, she can see TV broadcasts, radio waves, and satellite surveillance, which allow her to quite literally “fly under the radar” and avoid detection.
Supergirl Can Channel Her Super Breath in a Unique Way
Both Superman and Supergirl possess the Kryptonian power of Super Breath. However, as the Supergirl TV show features, Supergirl can channel hers in a way that Superman can’t. The Super Breath is a testament to their sheer lung capacity and the strength of their diaphragms. Sometimes, Supergirl can channel that incredible lung capacity into a sonic scream reminiscent of that of the Black Canary. The delibating scream can incapacitate villains and shatter objects. Meanwhile, the comics take her sonic vocals a bit further, including giving her a supersonic whistle precise and powerful enough to stop an earthquake.
A Supergirl Doppelganger Had Medusa-Like Abilities
Overgirl isn’t the only unique Supergirl variant to appear in the Arrowverse Supergirl series. The show also features Bizarro-girl, the Bizarro counterpart of Supergirl. Bizarro-girl has powers similar to Supergirl’s, but reversed, so she has fire breath and freeze vision. In addition to these reversed powers, she has the unique power of Solid Vision that Superman’s Bizarro counterpart doesn’t have. Essentially, Supergirl’s X-ray vision manifests as Solid Vision in Bizarro-girl, allowing her to emit petrifying rays that encase objects or people in a hard shell, much like Medusa’s powers of turning her foes to stone.
