Warning! Spoilers ahead for Action Comics #1070!The new powerSupergirljust acquired has made her the most dangerous Kryptonian in the entire DC Universe. Superman might have godlike power at his disposal, but Kara’s latest ability is already taking her down a dangerous path she might not be able to come back from.
Things in the DC Universe turned upside down during theclimax ofAbsolute Power. After defeating the power-stealing Amazo team, Task Force VII, the hero community’s powers returned, though someJustice League members got brand-new powers. One such hero is Supergirl, who is already using her new power against the people who trust her most.
Supergirl Has New Mind-Control Powers
And She’s Using ThemAgainstthe Superman Family
InAction Comics #1070’sbackup story, “Where Are You Going?” by Mariko Tamaki, Skylar Patridge, Marissa Louise, and Becca Carey, Supergirl is at the United Planets outpost on Thanagar discussing thingswith a United Planets official. The official is confused and can’t remember her conversation with Supergirl, who tells the woman that she erroneously called Kara to the outpost. As Supergirl leaves, she informs the United Planets member thatthere won’t be a record of Kara’s visit to the outpost and that Supergirl was never there.
Though this backup doesn’t directly continue from it, make sure to read Mariko Tamaki and Skylar Patridge’s previous Kara story,Supergirl Special #1 (2023)!
On Earth, Supergirl is at Steelworks talking things over with John Henry Irons. He gives Kara a spaceship and assures her that he followed all her specifications. John also warns Kara that she’s risking a lot going into deep space, but Supergirl remains undeterred. She takes the keys to the ship and her eye glows pink, causing John to space out for a second. By the time he comes around,he has no memory of giving Kara her ship, and Supergirl is nowhere in sight.
Supergirl gets the best of Power Girl and tells her that she won’t remember any part of this confrontation.
Just as Supergirl prepares to leave in her new vessel, she’s interrupted by her multiversal doppelganger, Power Girl, who demands to know what Kara’s up to. Supergirl refuses to answer, but Power Girl presses her to get an answer. Supergirl’s eyes glow again as she traps Power Girl in a mental hold, with Kara telling her counterpart that she has a mission to complete. Supergirl gets the best of Power Girl and tells her that she won’t remember any part of this confrontation.
What is Supergirl Planning to Do with Her New Powers?
Is There a Plan or is She Going Full Villain?
Much like the rest of the heroes whose abilities were screwed up inAbsolute Power, Supergirl didn’t have a say in what superpowers she’d suddenly gained. Mind control was certainly something no one saw coming and is a major departure from what fans have come to expect from Kryptonian heroes. While mind control isn’t inherently an ‘evil’ power, it’s something many readers associate with villains (or at least morally gray characters). Soseeing Supergirl wantonly using mind control, and on her friends no less, is a bit of a shock.
The big power swap occurs in the climacticAbsolute Power #4 (2024)!
That being said, something is clearly going on with Supergirl. Before she heads out in her spaceship, she thinks back to a conversation with Superman, discussing the mission she’s going on. It doesn’t appear that Supergirl is actually breaking bad, but going deep undercover at her cousin’s behest. It’s unusual, sure, but it’s much more believable that Kara is using her new powers for good instead of diving headfirst into villainy. Of course, even if she’s still on the side of the angels,Supergirl using her mind control powers on the Super-Family is a bit questionable.
…that kind of power is dangerous in anyone’s hands…
For the most part, the Super-Family can keep one another in check thanks to their Kryptonian powers. But now Supergirl has an advantage that no one else on the team has. Kara was easily able to defeat Power Girl with her mental powers, andit stands to reason she could do the same to any other Kryptonian, even Superman. Again, there’s nothing to indicate Supergirl is actually going rogue. But that kind of power is dangerous in anyone’s hands, even someone as morally strong as Supergirl.
Can Supergirl Handle This New Power?
Kara Has a Huge Responsibility on Her Shoulders
Clearly, whatever mission Supergirl is on, she and Superman believe she’s the only one who can do it. But throwing Kara into a mission right after attaining a new power seems like an error, especially when there’s a danger of misusing her new power. Supergirl is a good person, but mind control isn’t like super strength or laser vision, and she hasn’t spent years learning how to be responsible with it. Hopefully, Kara knows what she’s getting herself into, because these new powers could prove to be more dangerous thanSupergirlthought.
Action Comics #1070is available now from DC Comics.
Supergirl
Supergirl is a popular DC character that made her debut in May 1959 in the pages of Action Comics #252. Many characters have taken on the mantle of Supergirl over the years, but the most popular iteration of the character is Kara Zor-El, Superman’s cousin. Supergirl has appeared in many comics, video games, movies, and TV shows over the years, most notably the 1984 Supergirl movie starring Helen Slater and The CW’s Supergirl show with Melissa Benoist.
