Every Version of Supergirl, Ranked from Weakest To Most Powerful

The legacy of the "Last Daughter of Krypton" has grown over the decades, having established Supergirl as one of the most iconic heroes in the DC Comics universe. But while many fans mostly know Supergirl's major identity as Kara Zor-El, since her historic debut in Action Comics #252 in May 1959, many versions of the superheroine have emerged to become unique Kryptonian protectors. Those who have taken up the Supergirl mantle span multiple continuities and universes, with some characters even adopting different aliases.

Supergirl's comic has proven there can be much more than just a single iconic version of the heroine. With many comic book iterations that rewrite her origin across different realities and even make it onto the big screen, Supergirl has more than a few variants. These go beyond mere changes in costume or hairstyle, extending to instances where Supergirl passes the mantle to a successor or wields a different source of power that elevates her combat potential above other versions.

Justice (AKA Linda Danvers)

JLA: Act of God #3 (2001) by Doug Moench and Dave Ross

The weakest version of Supergirl in a world where superpowers are extinct. Mirroring the Y2K bug conspiracy of 2000, an event known as “Black Light” shuts down all the world’s technology and depowers all superheroes. Now the once powerful godly heroes of DC Comics must adapt to their environment and take on new jobs. Supergirl decides to abandon her “S” symbol and become a new hero.

With no more Kryptonian powers and giving up her new job as a cop, Linda Danvers patrols the streets as a vigilante named Justice. Training with Batman and wearing a masked suit of armor, Justice pummels her enemies with a double mace weapon. Though no longer Supergirl, Linda still continues to uphold the values of her former persona and defends her now-powerless friends.

Scorch (AKA Aubrey Sparks)

Superman #160 (2000) by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness

A devilish kind of Supergirl. During the “Emperor Joker” event where the Joker steals Mr. Mxyzptlk’s powers to create an alternate, villain-fueled dimension, mild-mannered Aubrey Sparks is transformed into a demonic Supergirl named Scorch. As a member of the JLA (Joker League of Anarchy), Scorch used her new form and powers to work with Bizarro and kidnap Superman. Despite her hellish appearance, Scorch doesn’t have any kind of Kryptonian powers, making her significantly weaker than the other Supergirls.

Scorch uses plasma to generate and absorb any kind of fire and can teleport using the same flame powers. After fighting Superman and realizing the error of her ways, Scorch turned over a new leaf and sought to get help from the Justice League. Falling in love with Martian Manhunter and helping him get over his fear of fire, Scorch is now under close watch at the DEO.

Supergirl (AKA Cir-El)

Superman: The 10¢ Adventure #1 (2003) by Steven Seagle and Scott McDaniel

The illegitimate daughter of Superman. Cir-El, a mysterious Kryptonian girl sent from the future to warn her “father” Superman about an upcoming Brainiac invasion on Earth. But Superman is later shocked to see Cir-El acting like a completely different person who hates being Supergirl. The truth is revealed as Cir-El is a human named Mia who was experimented on Brainiac, given Kryptonian DNA, and implanted with false memories of Superman being her father.

Cir-El, as Supergirl, has all the powers of Superman, but it took her a while to learn how to fly properly. Due to her age, she is less developed and less focused than the original Supergirl. Cir-El also has the bonus power of emitting Red Sunburst blasts from her hands and using them to fire intense heat at her enemies.

Andromeda (AKA Laurel Gand)

Legion of Super-Heroes Vol 4 #66 (1995) by Tom McCraw, Mark Waid, and Lee Moder

Another replacement for the dead Supergirl who works with the Legion of Superheroes! Andromeda, a Daxamite from the sister planet of Krypton, Daxam, who gained almost all the powers of Supergirl but with a few side effects. Since Daxamites were raised around a Red Sun, Andromeda is completely vulnerable to lead and must wear a special bodysuit to protect her from getting lead poisoning.

Andromeda, under the yellow sun of Earth, is very similar to the Kryptonian heroes of Earth, but she is immune to Kryptonite and uses her Legion ring to fly at top speed and defy gravity. In addition to being close to the power scale of Supergirl, Andromeda holds a few skeletons in her closet, such as being a xenophobic member of a Daxamite community, hellbent on stopping organic-extraterrestrial alliances. But working as a Legionnaire alongside organics, aliens and AI like Brainiac-5 helped her see the error of her ways and become a better hero.

Bizarro-Girl

Supergirl #53 (2010) by Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle

Who says Supergirl can’t have her own Bizarro? Though Bizarro-Girl had small appearances in the early years of Supergirl, this one had a much more prominent role! Bizarro-Girl was created by the original Bizarro Superman in Bizarro World and sent to Metropolis on a rocket ship. In a fit of rage and confusion, Bizarro-Girl nearly destroyed Metropolis with her uncontrollable strength and Supergirl had to have help from Dr. Light just to defeat her.

Bizarro-Girl has all the powers of Bizarro, including flame breath, ice vision and all the powers of Superman. Her lack of self-control and intelligence makes her a very dangerous opponent if not contained quickly. She also later becomes an ally of Supergirl, who helps Bizarro-Girl, save her home planet from an invading force known as the Ash'Ka'Phageous.

Ultragirl (AKA Kara Zor-El)

Crime Syndicate #4 (2021) by Andy Schmidt and Kieran McKeown

A Supergirl who uses Kryptonite to gain her powers! Ultragirl lives on Earth-3, an alternate world where heroes like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are villains and villains like Lex Luthor, Joker and Cheetah are heroes. This Supergirl was disguising herself as Earth-3 Lex Luthor’s assistant and attacks her evil cousin, Ultraman, for abusing his powers. Ultragirl claimed herself to be the Earth’s new protector since Ultraman and his evil Justice League, The Crime Syndicate, devastated the Earth with their tyranny.

Ultragirl’s Kryptonian body has evolved to where Kryptonite no longer kills her, but rather fuels her powers. By absorbing Kryptonite radiation, Ultragirl has all of Ultraman’s abilities, like Ultra strength, stamina, speed and many more. Despite overpowering Ultraman and the Crime Syndicate, this heroic variant perished after Atomica (Earth-3 Atom) shrank inside Ultragirl’s brain and walked all over it to give her brain damage.

Supergirl (AKA Linda Danvers)

Supergirl Vol 4 #1 (1996) by Peter David and Gary Frank

This Supergirl never asked to be a hero, but she made the most of it. Linda Danvers was a normal woman living in a small town until her boyfriend Buzz tried to blood sacrifice her to unleash a demon from Hell. Luckily, Matrix AKA Supergirl, was flying around just in time to save poor Linda by merging her body with hers and Linda became the new Supergirl. With Matrix still in her body, Linda could keep her telekinesis, Supergirl’s powers, and even transform her body into a stronger and mature figure.

As Supergirl, Linda fights demonic villains from Hell to redeem herself after her traumatic history with her ex-boyfriend/cult leader, Buzz. For a time, Linda also gained the heavenly powers of the Angel of Fire, created from a merging of two beings when one is at the brink of death like Linda was. These powers included teleportation and flame wings.

Powergirl (AKA May)

Tangent Comics: Powergirl #1 (1998) by Ron Marz and Dusty Abell

On Earth-9, this variant of Supergirl was designed to become the ultimate protector. A Chinese girl named May, born and genetically modified in a lab, is created to replace her flawed predecessor, “Super Girl.” Taking the name “Powergirl,” the super-humanoid May serves her Chinese government and defends it at all costs from foreign threats.

This Supergirl comes equipped with a whole host of new abilities that the original Kara Zor-El never had. With flight, enhanced speed, super strength, May also has the ability to control microscopic energy and turn it into raw power. This energy manipulation allows her to heal others and herself, as well as resurrect herself should she ever perish in battle. Though she might seem unkillable, May will eventually run out of energy, and she can’t always rely on resurrection via energy control.

Supergirl (AKA Zala Jor-El)

Dark Knights of Steel #2 (2022) by Tom Taylor, Yasmine Putri, Arif Prianto and Wes Abbott

Zala Jor-El is a variant created for the Dark Knights of Steel series. She is an alternate version of Supergirl from Earth-188, a medieval world, and is the daughter of Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van. This makes her Superman's sister in this continuity. However, what sets Zala Jor-El apart is her reputation as the most violent Supergirl. While she possesses her full Kryptonian powers under a yellow sun, her training with the Amazons also turned her into an exceptional yet quite ruthless princess warrior.

Zala avenged her father's death by committing a ruthless murder. She is also not content with merely incapacitating her weaker opponents but goes for the kill, even piercing armor and flesh by using her fist like a sword. This demonstrates how her Amazon training turned her into a dangerous threat, far removed from the Supergirl fans were accustomed to. Zala is also in a romantic relationship with Wonder Woman.

Supergirl (AKA Lara Kent)

The Dark Knight Strikes Again #2 (2002) by Frank Miller, Lynn Varley and Todd Klein

In Frank Miller's spin-off The Dark Knight Strikes Again, there's a version of Supergirl whose identity is Lara Kent, the daughter of Superman and Wonder Woman. As a hybrid possessing the combined genetics of two of DC's strongest heroes, she is immensely strong. She was raised on Paradise Island, where she received Amazonian combat training. However, this upbringing was somewhat sheltered due to her lack of contact with the outside world, making her a bit stubborn, as well as instilling in her a sort of disdain for humanity.

Just like her Superman, Lara possesses classic Kryptonian abilities, as well as the powers of an Amazonian warrior, which she puts into practice when Brainiac attacks Earth, and she rushes to her father's aid. In Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child, Lara also demonstrates devastating strength while battling Darkseid, teaming up with her brother Jon Kent to take him down.