Are Superman and Supergirl Related? (2023)

Are Superman and Supergirl Related?

Superman and Supergirl are a big hit among people of all ages. Both became the center of attraction after release. They share resemblance from having the same names, costumes, and background in addition to superpowers; hence, leaving Kryptonian fans a lingering question. Are they related to each other in any way?

Superman and Supergirl are biological cousins. Kara Zor-El (real name of Supergirl) is the daughter of Alura In-Ze and Zor-El, while Kal-El (real name of Superman) is the son of Lara Lor-Van and Jor-El. It is their father with whom they share the same inheritable factor since they are known as brothers.

Indeed, it is not only about a comic hero’s innate powers that swoon the audience’s hearts. Their identity and relation with other superheroes stimulate further interest, as Superman and Supergirl did. Today, we’ll dive into their existence deeper, such as who came first and who is older among the two. So, let’s get your mind blown!

Are Superman and Supergirl related?

Contrary to some beliefs, these Kryptonian heroes are fictional relatives. They are first cousins and not a married couple, neither involved in other forms of romantic relationship.

But how about the controversial kiss?

Perhaps some of you are aware of the incident where they locked lips passionately, which confuses you big time. But if we are going to relive the scene, Superman convinced Supergirl to act as his love interest as part of his plan to trick Lois. That’s why the kiss happened.

While the two share a similar bloodline, we cannot deny their chemistry, yes? That could be the primary reason why many think there was a budding romance occurring. Adding to the fact that Supergirl has this magnetic appearance that attracts a lot of admirers. Her beloved cousin is no exception (unfortunately).

So, could it be the kiss was Superman’s other “scheme” to make out with her? Or, most likely, he is just trying to protect Lois (who eventually became his wife). Well, who’s to say?

Some publications insist that there was a sort of romance embroiled. The Man of Steel falls in love with the Girl of Steel and even confessed his love for her. Instead of returning the favor, she desperately looked for a wife for him but to no avail. He chose not to tie the knot with any of those women because she is the only woman he wants to be with.

Unluckily for the Man of Steel, the law doesn’t allow cousins to get married. It is where Supergirl’s genius idea became handy. She found someone who exactly looks like her, although a bit older. Superman was able to live up to his fantasies without breaking the pesky laws.

How are Superman and Supergirl cousins?

Jor-El (Superman’s father) is the older brother of Zor-El (Supergirl’s father). It makes them first cousins, or at least as we see in human family structures.

They both came from Krypton planet. But before it got blown up, Superman was placed on a space capsule to Earth when he was a baby to escape and protect himself against the destruction. Supergirl was then sent after the space capsule to watch over her cousin and remain unified no matter what.

Superman outlived the excursion and was later found by the Kent family. During this time, they reside in Kansas and do farming as a means of living. Kal-El (Superman) was raised as their own son and named Clark. The rest is history, from learning about his birthright and staggering powers to combating good against evil.

If Superman made it to the Earth with no glitches, the opposite happened to Supergirl. She encountered some issues while taking her trip from Argo City to Earth. It did not only take her a few days, weeks, or months before finally landing on the human planet – but two decades in general. Kal-El was already an adult man and became Superman by the time she arrived on Earth.

Although, there are different versions of her origins. But the most basic form indicates that she was in her teenage years when Krypton detonated. Upon entering Earth, she was raised as a Kryptonian and not as a human, unlike Superman. Spouses Edna and Fred Danvers adopted her.

Is Supergirl older than Superman?

Who would have thought that a body-like teenager was born earlier? Yes, we’re talking about Kara or Supergirl! She may look younger than her cousin, but in reality, she was already a young adult when Kal-El was still a tiny baby.

We have mentioned that they both left Krypton and their parents before the eruption happens, but they traveled separately. Superman landed safely, while Supergirl got into some trouble. She reeled off in the phantom zone, in which time doesn’t move.

Time stopped for her, so as her aging process. What happened to her when she got trapped in the phantom zone was like she is only sleeping. It’s as if she never exists. Her mind and body did not change at all.

During this period, Kal-El was becoming an adult on Earth. It took Kara around 24 years before escaping the phantom zone time, and when she did, he is already a full-grown man.

That explains why Kal-El is older than Kara in terms of mental and physical aspects. But chronologically speaking, she is far older than him. Most versions state that Kal-El is in his thirties, while Kara is still biologically under twenty when they met.

How old was Supergirl when she came to Earth?

Kara was 13 years old when she left her planet Krypton. While along the way to earth, her space was knocked off, which sent her instead in the phantom zone. It was in 2003 when she landed on the human planet at long last.

Since her time froze during her stay in the phantom zone, she is still the 13-year-old sweet Kara we knew. Kal-El found her and helped him have a safe life with the help of the Danvers family. Eliza and Jeremiah are scientists who assisted her throughout to understand the ability of her powers.

She took up the name Linda Lee Danvers. Since then, she has lived a normal life – attending school, joining family trips, dating men, engaging in various gigs, being a career woman, and many other activities that an ordinary person does. Kara tried to repress her extraordinary skills as per the wish of her foster parents. However, an unexpected catastrophe forced her to pour out her incredible superpower.

She then began accepting her abilities to help people in the city and later earned a signature name. Her foster sister Alex works for a secret government organization. With her help, Kara was able to tackle mundane and extreme challenges that require superpower aid.

How old was Superman when he came to Earth?

We all knew the story about how Jor-El sent Superman from Krypto to Earth. But most likely, many of you are wondering how old exactly he was before getting adopted and raised by the Kent family.

The continuity has quite a few versions of it, actually. Some assert that Kal-El was 18 to 36 months when he got here on earth. Others, however, claim that it took him 2 years to complete his journey from his birthplace to the wheat field outside the small town of Smallville, Kansas. But according to this link, he had a long journey of 3 years before landing in the cornfield.

He appeared completely human. Hence, the Kents did not suspect that he is from another planet. He grew as an ordinary human being. But while he is growing older, he noticed his body is starting to develop heroic capabilities.

Once he reached 18 years, Kal-El began recognizing his secret powers – whom he shared with his childhood friend Lana Lang. Like Supergirl, he also tried to suppress his powers for safety reasons until a NASA space plane was at risk of crashing, which imposed him to use his powers in a crowd.

Who came first Superman or Supergirl?

If we are going to talk about who initially graced the comic world, Superman is undeniably on the running list. It is the brainchild of two writers Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Superman made a debut in Action Comics #1 way back in 1938.

Supergirl, on the other hand, gained recognition in 1959 for Action Comics #252. Al Plastino is the artist behind the comic’s success, along with Otto Binder as the writer. She was killed once during her battle against an outrageous DC supervillain in an attempt to save her cousin and the universe. She was replaced by clones, such as the Matrix Supergirl, who have shape-shifting powers, telekinesis, and other imaginable superpowers.

Superman and Supergirl are the iconic comic characters we will always know. They share basically identical costumes, history, and even powers, but there are quite a few differences where they want to use them. It doesn’t matter who came first or who is older among the two. What matters most is they make a venerable team that no other characters can outdo as of yet.