Amount

Supergirl's Original Mission - Possible spoilers

02 Jul 2015 07:19 - 02 Jul 2015 11:18 #42970 by Brad2
OK. I thought I'd open up this topic to discussion. Basically, I'm wondering how the dynamics would have changed had Supergirl not gotten sidetracked in the Phantom Zone, and actually arrived on earth in time to be Superman's protector. I get the sense that this might be a case of simple role reversal (Kal placed Kara with an adoptive family to help her), but I don't know. After all, Kal's mission never revolved around Kara, while her original mission revolved around him.

Might be an interesting topic to explore in an episode somewhere along the line, depending on producer inclination and show success.

What does everyone else think?
Last edit: 02 Jul 2015 11:18 by fats.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Brad2
  • Brad2's Avatar Topic Author
  • Offline
  • Junior Member
  • Junior Member
More
02 Jul 2015 08:47 #42971 by Woodclaw
Replied by Woodclaw on topic Supergirl's Original Mission
I think that there would have been many changes, particularly regarding Kal and his view of the world. For better or worse Kal is culturally human, the influence of the Kents chaped pretty much all of his early life and defined who became over time. Having Kara as his caretaker would have certainly changed that. Even if she was barely a teenager back then, Kara was culturally Kryptonian and that would have shaped Kal's view of the world in a different way.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
02 Jul 2015 08:57 #42972 by AuGoose
Replied by AuGoose on topic Supergirl's Original Mission
Keep in mind that for there to be an episode about Kal, they might actually have to admit he even exists... The amount they dodge around him in the pilot is almost embarrassing.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
02 Jul 2015 14:03 #42974 by five_red
Replied by five_red on topic Supergirl's Original Mission

AuGoose wrote: Keep in mind that for there to be an episode about Kal, they might actually have to admit he even exists... The amount they dodge around him in the pilot is almost embarrassing.


First let me deal with the above comment: as I've noted elsewhere, I think the limited acknowledgement of Superman in the pilot was probably down to marketing. WB's licensing and branding team likely subscribe to the popular idea that you don't want to confuse the mass audience by giving them two parallel versions of the same 'property' at the same time. Superman appears in silhouette only in the pilot, and gets one (two?) name-checks as "Superman" or "Kal-El" -- the rest of the time he's simply "your cousin". This likely isn't a deliberate creative decision by Berlanti et al. but a very restrictive licensing contract that forbids the character from being shown clearly (you'll note we never see his S shield, and even the James Olsen's prize-winning photos is blurred to heck!) The SG team probably had to haggle and arm-wrestle just to get one or two mentions of the name "Superman" into the script.

As for the original question: perhaps we may never have gotten Supergirl or Superman if the 'original mission' had worked. Why? Read on...

From the pilot we know that it seems Kara's instinct was to blend in with life on Earth; not to use her powers. Despite having a super-cousin to inspire her, in the pilot she still preferred to seek 'greatness' via her work career like a normal woman. (Ultimately it was the lack of fulfilment in her career, more than anything else, that made her wonder whether she should use her powers somehow.)

Without Kara's trip through the Phantom Zone the super-criminals of Fort Rozz would not have landed on Earth. Without Fort Rozz the DEO would not have existed, her sister Alex would not have been targeted by the escapees, and Kara would not have had to reveal her powers to save Alex. No super-ciminals; no threat to Alex; no DEO -- it seems reasonable to assume that Kara would have just kept her head down, tried to blend in, and channelled all her efforts into trying to have a normal life on Earth (although she may have always lived with nagging doubts about using her powers.)

Kal-El clearly wanted to be a hero, but Kara had to be coaxed into accepting her superhero role. So... what if Kara had landed alongside Kal-El as planned and had raised him instead of the Kents? Was the desire to become a 'superman' something innate in Kal-El, or something the Kents helped instill in him? If Kal-El had been raised by Kara, with her more cautious "keep your head down" mindset, would Kal-El have still become Superman, or would he have listened to his big cousin and just tried to hide himself amidst humanity as a normal person..?


R5

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
02 Jul 2015 18:30 #42975 by Woodclaw
Replied by Woodclaw on topic Supergirl's Original Mission

five_red wrote: Kal-El clearly wanted to be a hero, but Kara had to be coaxed into accepting her superhero role. So... what if Kara had landed alongside Kal-El as planned and had raised him instead of the Kents? Was the desire to become a 'superman' something innate in Kal-El, or something the Kents helped instill in him? If Kal-El had been raised by Kara, with her more cautious "keep your head down" mindset, would Kal-El have still become Superman, or would he have listened to his big cousin and just tried to hide himself amidst humanity as a normal person..?


This reminds me of Justice League: The Nail , an Elseworld based on the assumption that the Kent didn't find Kal-El's rocket, but it was an hamish couple, who urged little Kal never to use his powers in public and so the world continued without Superman.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
Time to create page: 0.053 seconds