Supergirl is officially ending with season 6 and the superhero will take to the skies of National City one last time before hanging up her red cape for good. The decision to end the series came in September 2020, with Supergirl star Melissa Benoist, The CW, and the show’s producers agreeing that the sixth season should be its last. The announcement came ahead of the start of production on season 6, with a confirmation that the final season would consist of 20 episodes to wrap up the story that centered the Girl of Steel.
With Supergirl coming to a close, fans have speculated about how the writers will wrap up Kara Danvers’ story and whether the series finale will go so far as to kill her off. Last year, Oliver Queen died right before the end of Arrow’s eight-season run, sacrificing himself during the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover, and it’s possible Supergirl could meet the same fate.
Obviously, killing off the titular character isn’t a good idea or even inspired storytelling. Death at the end of a superhero’s journey isn’t a new concept and the act of sacrifice is usually high on the list of ways to go out in the comic book world. However, there are far more creative ways to close out Supergirl’s storyline without having to resort to her dying to save the world or anything. While Kara staying alive would be preferable, there have been a few key moments from Supergirl’s run that have foreshadowed her death.
Season 2 Poster Pays Homage To Supergirl’s Comic Death
Ahead of Supergirl’s season 2 episode, “The Last Children of Krypton,” The CW released a poster of Tyler Hoechlin's Superman carrying Supergirl, unconscious, in his arms. The image was an homage to the famous Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 cover of an anguished Superman carrying his cousin after she was killed by the Anti-Monitor. The scene played out much differently on the show, however, with Supergirl being struck by a beam launched by the villain Metallo. Superman lifts Supergirl up and carries her to safety.
Of course, the Supergirl poster was only a reference to the event that ultimately took Kara’s life in the comics and the Arrowverse shows have long recreated famous art covers that are reflective of their source material. Take, for example, when The Flash series paid homage to “The Flash of Two Worlds” comic book cover with its very own poster featuring Barry Allen and Jay Garrick in season 2. While the Supergirl poster was nothing more than a tribute, it could be argued that the idea to recreate it at all was secretly foreshadowing the superhero’s death in season 6.
Kara Zor-El (Red Daughter) Dies Saving Her Alter Ego
Supergirl season 4 introduced fans to Kara Zor-El, otherwise known as Red Daughter and Linda Lee, the alter ego of Kara Danvers who was created after she used black kryptonite to defeat Reign at the end of season 3. Red Daughter was essentially a carbon copy of Kara, though her materializing in Kaznia led her to be taken in by the villain Lex Luthor, who thereafter used his influence to convince her that Supergirl was the enemy. However, by the end of season 4, Red Daughter saw the truth behind the lies she had been fed. When Lex went to shoot Supergirl with kryptonite, it was Red Daughter who sacrificed herself, taking the bullet to save her alter ego.
Yes, it wasn’t the original Kara who died, but it was another version of her who sacrificed her life. It’s worth reiterating that Red Daughter wasn’t a doppelganger from another Earth, but a copy created directly from Kara herself who so happened to come from different living circumstances. And so, it was as if fans watched Kara herself die onscreen. It’s possible the moment is signaling a future where Supergirl does end up sacrificing herself to save someone she loves. Of course, one can argue that Red Daughter’s death effectively cancels out Kara’s own death. A version of the character already died once, so why kill her off again? Still, the moment could hint at a similar demise for the titular superhero.
Kara Disintegrating In “Elseworlds” Part 3
During the 2018 “Elseworlds” crossover, The Flash and Supergirl decide to speed and fly in opposite directions around the globe. The idea was that if they both went fast enough, time would slow down and they would be able to relinquish the Book of Destiny from Deegan to restore reality to its original state. It wasn’t a bad plan. However, Superman had already seen Barry and Kara’s destinies, telling them that if they went through with the plan, they would die. They began to disintegrate when Green Arrow, who’d struck up a deal with The Monitor, showed up and defeated Deegan.
Considering that the Book of Destiny had already foreseen that Kara would die, it’s possible that Supergirl season 6 will go through with it and have her “destiny” play out as initially intended during “Elseworlds.” Of course, there’s an issue with this logic because the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover rebooted the multiverse, so there’s no telling whether or not Kara was ever going to die to begin with. Plot twists and changing destinies were also a big part of “Crisis” — look no further than Barry Allen, who was fated to die during the multiversal clash, living on beyond the event as evidence. That said, this event is perhaps the most major instance of foreshadowing Supergirl’s death so far. If it is ever going to play out in season 6, Supergirl can certainly point to “Elseworlds” and what was meant to be her original death as the cause.
Supergirl has also had a couple of near-death experiences — once during a fight with Reign in season 3, who brutally beat up the superhero and put her in a coma, and the second when Lex laced the atmosphere with kryptonite, which entered her veins mid-flight and nearly killed the Girl of Steel. These don’t necessarily foreshadow Supergirl’s death so much as they are a consequence of her being a superhero with dangerous nemeses. Ultimately, Kara doesn’t have to (and shouldn't) die at the end of Supergirl season 6 and there are ways to tie up the loose ends of her story without having to utilize death as a factor. After all, Supergirl is all about hope, help, and compassion for all; having the series finale close out with a dead superhero would certainly negate the hopeful aspect of the show.