While the new trailer for The Flash debuts the DCU's brand-new Supergirl, her origins may be taking inspiration from another major comic story beyond Flashpoint. Played by Sasha Calle, this new version of Superman's cousin will come onto the scene during a collision of worlds thanks to the unintentional efforts of Barry Allen's Flash. However, some interesting teases suggest Supergirl's debut will resemble one of DC's greatest Elseworlds stories from the comics.
The clashing of timelines seen in The Flash trailer is all inspired by DC's Flashpoint by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert. In the comic, Barry Allen wakes up to a massively altered reality, one in which he has no powers, and the lives of the Justice League have been massively changed. This all stems from his decision to go back in time and save his mother from being murdered, a moment that created a massive domino effect. As such, this is the basic framework The Flash will be working with, though it looks like Supergirl's origin will also adapt elements of a classic Superman story from Mark Millar.
Supergirl's New Origins Aren't Just Inspired By Flashpoint Superman
In the Flashpoint comics timeline, Superman never made it to the Kent Farm upon his arrival on Earth as a baby. Instead, Kal-El was immediately located and taken by the US government to be observed and experimented on in a facility that became known as Project Superman. As such, Kal-El had never seen sunlight until Barry Allen started trying to reset the timeline years later. In comparison, it's teased in The Flash trailer that Superman may be dead. Instead, Supergirl's Kara Zor-El looks to the captured Kryptonian recruited to help both versions of Barry Allen who've come together, along with Michael Keaton's Batman.
However, it should be noted that Supergirl is first seen wearing a prisoner's straightjacket outside what looks to be a Siberian prison in Russia. This implies Kara was also imprisoned during this timeline as well, albeit by a different government entirely. Likewise, the name on her prison uniform translates to "The Most Dangerous" in Russian, an indication that she, too, was observed and experimented on. As such, it seems that portions of her origins have been taken from Red Son, the story that imagined Superman landing in Russia rather than Kansas to be raised by Stalin and the Soviet Union.
Is Supergirl's Kara Zor-El The DCU's Red Daughter?
Despite her imprisonment, it seems unlikely that Supergirl became a living weapon for the Russian government just like Superman did in Red Son. Rather, it looks as though Kara Zor-El's on-screen origins will blend the iconic Elseworlds story and Flashpoint together, one in which she was also kept out of the sun and imprisoned for years ahead Barry Allen's attempt to set things right. Clearly, the Barrys and Batman will need Supergirl's help in the face of General Zod and his Kryptonian forces, who are seen in The Flash trailer as well.
