There are not a lot of lead female superheroes starring in movies and TV shows. Luckily, that seems to be changing with both Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel, but these have yet to be released. So if you’re like me and are impatiently waiting for these movies (and hopefully more female-driven superhero content) to come out, there is one show you absolutely must watch: Supergirl.
Simply put, Supergirl is amazing. It’s not without its flaws, as with most shows, but you should watch it just to see the three strong and independent women who star in it: Kara Danvers (Supergirl), Alex Danvers and Cat Grant. You don’t even need to like superheroes to enjoy watching the three of them dominate the screen. Even the minor female characters are nuanced and interesting to watch, but these three steal the show.
Kara is incredibly kind, incredibly brave and at times, incredibly angry. She’s an opinionated character and like all humans, she isn’t always in perfect control of herself and her emotions. One of my favorite scenes from the series is when Kara and James Olsen decided to work out their anger over situations they couldn’t control. They took turns declaring what was making them angry before letting their fists fly. Only while James used a punching bag, Kara used – and destroyed – an entire car.
Kara is a great character because she’s not an untouchable figure on the big screen; she has struggles and failures mixed in with her triumphs. In the very first episode, she even blew up at her boss, Cat Grant, over how Cat – who is CEO of her own media conglomerate – named Supergirl a “girl” rather than a “woman.” Cat’s response was perfect and set the tone for the rest of the advice she gave to Kara over the season.
“What do you think is so bad about ‘girl’? I’m a girl, and your boss, and powerful, and rich, and hot, and smart. So if you perceive Supergirl as anything less than excellent, isn’t the real problem you?”
While Cat had many standout lines and great scenes throughout the series, her shining moments are her interactions with Kara. She alternatively doled out reprimands and advice, but at the heart of it, Cat Grant is a caring albeit ambitious woman who is strongly supportive of other women. In particular, she goes out of her way to support Supergirl through her company, CatCo, and demonstrates on multiple occasions that she truly believes in Supergirl’s heroism.
Additionally, Supergirl may be Superman’s cousin but she is also so much more than that. Although there’s a bit of a running gag where the characters frequently skirt around mentioning Superman by name, Kara is her own woman who refuses to allow who her cousin is define her.
In fact, if Kara were going to be defined by any of her relatives, it would be her adopted sister, Alex Danvers. Alex is a character created especially for the TV show and I firmly believe it was an excellent decision, especially because of how she manages to tie Kara and her Kryptonian heritage to Earth. The Danvers sisters have an amazingly supportive and loving relationship that is strengthened by the way they are incredibly tough and multi-faceted characters. As Kara tells Alex, “I may not need Superman to be a hero, but I will always need you.”
One of the great things about Alex is that she can hold her own next to Supergirl. Alex is a secret agent for the government who’s been dealing with alien threats before Kara even became Supergirl. She actually risked her life multiple times to save Kara and is a hero in her own right. She even taught Kara how to fight properly without relying solely on her brute strength. Not to mention Alex is loyal, incredibly intelligent and very good at her job.
Of course, when it comes down to it, Kara Danvers is an excellent female superhero lead and could easily carry the show on her own. But she doesn’t. Because every episode of Supergirl is filled with strong, nuanced female characters who are unapologetic about their decisions and themselves. Between Alex Danvers teaching Kara how to fight, Cat Grant’s utterly brilliant snarky comebacks, Lucy Lane’s competence as a lawyer, and flashbacks of Kara’s mother (who was a judge on Krypton), there is no shortage of strong female characters. So if you’re in the market for a show with supportive, driven and relatable female leads, Season 1 is currently available on Netflix and Season 2 is premiering this October 10th on the CW Network. If you’re looking to watch anything superhero related this fall, take a look at Supergirl!