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| As a result of the New 52 in 2011, the entire line of DC characters was relaunched, incorporating properties belonging to the company's imprints: Wildstorm, Milestone, and Vertigo. As such, elements of this character's history have been altered in some way from the previous incarnation. For a complete list of all versions of this character, see our disambiguation page. |
"Peej" kinda sounds like "Paige." And Paige is a really pretty name. So maybe that's your name. You're Paige. 
Power Girl, known in her civilian identity both as Karen Starr[1] and Paige Stetler,[3] was originally from Earth-Two and the cousin to its Superman, having a strong relationship with him.[4] She's been a protector of Earth for decades,[5] and was a member of Heroz4U,[6] the Justice Society,[7] and more recently Justice League Unlimited.[8]
History
Origin
Born on the dying planet Krypton, Kara's parents sent her to planet Earth in a sentient symbioship when she was just an infant. She was raised by the ship's A.I. while en route and, after arriving, she eventually met her cousin Kal-L, who had become the hero known as Superman.[3]
She also became a hero in her own right and worked with her cousin until a cosmic calamity destroyed the Earth, leaving her once again as an orphan of a dead planet.[3] She took refuge on Prime Earth and, by 1976, she was already an established superhero of this new reality known as Power Girl, and was an aspiring member of the Justice Society of America.[5]
Early Career
Kara's original suit
During the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Kara spent time on the Monitor's Satellite, the structure that would later become the Hall of Heroes. Her memory of the crisis was unclear, like that of a half-remembered dream.[9]
During the Infinite Crisis, she encountered the Psycho-Pirate, who subsequently was pulverized by Black Adam.[10] During this time, she was also rendered unconscious and attached to a Cosmic Tuning Fork, an experience she later recalled with intense displeasure.[9] She also has had an encounter with Lex Luthor.[6] She continued a career of heroism for many years until the Flashpoint incident and its aftermath (along with the manipulations of Doctor Manhattan) resulted in her being erased from the timeline.[citation needed]
"When? How? Where? What? Why? - Life's full of questions, isn't it?"
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Infinite Frontier
Return to Timeline
When Doctor Manhattan undid his alterations to the timeline, Kara was restored alongside the Justice Society of America.[11]
During the events of Infinite Frontier, Kara and other former Justice Society members gathered, seeking to catch up and compare notes on their experiences. However, they were ambushed and kidnapped by X-Tract and the DEO. Taken aboard a bleedship for transit to Earth Omega, they escaped and attacked Roy Harper, assuming he was a zombie from an alternate world in the Omniverse. However, Jade defused the fight, and the group traveled to Earth Omega, seeking answers.[12] A battle ensued between the JSA and the Injustice Incarnate, with the latter initially coming out on top.[10] Later, however, Darkseid intervened and returned the combatants to their respective realities, returning Power Girl and the rest of the JSA to Earth-0.[13]
One-Star Squadron
Manager Kara
At some point following her return, Power Girl was hired by Heroz4U. Struggling in the workplace, she began reading a corporate self-help book written by her former ally Maxwell Lord, taking much of the (deeply selfish) advice to heart, much to the detriment of her relationship with her co-workers and friends.[14]
After a series of corporate farces and intrigues, Kara was subsequently fired. Afterwards, she spent some time reflecting, a period which was interrupted by her spotting a burning building in the distance. Leaping into action, she rescued the inhabitants, and in the process was reminded of why she became a hero in the first place.[15]
Date with Jimmy Olsen
During a date between Kara and Jimmy Olsen, the heroine was confronted by her clone Divine, who threw a car in her direction endangering Jimmy. Kara managed to save him, and despite the fact that she was distracted by a nearby robbery, Divine failed to get the upper hand in their fight and when Superman arrived on the scene offering his help, Power Girl declined and promptly defeated her clone.[16]
Dark Crisis
Kara was present for the Battle at the Hall of Justice during Pariah's attack. During the early stages, she was recruited by Robin alongside Sideways and Doctor Light for a secret mission into the depths of the multiverse; the group was accidentally accompanied by Red Canary.[9]
Attempting to trace Pariah's dark chains to their source, they first used Sideways' ability to travel to Earth 53, which they discovered to be stripped clean of line, home only to a massive Cosmic Tuning Fork and an army of Shadow Demons. Routing Power Girl's heat vision through Doctor Light using her energy absorbing abilities, the group was able to hold off the Shadow Demons long enough to trace Pariah's chains to their next destination: the Hall of Heroes. There, Power Girl and Doctor Light recalled their prior experience there, during the first crisis, before the entire group was attacked by the Pariah-controlled Justice Incarnate. Luckily, Doctor Light was able to use her abilities, imbued by the Monitor, to free Justice Incarnate from Pariah's control. While unable to complete their intended mission, they resolved to return to the battlefield on Earth-0, now knowing that they could use Doctor Light's abilities to free Pariah's Dark Army from servitude.[9]
Dawn of DC
The New Golden Age
After Helena Wayne decided to work with the Justice Society, she told Power Girl how they had assembled a team of people seeking redemption in the future and suggested they do so in the present, starting with Solomon Grundy.[17] Huntress lead her own team to recruit Solomon Grundy that consisted of her father Batman, Salem the Witch Girl, Green Lantern, Stargirl, and Doctor Fate at Grundy's usual spot Slaughter Swamp. Power Girl alongside Mister Terrific and Jakeem Thunder went to Belle Reve, in hopes to recruit villain Icicle for the Justice Society of America.[18] After successfully recruiting Icicle, Huntress sent Power Girl to recruit the son of another super-villain, the Harlequin's Son. Power Girl alongside the Justice Society offered the Harlequin's Son an offer to join the JSA, which he reluctantly didn't accept, choosing to challenge the JSA instead. Before the JSA were able to catch him they were interrupted by the The Legionnaire/Mordru who knocked the Harlequin's Son out so the JSA can transport him to JSA Headquarters. The Legionnaire wanted to join the JSA, believing that Huntress and the team are the only chance at changing his future.[19]
New Beginning
Kara's new suit
During the volcano eruption at Lazarus Island, Kara was affected by the "green rain" and gained new psychic abilities. She somehow wound up in Lilith Clay's mind, resulting in the two getting telepathically connected. Growing closer, they decided to open a superhero counseling service together, where Power Girl would use her astral-punching abilities to help patients with Lilith's guidance. Their first client was Beast Boy.[20][21]
During a session with her "cousin" Jon Kent, she told him she didn't like the name Karen anymore, so he suggested the name "Paige", which was similar to "PG", and she decided to adopt it. While still in Jon's mindscape, they were attacked by Johnny Sorrow, who had been stalking Power Girl through telepathy.[2] Johnny twisted Metropolis into a psychic reflection of his mind, putting Lilith, the Super-Family, and others in a trance. Power Girl, confronting her own grief and feelings of alienation, found strength in embracing her Kryptonian heritage and connections; therefore, with Lilith and Catwoman's help, she defeated the Horsemen that Johnny had released over the country and stopped his plan to conquer the world. In a final confrontation, she acknowledged Johnny's loneliness but knocked him out, effectively thwarting his pans.[4]
The next day, the Super-Family celebrated Power Girl’s victory, affirming her place as part of the family. She also talked with Lilith about severing their connection in order to defeat Sorrow, but Lilith assured her they would remain friend. Later that night, Power Girl discovered that, despite having lost her basic telepathy, her astral-punching abilities remained intact.[4]
At some point, she became a journalist at Daily Planet under the name "Paige Stetler",[3] and she was responsible for a column about ethics in machine learning.[22] It was in this new civilian identity that she was approached by the mysterious Axel Gust, who wanted to hire her for what she assumed was the CIA.[3] After a few interactions, the two decided to go on a date, and Axel discovered Paige was Power Girl, while she found out he was Asgardian,[23] having only tried to "hire her" to find out where she had obtained some Asgardian artifacts she had sold at an auction. After coming clean to one another, they started dating.[24]
Around this time, Power Girl was temporarily transformed into a phoenix-like creature after Beast Boy was reduced to a feral state and attacked Earth by spreading Star Conqueror spores around the world.[25]
After dealing with Ejecta, Power Girl decided to use some of her saved millions from her time as a businesswoman to buy and restore an old building,[1] to where she moved with Lilith, Axel, Natasha Irons and Mariposa Lujan.[26]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Kryptonian Physiology: Under the effects of a "yellow" sun, Power Girl possesses the same potential powers as an average Kryptonian. These include:
- Solar Energy Absorption: Under optimal conditions, this is the main source of Power Girl's super powers as they are contingent upon exposure to solar radiation from a yellow sun star system. Her biological make up includes a number of organs which lack analogues in humans and whose functions are unknown. It is believed that between one or more of these and her bio-cellular matrix, "yellow" solar energy is stored for later use. This allows for the use of these powers to fade when yellow solar radiation is not available instead of immediate failure.
- Heat Vision: Power Girl can, as a conscious act, fire beams of intense heat at a target by looking at it. She can vary the heat and area affected.
- Super-Hearing: Power Girl's hearing is sensitive enough to hear any sound at any volume or pitch. With skill and concentration, she can block out ambient sounds to focus on a specific source or frequency.
- Enhanced Vision: Power Girl's vision processes the entire electromagnetic spectrum as well as allowing vast control over selective perception and focus.
This umbrella ability includes the following:- Electromagnetic Spectrum Vision: Power Girl can see well into most of the electromagnetic spectrum. She can see and identify radio and television signals as well as all other broadcast or transmitted frequencies. Using this ability, she can avoid detection by radar or satellite monitoring methods. This also allows her to see the aura generated by living thing.
- Telescopic Vision: This is the ability to see something at a great distance, without violating the laws of physics. Though limited, the exact extent of the ability is undetermined. In function, it is similar to the zoom lens on a camera.
- X-Ray Vision: This is the ability to see through any volume of matter except lead. Power Girls can see things behind a solid, opaque object as if it were not there. She can focus this ability to "peel back" layers of an object, allowing hidden image or inner workings to be observed. The exact type of energy perceived—such as x-rays, cosmic rays, or some other energy invisible to normal humans—is unclear. This ability perceives an ambient energy source though, it does not involve the eye projecting a concentrated, possibly toxic, beam to be reflected back from objects.
- Microscopic Vision: This is the ability to see extremely small objects and images down to the atomic level.
- Infrared Vision: Power Girl can see with better acuity in darkness, and to a degree in total darkness.
- Flight: Power Girl is able to manipulate graviton particles to defy the forces of gravity and achieve flight. This ranges from hovering to moving in any posture, in any direction.
- Invulnerability: Due to the interaction of her dense molecular structure and supercharged bio-electric aura, Power Girl is nigh-invulnerable to extreme energy forces. In addition, her extends this protection against toxins and diseases.
- Superhuman Stamina: Power Girl is able to maintain continuous strenuous physical action for an indefinite period of time. This based on her body converting yellow solar radiation directly to energy but is limited by physiological and psychological needs to eat, drink, and sleep.
- Superhuman Strength: Power Girl's strength is augmented by yellow solar radiation interacting with the greater than human density, resilience and biological efficiency of her musculature. Her strength is more an act of conscious will on energy fields than actual physical strength. It is this act of conscious will that enables her to perform physical feats that are beyond the mere application force, such as moving a mountain top without said rock crumbling under its own mass.
- Superhuman Speed: Power Girl is able to move at incredible speed by sheer force of will. This extends to her perceptions and allows for feats such as catching bullets in mid-flight as well as covering vast distances in little or no time.
This also confers: - Super-Breath: Power Girl is able to create hurricane force winds by exhaling air from her lungs. She can chill the air as it leaves her lungs to freeze targets. She can also reverse the process to pull large volumes of air or vapor into her lungs.
- Longevity: Power Girl can live longer than regular humans, remaining at her prime as long as she was under the exposure of the "yellow" sun.
- Sound Manipulation: Power Girl can create a powerful, high-pitched noise by whistling. This is sufficient to overwhelm another Kryptonian's super-hearing and cause them immense pain.[27]
- Astral Punching: After exposure to the Lazarus Rains, Power Girl gained the ability to punch open portals to, not only the Astral Plane[21][4] but also other locations and even different dimensions.[3]
Abilities
Weaknesses
- Kryptonian Physiology: Under the effects of a "yellow" sun, Power Girl possesses the same potential weaknesses as an average Kryptonian. These include:
Notes
- Kara Zor-L (Earth-Two) was created by Gerry Conway, Ric Estrada and Wally Wood, originally appearing in All-Star Comics #58. It is to be noted that this is a very similar (if not the same) Kara, only adjusted for the continuity of the Infinite Frontier era.
Recommended Reading
Related
- 117 Appearances of Kara Zor-L (Prime Earth)
- 137 Images featuring Kara Zor-L (Prime Earth)
- 14 Quotations by or about Kara Zor-L (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: Kara Zor-L (Prime Earth)
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Power Girl (Volume 3) #16
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Action Comics #1053
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Power Girl (Volume 3) #1
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Power Girl Special #1
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The New Golden Age #1
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 One-Star Squadron #1
- ↑ Justice Society of America (Volume 4) #1
- ↑ DC All In Special #1
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Dark Crisis: The Dark Army #1
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Infinite Frontier #5
- ↑ Doomsday Clock #12
- ↑ Infinite Frontier #4
- ↑ Infinite Frontier #6
- ↑ One-Star Squadron #4
- ↑ One-Star Squadron #5
- ↑ DC's Harley Quinn Romances #1
- ↑ Justice Society of America (Volume 4) #6
- ↑ Justice Society of America (Volume 4) #7
- ↑ Justice Society of America (Volume 4) #9
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Lazarus Planet: Assault on Krypton #1
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Action Comics #1051
- ↑ Power Girl (Volume 3) #2
- ↑ Power Girl (Volume 3) #11
- ↑ Power Girl (Volume 3) #12
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 Titans: Beast World Tour: Metropolis #1
- ↑ Power Girl (Volume 3) #17
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 Action Comics #1080
  Daily Planet Staff member |
 This character has been a member of the Justice League of America, or simply the Justice League in any of its various incarnations, sworn by a duty to act as guardians of America and the world by using their skills and/or superpowers to protect Earth from the clutches of both interstellar and domestic threats. |
 Justice Society of America member |
 Superman Family member |