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One of the oldest matters of debate among comic nerds and fanatics has always been who the more potent force between Superman and Supergirl is. The argument here is that the two not only share the same physiology but also draw strength from the same source. Not to mention they have identical powers.

As you may expect, most fans are biased toward their beloved Superman, seeing as he is the more familiar character. He’s also achieved far greater feats in his time on Earth than the recently introduced Supergirl, battling and defeating beings from his own planet, like Zod, as well as other incredibly powerful forces like Doomsday and Darkseid.

Kara Danvers in the Supergirl suit in front of a fire
Melissa Benoist as Kara Danvers in ‘Supergirl’ | Darren Michaels/Getty Images

Still, there are a couple of other factors that may make Supergirl come on top. And recent DC runs might have finally already answered the age-long question.

Supergirl shows incredible strength

So, to look at it objectively, you’ll need a situation where both Superman and Supergirl go against each other without any reservations. Well, in Crime Syndicate #5, their cross-dimensional (Ultraman — Superman & Ultragirl — Supergirl) do just that, according to Distractify. In this case, Ultraman is the evil that seeks to destroy Ultragirl’s home, Earth-3.

In this scene, Ultragirl swoops in as Ultraman tries to punch Luthor, stopping his punch with one hand. Keep in mind that Ultraman is actually an evil superman and is therefore highly unlikely to hold back on his power. To the shock of readers, she even brings him to his knees with one hand showing just how powerful she is.

Also, according to history, DC’s evil doppelgängers tend to possess similar traits when it comes to powers and skills. Therefore, Ultragirl stopping Ultraman on Earth-3 wouldn’t be much different if it were happening on Earth-0.

About The Yellow Sun …

Before going any further, it is worth noting that the body size and muscle mass have little to do with the strength of Kryptonians. A bulk of their strength is obtained when they absorb the yellow sun’s radiation. It’s the radiation that is metabolized to enhance their speed, physical strength, and durability.

From this, you might say that their strength can be calculated by the amount of solar energy they have absorbed. So, who then has absorbed more solar power?

Kara aka Supergirl has 1 major advantage

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Most fans would jump to say that it is Superman who’s absorbed the most solar power of the two. After all, he came to Earth as a baby and has had over 20 years to absorb the sun’s radiation.

However, the more recent reworking of the origin of Kara Zor-El (Supergirl) shows that Kara was born before Kal-El (Superman)and had grown to her teenage years in Krypton. She was then sent to Earth before Kal but ended up spending years suspended in outer space while absorbing the yellow sun’s radiation. This alone gives Kara an upper hand over her cousin.

On top of that, Kara also grew up in Krypton. Thus, her muscles were formed under duress of the higher gravity on Krypton. This means, even on a muscular level, Kara would still emerge stronger than Kal, raised under Earth’s light gravity.

Kal-El

Despite his great name and fame, Kal– El, alias Superman, is regarded as one of the boring superheroes. His combat skills are not all that great in many fans’ opinion, and other fans have even claimed he had a blank personality. Also, he always has the upper hand against any rival by sheer strength alone, which is not that exciting.

So it came as a surprise when Kara seemed to be stronger than Superman in her first appearance. She seemed to have more strength and was extremely fast. Even Superman couldn’t keep up. However, this strength difference was explained.

You see, since his arrival on Earth, Superman has always been suppressing his powers to fit in with the far less powerful or fast humans. Kara, on the other hand, arrived at Earth as an adult. She wouldn’t know how to hold back her powers right off the bat, which is why she appeared stronger.

However, despite her limits in holding back power, it is safe to say that Supergirl is currently stronger than Superman, especially considering the events of Crime Syndicate #5. Supergirl is set to become a much greater superhero than his Kryptonian relative in the future.

And now, even as the Supergirl series comes to a closure, we can’t wait for what spin DC will give to further the story.

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