The following contains spoilers for Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #1, by Tom King, Bilquis Evely, Matheus Lopes, and Clayton Cowles, on sale now.
One of the biggest, most controversial stances on what makes for a superhero regards whether these costumed crimefighters should be able to actively employ lethal force in keeping the world safe from evildoers. While some of the DC Universe's biggest icons, including Batman and Superman, have maintained a strict no kill policy and directly opposed their counterparts that do not share this sensibility, other heroes have killed their enemies in the past, with characters like Huntress and Green Arrow more than willing to cross that moral line if they deem it necessary.
And as Supergirl embarks on a new cosmic adventure, Kara Zor-El is teased to similarly take this drastic action against a brutal new antagonist.
As Kara marks her 21st birthday, she is overcome with the grief and trauma of losing her homeworld Krypton and everyone she knew before arriving on Earth. With Krypto in tow, Kara travels to a planet with a red sun, which gradually deprives herself of her powers under its light, and attempts to dull the painful memory with a boozy, backwater bender. Kara's impromptu birthday party for one is interrupted when she steps in to rescue a girl menaced by the planet's cruel dictator. As the fight escalates and Kara finds herself stranded on the faraway planet, the girl's recollections of Kara's time on the world reveals she will eventually triumph over the warlord and kill him herself.
Supergirl has had a bit more of a convoluted history than her cousin Kal-El, and this foretold instance is not the only time in the character's history that Kara has crossed the line. The New 52 iteration of Kara made her a much darker character, killing a Kryptonian named H'El that attempted to manipulate her into helping him conquer Earth by driving Kryptonite directly into his heart. Later, Kara would give into her anger during an encounter with Lobo and transform into a Red Lantern for a time before eventually being brought back to her senses. The DC Rebirth incarnation character appeared to be considerably less troubled than she had appeared during the New 52, a distinction that seemingly continued into the Infinite Frontier era.
The no-kill policy has been a divisive matter among the DCU's superhero community. Wonder Woman's willingness to kill Maxwell Lord in the lead-up to Infinite Crisis caused the DC trinity to splinter for a time. Batman's no kill stance put him at odds with Red Hood upon Jason Todd's return to Gotham City but his stance softened somewhat as Jason became an integral part of the Bat Family once again, though Jason's use of lethal force remained a contentious issue between the two men in stories like Batman: Three Jokers.
Supergirl has a history of killing her enemies when necessary and of being one of the darker, angrier figures within the Superman Family. Without powers and left alone on a faraway planet after her birthday plans went disastrously, Kara is poised to kill again as she faces a despotic foe that has taken a special interest in her. And should this prediction prove true and Kara kill this dictator, the question remains how she will face Superman after her adventure across a barbaric world that results in her using lethal force to overthrow a local warlord while on a birthday bender gone wrong.