Superman Through the Ages! Forum

Spoilers
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Linda Quit she mailed a letter to Lois and Clark explaining what happened and along with all her stuff and Kara is gone back to the silver age.......I'm guessing Cir-El is the new Supergirl. I'm sorry I have never regreted anything PAD has done but I disagree that Linda should quit....This is sad. At least Ariella survived, she was sent to the DC 1 Million world. I think Cir-El should have not been created because she's screwed everything up big time.

If anyone wants to see scans from the issue there are some in my club already.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/supergirlsfortressofsolitude/

So let me make sure I've got this straight (especially since it'll save me  two bucks!)...

- Kara is back in her pre-Crisis life.  I assume she's restarting from Day One (popping out of that rocket to greet Kal) and all the "history" we saw in issue 79 is now ret-conned away (even though, I'm guessing, Linda will always remember it).  I'd like to know if this is the case, as it's further re-affirmation that yes, the pre-Crisis Multiverse *did* exist and without it the new DCU would not. (This is what Hal/Specter said, even though it represents a major deviation from DC editorial policy prior to 2003).

- Linda has quit.  What does this mean, exactly?  She refuses to be a super-hero anymore?  Has she lost her powers or just her interest?  Honestly I never understood the notion of heroes "quitting," because heroism is not a job, it's a character trait.  It's not like they punch in at 9 and out at 5, fighting crime in between.  Disasters, crimes and catastrophes happen and they respond.  Not because it's their job, but because they CAN, just as you or I would stop and help someone in a disabled vehicle or someone we saw getting beat up.  If a hero says "I will no longer use my powers to help," then he or she is not "retiring." He or she is in fact turning his or her back on humanity.  The rest of us aren't allowed to do that, so why should they?  Or do you mean Linda has lost her powers? Or is she just giving up the Supergirl name and taking some time to herself to put together a new crimefighting identity?

- Sorry Cir-El has screwed things up for you.  Things have been screwed up for me since Kara died in '86, so I'm not too upset about this new twist.  But I still remember what it felt like to have a stranger forced down my throat as "Supergirl," so I can sympathize with you.

Issue 79 isn't retconned away.  According to the Spectre, when Linda Danvers went back in Kara's place, she created a new spin-off universe, a "divergence," from Earth-1.  When Kara went back, she went back to the Earth-1 that we know and love.  The Spectre states that *both* of those universes must now be destroyed in Crisis, in order to preserve the current DCU.  (New addition to the Supergirl mythos:  Kara chose the name "Linda Lee" because of her subconscious memories of her experiences with Linda Danvers, who taught her what a "true hero" is.)


She has dropped the "Supergirl" mantle because she no longer feels, after her experiences and the choices she made in issue 80, that she is capable of being a hero.  Think along the lines of Kal-El in "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?"  He chose not to be a hero anymore after his actions.  I agree, it's not "heroic," but some might think otherwise.  You might want to consider reading the issue for your own take on it.  If nothing else, think of it as a Crisis tie-in 8)

I think basically PAD had to get rid of the character for editorial reasons, so he chose to have Linda "drop out" instead of killing her off or anything.  That way, it's always easier to resurrect her at some possible time in the future if anyone ever wants to.

Well, that makes sense I guess.  After all the Multiverse included a potentially infinite number of realities, so what's one more.  Anyway, nice to see yet another confirmation that yes, the Multiverse was real.



Well, that is a neat touch!



Maybe I will.  I can see where a person who feels guilt or is disappointed in herself might resist having people call her a "hero," but stepping to the sidelines sort of makes for circuitous logic.  I'm not a hero, so I will stop helping people.  And because I don't help, I'm not a hero.  It seems to me that if she's unhappy with how she's behaved, copping out would just make it worse, not better.

But of course you're right; PAD was in an impossible spot and got himself out the best he could.  At least it beats yet another superhero death...we've had enough of those to last forever.

I think there are more heroic ways that a character can be written out without having them drop out or be killed.  Look at the Earth 2 Superman and the Earth Prime Superboy.  Or she could have gone off to another planet or something.

But I still enjoyed the story.

I'm thinking she chose "Lee" for a lastname because of "Leesburg".

Upon further reflection, I don't believe that Linda has been written out.  I think she's only taking a vacation.

Here's the clue from Supergirl #80:  The villain's shtick is that he's come back in time to kill all the versions of Supergirl that he can find. (Think that guy from Kingdom who was travelling back in time to kill all the versions of Superman that he could find.)  Well, in issue 80, when the now grown-up version of Linda returns from the divergent Earth 1 to confront him, the villain finally recognizes her as the woman who defeated him in the future.  Only Linda herself hasn't done it yet.  So we have yet to see the original battle that started all this.

"You have no clue how to access the powers you wield in the future!"

Further, he was surprised that she was called Supergirl.  So when she does return, it'll be with a different name...

I am relatively new to the current supergirl saga.  That said, I do have a question that I hope can be answered through comic book physics.

In the final issue, 80, Linda Danvers has been living a number of years in the other universe and started a family.   She has a daughter that appears to be atleast four to six years old.      Wouldn't her older age immediately be apparent to her mother when she comes and visits her new baby brother, Wally, upon her return?

Yeah thats what my friends and I have been wondering for a while.....only PAD can anwser that I guess.

No.
How old was "linda?"
I know that most folk look the same for about 15 years after they mature barring accident sickness or injury.
Linda was grown.

That's a good explanation, but I seem to recall that it was intended that she did look different when she returned.  After all, it wasn't until then (after she had aged) that the villain from the future recognized her.

But didn't her mother know that she was Supergirl?  Why would it be important whether or not her mother knew that she had aged?

yeah her parents knew....so I dont see why there is a problem.

Somewhere I read a claim that the original Supergirl was gone and could never be brought back. We all know that's not necessarily true, since anyone can be brought back in comics.  That just sounds like someone wanted to get rid of her any way they could.  Superman could travel back through time and find her just before she was supposedly killed and bring her forward to our time.  That would not affect the past or the future since she was dead.

When is the collected edition of this storyline going on sale?  Anyone know?