If you haven’t been keeping up with Kara Zor-El’s latest series, now’s the time to tune in, because there’s a newSupergirlon the scene. DC’s latest preview not only unveils her origin story but also rewrites a major rule about how Kryptonians respond to Earth’s yellow sun. So who is this mysterious new Supergirl, and why are her powers evolving in ways even Clark Kent has never experienced?
Supergirl’s sudden physical shift feels more like a Hulk transformation…
Sophie Campbell, Tamra Bonvillain, and Becca Carey return with the secondinstallment of their ongoingSupergirlseries, picking up where the last issue left off with new revelations about the phony Supergirl who has stolen Kara’s identity and parents and is working to turn the people of Midvale against her.
The preview for this issue, set to release on June 14, 2025, unveils the origin story of this new Maiden of Might, revealing her as none other than Lesla-Lar, a long-established character in DC lore who first appeared inAction Comics#279 (1961).Lesla-Lar is best known as a double and enemy of Supergirland one of the many Kryptonians living in the bottled city of Kandor. Campbell’s series reimagines her character for a modern audience.
DC’s New Supergirl Rewrites the Rules on How Yellow Sunlight Affects Kryptonians
Main Cover by Sophie Campbell forSupergirl#2 (2025)
Dissatisfied with her life and jealous of Kara, Lesla leaves Kandor with her pet rabbit, Kandy, determined to become someone“special”like the real Supergirl. She arrives in Midvale, Kara’s hometown, where she decides to begin a new life as someone worthy of admiration and attention. Upon exposure to Earth’s yellow sunlight, both Lesla and her rabbit begin to develop the typical Kryptonian powers. However, this is where things begin to diverge from established canon. As shown in the preview,Lesla not only gains powers but also begins to undergo a drastic physical transformation.
In most versions of canon,the changes a Kryptonian experiences under yellow sunlight are internal, with no visible alteration to their physical form. Any visual differences are usually limited to power-related effects such as heat vision, flight, or frost breath. Physical appearance itself remains consistent. This is not the case for Lesla. She immediately bursts through her clothes, gaining significant muscle mass and becoming extremely curvaceous and busty. She even comments on this transformation, saying,“Look at me…! I’m beautiful. Even more beautiful than Supergirl.”
Lesla’s transformation marks a striking departure fromhow Kryptonian powers are traditionally portrayed.Her sudden physical shift feels more like a Hulk transformationthan what typically happens when a Kryptonian absorbs yellow sunlight. While there may be an obscure comic panel somewhere in DC’s history showing a similar effect on Kara or Clark, this depiction stands out as an exception. Superman and Supergirl don’t suddenly lose muscle mass or curves when exposed to red sunlight, which further highlights how unusual Lesla’s reaction is. This development adds a compelling new wrinkle to Kryptonian lore and raises the question of why Lesla responded so differently to the yellow sun.
Why Does Lesla-Lar React to Yellow Sunlight Differently Than Supergirl?
Cover B Stanley ‘Artgerm’ Lau Variant forSupergirl#2 (2025)
While there is currently no clear answer as to why Lesla had such a drastically different reaction to yellow sunlight compared to Clark and Kara, there is plenty of room for speculation. For one,Supergirl#1 subtly hinted that Lesla’s powers might differ slightly from Kara’s, as Kara remarks that Lesla seems to rely more on her gadgets than her powers. However, this could simply be because Lesla, stillnew to her Kryptonian abilities, feels more comfortable using her technology rather than fully embracing her powers, rather than it pointing to any real or significant difference between the two.
It is also possible that Lesla’s transformation, bursting through her clothes and experiencing a literal glow-up, was purely an artistic choice by Campbell. She may have wanted to visually emphasize the moment of transformation and took creative liberty to do so. If that is the case, there may be no major difference in how Lesla’s Kryptonian powers have developed. Still, it will be interesting to see if the series eventually explains why Lesla gained exaggerated curves and muscle tone, whileSupergirlremains her thinner, yet exceptionally powerful, self under the same yellow sun.
