Justice League Unlimited: Supergirl — There is Nothing Super About This Girl

The Superman franchise was heavily pushed during Season 1 of Justice League Unlimited, mostly because the Batman franchise was tied up with the new The Batman animated series. Most of the Batman property was diverted to that show. It was fun to see the Superman family receive the spotlight with main villains Lex Luthor and Brainiac making a huge impact. Naturally, Superman is there to help makes things right, but not only is he joined by the Justice League, he also has the help of Steel and Supergirl (heck, even Power Girl made an appearance in one form or another). It's only fitting that Supergirl should stand next to her famous cousin in the world of plastic. I just wish Mattel did better job in her creation.

According to current comic book lore, Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, Superman's cousin from the planet Krypton. Her father was also a scientist and sent his teenage daughter to Earth to protect Baby Kal-El. But her rocketship was slower and she was put into a state of suspended animation. When she finally crash landed on Earth, she found out that Baby Kal-El was now an adult her while she is still just a teenager. The animated world loosely followed the origin, though they made Kara hail from a world similar to Krypton, a "cousin" planet so to speak. After making her new home on Earth, she took up the identity of Supergirl.

The Supergirl figure is incredibly different from the rest of the action figures in this line. In trying to show that she is just a teenager, Mattel really made her shorter than the rest of the characters. When I mean short, I mean short. Usually, the ladies are shorter and skinnier than their male counterparts. Supergirl is even shorter than the women. She comes up to Wonder Woman's shoulder. Now when they say "girl", I didn't realize it was supposed to be a 10-year old. She is supposed to be in her late teens and instead Mattel makes a pre-pubescent figure.

The women in this toyline already have skinny arms and legs. They are a bit fragile but not to the point that it will break after one use. Supergirl, on the hand, doesn't share that same fate. Her arms and legs are so skinny that she brings a new meaning to the word anorexic. I feel that it can snap at any moment without really trying. Because her arms and legs literally look like stick, they are completely straight without any defined musculature. This in turn makes the figure look as stiff as a cardboard. The playability factor just went down as a result. There are times I'm afraid to even move her limbs, even though she only has 5-points of articulation. On top of that, her head looks huge compared to her small body.

The details are minimal but then again so is the costume. The animated version of Supergirl doesn't follow the traditional red and blue costume. Yes, she has a red cape and boots, but she wears a white t-shirt with the "S" shield and a blue mini skirt. She accessorizes her outfit with white gloves and a black headband.

The strangest thing about this figure is the accessory that comes along with it. I didn't know what it was at first. Is it a purse? Is it a giant lock? No, it's a combination of the two. It's a safe-locked handbag (I can already hear the jokes on why it doesn't come with a belt). Here's my question: why does she need it? I'm all for extra accessories but this one doesn't make one iota of sense to me at all. Then again, having a loaded purse does make for a good weapon especially if it's made out of metal.

Overall, Supergirl is a super disappointment. I'm all for unique sculpts but this one really has me scratching my head. Mattel didn't plan this one out properly as she really sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the rest of the figures, and not in a good way. I keep wondering if Supergirl is even in the right scale compared to the others. Still, the collector will definitely add her to the collection. It's better to get her in a three-pack set than buying her separately. I actually liked the version created for the Superman: The Animated Series that came out years before this one. At least she actually looks like a teenager. The JLU version looks like a child waiting to grow up.


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Justice League (single figures)
Morph Gear Series
Ultra-Humanite


Justice League Unlimited (single figures)
Series 1
The Atom || Brainiac

Series 2
Amazo || Atom Smasher || Aquaman || Booster Gold || Red Tornado


DC Superheroes: Justice League Unlimited (single figures)
Series 3
Aztek || Steel || Superman w/Black Mercy || Waverider || Wildcat

Series 4
Elongated Man || Metamorpho || Orion || Rocket Red || Vigilante

Series 5
Green Lantern Kyle Rayner || The Shade || Sinestro

Series 6
Blue Devil || Shining Knight

Exclusives
Solomon Grundy