6 Times Supergirl Improved DC Mythology (& 4 Times It Failed)

3. The Inclusivity Of Comic Books

Supergirl Season 4 Dreamer Nia Nal
The CW

Once Supergirl really began to get its wings as a show – as in, once it switched to The CW with its second season – the series started to not just rely on the familiar tropes of capes ‘n’ tights. Instead, Supergirl has used its platform to highlight a whole host of real-life issues.

Comic books are for everybody. Whatever race, gender, sexual orientation, or religious belief, the world of comics does not discriminate. And neither does Supergirl.

To date, Supergirl has tackled so many issues in a way that’s respectful yet never afraid to be hard hitting when needed.

The series has seen Alex Danvers face the problems of coming out as gay, has seen racism tackled in the shape of aliens being attacked just for being aliens, has delivered TV’s first transgender superhero in the shape of Dreamer, and has even looked at political corruption and power plays.

Few shows in the history of television have been as all-inclusive as Supergirl, and it’s remarkable how well so many sensitive issues have been handled by the series so far during its five-year run.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.