Summary

• Supergirl's live-action history is a complicated one, with the DC hero suits developing significantly over time.
• Actresses like Melissa Benoist and Lauren Vandervoort have expressed discomfort with revealing costumes, highlighting the need for empowering depictions.
• The most recent suits in The Flash and Supergirl season 5 have provided full coverage, better designs, and reflect the character's power and evolution.

DCEU, and her suit has undergone major evolutions over time. Although her blue suit and red skirt are iconic, many more recent iterations of live-action Supergirl have begun to trend in a different direction. Those changes have mostly been for the better, even if they have meant ditching the classic costume.

Supergirl is a popular DC character and one of the most prominent female superheroes in the comics and their on-screen adaptations. Representations of female superheroes have not always been empowering, though, and Supergirl was certainly one example of a hero whose costuming at times undercut her power and status as a legitimate superhero. Over time, however, there has been a clear trend toward updating her look to address that issue.

7 Melissa Benoist's First Supergirl Suit

Supergirl (2015)

Kara Danvers, a.k.a. Supergirl, is portrayed by Melissa Benoist in the Supergirl TV show, which is part of the Arrowverse's timeline. Her first suit in the show was never meant to be, and seemed to signal the underlying issues with many of the character's previous costume choices. Supergirl's first 'suit' in the show, which she only tried on, was little more than a crop top that left a significant part of her torso exposed and extremely short spandex shorts. Before rejecting it, Kara explains that she "wouldn't even wear it to the beach," while covering her stomach in clear discomfort.

The outfit could easily be played off as a laugh, but it's really a thinly veiled, well-deserved criticism of the way Supergirl has been objectified throughout her many appearances, beginning in the comics. Supergirl isn't the only female superhero to face this problem — it's a pervasive issue — but her track record more than warrants this commentary. While it was never really going to be used functionally in the show, it's lowest on the list for its objectifying design and minimal coverage.

6 Lauren Vandervoort's Supergirl Costume

Smallville (2007-2011)

Unlike Benoist, Lauren Vandervoort, who portrayed Smallville's Supergirl (named Kara Kent and Kara Zor-El in this show) didn't get an on-screen her suit. Throughout the series, her 'suit' comprised a blue shirt that exposed her stomach and the classic Supergirl red skirt. Worse, though, is that her outfit was essentially made up of everyday clothes; she didn't get the 'S' emblem, and her suit wasn't in keeping with the suits of other heroes in Smallville. This costume ranks even lower because Vandervoort reportedly felt uncomfortable in the costume and didn't want it to be so revealing.

During one Comic Con , Vandervoort revealed that she hated the Supergirl costume, even requesting that it be burned when the show wrapped. It's no surprise why; while it's thrilling to see female heroes on-screen, the suit worn by Vandervoort in Smallville is indicative of the way their depictions can detract from what should be an empowering moment. Luckily, this is being addressed, although not in time for Vandervoort to have gotten a suit she was happier with.

5 Melissa Benoist's Second Supergirl Suit

Supergirl (2015)

After discarding the revealing crop top and shorts outfit, Kara Danvers of the Supergirl TV show tried out a suit that gets much closer to the classic Supergirl suit. Now more covered, the costume included a long-sleeved blue top (this time that didn't reveal her stomach) and the classic red skirt with a gold belt. Kara didn't yet have the 'S' insignia that her suit, like Superman's, is known for, but it was certainly a step in the right direction for the character.

4 Helen Slater's Supergirl Costume

Supergirl (1984)

Supergirl was first depicted in a live-action leading role in the 1984 Supergirl movie, portrayed by Helen Slater. This suit is perhaps the closest to the look of the comics, which makes sense given it was Supergirl's live-action debut. This suit was better than Smallville's Supergirl outfit, as it was significantly less revealing, and beats out the first two suits on the Supergirl TV show because it shows the classic 'S' emblem and includes a cape, making it more authentic.

3 Melissa Benoist's Third Supergirl Suit

Supergirl (2015)

The third suit in the Supergirl TV show is a significant upgrade from the second and is much more in keeping with Slater's. This suit added the classic cape and 'S' insignia, and it included tights and over-the-knee boots. Unlike Vandervoort's reaction to her costume, Benoist was pleased with this suit for a long time. Benoist shared in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that she loved this version of the suit, except for dealing with cold weather in tights. Benoist stated:

"I haven’t changed it because it so works, and I think it is very Kara. I’ve always felt that — until recently, I’m like, ‘Something’s gotta give."

However, the suit was heading in the direction of a massive upgrade — something that, despite loving this version of the suit, Benoist had been pushing for a long time.

2 Sasha Calle Supergirl Costume

The Flash (2023)

Sasha Calle's Supergirl costume in The Flash (2023) was a major step in the right direction for Supergirl suits, which makes sense given it is the most recent live-action representation of Supergirl. In this costume, Supergirl has full coverage, a cape, and matches Superman's costume much more closely.

A far cry from the Smallville costume, this suit also looks like a true superhero suit in of detail and styling, reflecting Supergirl's power while also visually communicating how she has replaced Superman in this version of the timeline. This exciting installment in Supergirl's live-action appearances hopefully signals that she will see more suits of this kind in the future.

1 Melissa Benoist's Fourth Supergirl Suit

Supergirl (2019)

The best Supergirl suit to date, however, goes to Kara Danvers' final suit in the Supergirl series. The update that Benoist had been waiting for finally arrived in season 5 of the show, when Kara swapped out the classic red skirt for pants. The detailed full-body suit in The Flash is undoubtedly a major improvement and an excellent suit, with clear thought into its structure and visuals, but this Supergirl suit was also hard-won — not just in Supergirl, but throughout Supergirl's various appearances, earning it the top slot.

While skirts aren't inherently bad or indicative of objectification in and of themselves, the history of Supergirl actresses feeling uncomfortable in them presents a clear issue. Heroes can be strong and powerful in a skirt, but, for many, the skirts were clearly intended to be sexualizing when looking at Supergirl's design history.

Skirts also present the issue of practicality; a suit with pants, such as the one seen toward the end of the Supergirl TV show and in The Flash, makes a lot more sense for serious fighting. As such, this live-action Supergirl suit is not only well-designed, but also reflected of a series of changes in how the character was handled over the years as well, adding another layer of poignancy to the overall costume.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Key Release Dates

• The Batman Part II

  Release Date:

  2026-10-02