Warning! Spoilers ahead for Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #1!
In Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #1, Superman's biggest rule by killing her new villain. This happens as the issue begins at the end of Supergirl's adventure in space with her alien ally Ruthye. Kara winds up aiding her newfound ally who tries to recruit Supergirl to kill her father's murderer. That person is none other than Krem, a ruthless kingsagent. She is out for revenge but doesn't have the means to do so as she's just a child, with no combat training. Ruthye first meets Supergirl at a space bar where Kara fights completely drunk, taking down the thief who stole Ruthye's sword. This is when Supergirl is offered the bounty hunter-type job, which she quickly denies as she doesn't kill.
However, it seems things are going to get heavily personal as Krem attacks Supergirl before she leaves for Earth. In this attack, Krypto is fatally shot by the kingsagent. This causes Supergirl to spiral into an unrelenting state of furious anger. At this point, Krem runs away because he realizes that Supergirl is simply too powerful for him. Even under a red sun, Supergirl proves to be a ruthless warrior that has the ability to scare criminals.
In Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #1 by Tom King and Bilquis Evely, Ruthye reveals that Supergirl will kill Krem. Starting at the end of their story, Ruthye realizes that she is skipping over vital information that pads out their story. But it's just before this where she talks about Supergirl landing the final blow that killed the murderous kingsagent. It's shocking to hear that Supergirl would break her and Superman's greatest rule. In this issue, Supergirl rejected Ruthye's offer because she is so adamantly against killing. But it seems she's had a change of heart.
Just like Superman, Supergirl holds back her strength because she knows she's incredibly strong and can use her powers for good. Taking down criminals using her abilities, but not going overboard and using them in a bad way. The moral boundary of being a hero is broken when committing murder, which then begs the question, how is said hero any different from the criminal? Therefore, Supergirl normally never kills and sticks by this rule. But as this issue clearly teases, the potential death of Krypto and the stealing of her ship may be the catalysts that will lead Supergirl to cross that line. The way Krem's death is depicted remains to be seen, but it's still possible that Supergirl's final blow isn't what kills Krem, but just injures him further.
Tom King's choice to begin with such a shocking piece of information is certainly bold. It teases a greater moral story for Supergirl and makes readers wonder how and when will this killing take place? At this point, will Kara reflect on her and Superman's strict rules, or will she throw everything out of the window? It'll be interesting to see if there are any big twists coming as it doesn't seem so clear-cut, unlike how it was mentioned by Ruthye at the start of the issue. Either way, Supergirl is going to have it tough Supergirl has no powers under her current solar system's red sun, therefore, Kara will be going medieval style as she wields Ruthye's sword. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #1 is available in comic book stores and on digital platforms now.
