The mantle of Supergirl is typically associated most with Kara Zor-El, Superman’s biological cousin. But after that character’s death following Crisis on Infinite Earths, however, DC was hesitant to add another truly Kryptonian Maiden of Might. Other Supergirls were introduced, but none of them were Superman’s relatives, maintaining Kal-El’s Post-Crisis status as the true Last Son of Krypton.
This finally changed, seemingly, in the early 2000s with the introduction of Cir-El. This new Girl of Steel was apparently Superman’s daughter, and she earned the consternation of Lois and the friendship of several other young heroines. Unfortunately for Superman’s family, however, all was not as it seemed with the Girl of Steel.
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The Last Daughter of Krypton
Cir-El was introduced in Superman: The 10-Cent Adventure #1 by Steven Seagle and Scott McDaniel. She debuted by defeating the radioactive villain Radion before publicly identifying herself as Superman’s daughter to the media. This immediately angers Lois, who accuses Clark of having an affair with either Wonder Woman or Zatanna. This suspicion is bolstered by Cir-El’s looking exactly like Superman, though he continues to deny that he knows the young hero. Lois’ suspicions of her otherwise loyal husband’s potential affair were unexpectedly put to rest when Cir-El refers to her Lois as Mommy.
Unfortunately, the event was not exactly Father’s Day for Clark, as he learned that Cir-El was sent back from a dystopian world by the Futuresmiths. That reality was a much darker place, with Batman and Wonder Woman having been turned into cyborgs by the machinations of Brainiac. Superman takes her under his wing, even after a S.T.A.R. Labs test reveals that she is not Lois’ child.
The Metropolis Supergirls
Supergirl makes herself at home as part of a modern incarnation of the Superman Family alongside Superman, Superboy, Krypto and Steel’s niece Natasha Irons. She forms a friendship especially with Natasha and the magical Traci 13, with the Metropolis Supergirls fighting crime with a combination of machinery, muscle and magic. Superman soon discovers, however, that Cir-El is in fact a human girl named Mia who has somehow developed an alter ego with powers like his. This is confirmed when his Kelex drone informs them that she is not in fact his daughter at all.
The truth is revealed when it’s shown that Cir-El was part of an elaborate plan laid out by Brainiac, who would use her as a Trojan Horse to defeat Superman and the other heroes. He knew that Superman would never harm his child, biological or otherwise. Not wanting the dark future that she had been implanted to remember to come to pass, Supergirl sacrifices herself by throwing herself into a time portal, keeping her birth from ever happening.
Since then, she’s had only a few very minor appearances, none of which had any long-lasting impact. One story had Superman and Batman being assisted by all past versions of Supergirl from different continuities and realities, including Cir-El. The second appearance was a sort of gag done by the mischievous Mr. Myxzptlk, with Cir-El promptly disappearing after his game was done. Her legacy may live on in live-action, however, with the upcoming DCEU Supergirl bearing a rather uncanny resemblance to Cir-El. This suggests that she might be the daughter or Lois and Clark hinted at in the Justice League movie, which could make Cir-El into everything that Cir-El always wished that she was.