Cir-El
Encyclopedia
Cir-El is a fictional character
. The alleged daughter of Superman
, she first appeared in Superman: The 10 Cent Adventure. Created by Steven Seagle and Scott McDaniel, she was one of many characters known as Supergirl
.
). The girl identifies herself as Supergirl
, Superman's daughter. Upset, Lois confronts Superman, accusing him of having an affair, and refusing to believe his claim of innocence, since "Supergirl" looks just like him. However after a cup of the new "Yes" coffee, Lois suddenly calms down and dismisses "Supergirl" as a villain's hoax, until she lands in front of Lois and calls her "Mommy". Superman confronts the girl, who argues that she is his daughter with Lois, and that her name is "Cir-El". Cir-El says that she is from the future, brought to the past by the Futuresmiths. When Superman encounters the Futuresmiths, they show him a horrific future, with robotic monsters attacking civilians, and he sees himself as a cybernetic Superman attacking civilians as well. The Futuresmiths tell him that Cir-El's death will prevent this future, and as they turn to attack her, Superman flies her to safety. S.T.A.R. Labs confirms that she is his daughter, but that Lois is not her mother. Regardless of her identity, Superman comes to regard Cir-El as family.
Cir-El helps Superman fight off a diseased Bizarro
. Later, she fights off with the aid of Natasha Irons
and Girl 13, a vengeance-crazed superhuman ninja who is killing Superman. When Superman and Batman
are said to be "captured" by President Lex Luthor
in Superman/Batman
"Public Enemies", Cir-El teams up with Superboy
, Krypto
, Natasha Irons, and the Batman Family
to rescue them. Batman, not actually having been captured, is the one to save Cir-El and Superboy from a White House
death trap.
Superman has a shock when, while talking to Cir-El, she changes into an angry young woman named Mia, who hates her Cir-El persona. Superman's Kryptonian robot Kelex subsequently confirms that Cir-El is not the Man of Steel's biological daughter (despite the evidence from S.T.A.R. Labs). While the girl's D.N.A. has some Kryptonian attributes, she is primarily human.
and Batman turned into cyborgs by a nano-tech virus concealed in "Yes" coffee, and Cir-El trapped in a giant Brainiac
robot. Brainiac reveals that Cir-El is his "Trojan Horse
", that he has concealed part of himself in the one thing he knows Superman would never harm: his 'child'. Cir-El was created by Brainiac by grafting some Kryptonian DNA onto the body of Mia. He then implanted false memories in Cir-El and had his servants, the Futuresmiths, send her out into the world (along with the nano-virus, which was placed in "Yes" coffee to proliferate the virus and infect the population) in order to unknowingly alter the future, and lead Superman to create a synthetic body to save Lois from her "Yes" infection in the future (for Brainiac to inhabit). Horrified, Cir-El throws herself into a time portal to prevent herself from being born, and thus, prevent the future from ever happening.
Thanks to the time-traveling efforts of Bizarro
in Superman/Batman
#24, Cir-El is able to join Linda Danvers
, Kara Zor-El
(both Modern Age and Pre-Crisis versions) and Power Girl
to rescue Superman
from the Source Wall. The girls are successful, but Superman only recognizes Kara, Power Girl, and Linda, due to Cir-El and pre-Crisis Kara Zor-El coming from previously erased timelines.
Cir-El and the other Supergirls then assist Superman and Batman in a reality-altering fight against various menaces from many alternate dimensions. At the conclusion of the fight, Mister Mxyzptlk
sent Cir-El and everyone else involved back to their appropriate locations.
origin, Cir-El absorbs yellow sunlight to gain superhuman strength and speed, super-hearing, and invulnerability. Originally, instead of flying, Cir-El could leap vast distances, although she is later seen flying in Superman/Batman #5, and again in issue 24. Her "trademark" power is the ability to release her stored solar energy from her hands as "Red Sunbursts", blasts of red solar radiation (the very wavelength of sunlight that Superman loses his powers under) that strike an enemy with intense heat and force. Like Superman, she is vulnerable to Kryptonite
.
The only other human/Kryptonian hybrid, Superboy
, inherited (eventually, through retcon
) more traditional powers because his D.N.A. is 50 percent Kryptonian, whereas Cir-El's D.N.A. is primarily human, with some grafted-on Kryptonian attributes.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
. The alleged daughter of Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, she first appeared in Superman: The 10 Cent Adventure. Created by Steven Seagle and Scott McDaniel, she was one of many characters known as Supergirl
Supergirl
Supergirl is a female counterpart to the DC Comics Superman. As his cousin, she shares his super powers and vulnerability to Kryptonite. She was created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino in 1959. She first appeared in the Action Comics comic book series and later branched out...
.
Superman: The 10 Cent Adventure
When a crazed villain named Radion attacks Metropolis, a young girl in a costume leaps into battle and throws the villain into a nuclear reactor (in front of a TV news crew and Lois LaneLois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
). The girl identifies herself as Supergirl
Supergirl
Supergirl is a female counterpart to the DC Comics Superman. As his cousin, she shares his super powers and vulnerability to Kryptonite. She was created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino in 1959. She first appeared in the Action Comics comic book series and later branched out...
, Superman's daughter. Upset, Lois confronts Superman, accusing him of having an affair, and refusing to believe his claim of innocence, since "Supergirl" looks just like him. However after a cup of the new "Yes" coffee, Lois suddenly calms down and dismisses "Supergirl" as a villain's hoax, until she lands in front of Lois and calls her "Mommy". Superman confronts the girl, who argues that she is his daughter with Lois, and that her name is "Cir-El". Cir-El says that she is from the future, brought to the past by the Futuresmiths. When Superman encounters the Futuresmiths, they show him a horrific future, with robotic monsters attacking civilians, and he sees himself as a cybernetic Superman attacking civilians as well. The Futuresmiths tell him that Cir-El's death will prevent this future, and as they turn to attack her, Superman flies her to safety. S.T.A.R. Labs confirms that she is his daughter, but that Lois is not her mother. Regardless of her identity, Superman comes to regard Cir-El as family.
Cir-El helps Superman fight off a diseased Bizarro
Bizarro
Bizarro is a fictional character that appears in publications published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman and first appeared in Superboy #68...
. Later, she fights off with the aid of Natasha Irons
Natasha Irons
Natasha Irons is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Universe and the niece of John Henry Irons . Natasha first appears in Steel #1 . She becomes the fourth superhero to use the name Steel when her uncle is injured. In the 2006 limited series 52, Natasha gains superpowers and uses the...
and Girl 13, a vengeance-crazed superhuman ninja who is killing Superman. When Superman and Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
are said to be "captured" by President Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
in Superman/Batman
Superman/Batman
Superman/Batman was a monthly comic book series published by DC Comics that features the publisher's two most popular characters: Batman and Superman...
"Public Enemies", Cir-El teams up with Superboy
Superboy (Kon-El)
Superboy is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. A modern update of the original Superboy, who is a younger version of Superman, the character first appeared in Adventures of Superman #500 , and was created by writer Karl Kesel and artist Tom Grummett.Originally...
, Krypto
Krypto
Krypto, also known as Krypto the Superdog, is a fictional character. He is Superman's pet dog in the various Superman comic books published by DC Comics. Krypto's first appearance was in a Superboy story in Adventure Comics #210 in March 1955...
, Natasha Irons, and the Batman Family
Batman Family
The Batman Family was a DC Comics comic book series which ran from 1975 to 1978, primarily featuring stories starring supporting characters in the Batman comics...
to rescue them. Batman, not actually having been captured, is the one to save Cir-El and Superboy from a White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
death trap.
Superman has a shock when, while talking to Cir-El, she changes into an angry young woman named Mia, who hates her Cir-El persona. Superman's Kryptonian robot Kelex subsequently confirms that Cir-El is not the Man of Steel's biological daughter (despite the evidence from S.T.A.R. Labs). While the girl's D.N.A. has some Kryptonian attributes, she is primarily human.
Rewritten history
Disaster strikes when a future Superman appears and shows Superman a devastating future with Lois dying, Wonder WomanWonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
and Batman turned into cyborgs by a nano-tech virus concealed in "Yes" coffee, and Cir-El trapped in a giant Brainiac
Brainiac (comics)
Brainiac is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #242 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
robot. Brainiac reveals that Cir-El is his "Trojan Horse
Trojan Horse
The Trojan Horse is a tale from the Trojan War about the stratagem that allowed the Greeks finally to enter the city of Troy and end the conflict. In the canonical version, after a fruitless 10-year siege, the Greeks constructed a huge wooden horse, and hid a select force of men inside...
", that he has concealed part of himself in the one thing he knows Superman would never harm: his 'child'. Cir-El was created by Brainiac by grafting some Kryptonian DNA onto the body of Mia. He then implanted false memories in Cir-El and had his servants, the Futuresmiths, send her out into the world (along with the nano-virus, which was placed in "Yes" coffee to proliferate the virus and infect the population) in order to unknowingly alter the future, and lead Superman to create a synthetic body to save Lois from her "Yes" infection in the future (for Brainiac to inhabit). Horrified, Cir-El throws herself into a time portal to prevent herself from being born, and thus, prevent the future from ever happening.
The return of Cir-El
Bizarro
Bizarro is a fictional character that appears in publications published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman and first appeared in Superboy #68...
in Superman/Batman
Superman/Batman
Superman/Batman was a monthly comic book series published by DC Comics that features the publisher's two most popular characters: Batman and Superman...
#24, Cir-El is able to join Linda Danvers
Linda Danvers
Linda Danvers, formerly known as Supergirl, is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. She debuted in Supergirl #1 , and was created by Peter David and Gary Frank...
, Kara Zor-El
Supergirl (Kara Zor-El)
Kara Zor-El is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and related media, created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino. As Supergirl, Kara Zor-El serves as the biological cousin and female counterpart to DC Comic's iconic superhero Superman, created...
(both Modern Age and Pre-Crisis versions) and Power Girl
Power Girl
Power Girl is a DC Comics superheroine, making her first appearance in All Star Comics #58 ....
to rescue Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
from the Source Wall. The girls are successful, but Superman only recognizes Kara, Power Girl, and Linda, due to Cir-El and pre-Crisis Kara Zor-El coming from previously erased timelines.
Cir-El and the other Supergirls then assist Superman and Batman in a reality-altering fight against various menaces from many alternate dimensions. At the conclusion of the fight, Mister Mxyzptlk
Mister Mxyzptlk
Mr. Mxyzptlk , sometimes called Mxy, is a fictional impish supervillain who appears in DC Comics' Superman comic books.He was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and first appeared in Superman #30 . He is usually presented as a trickster, in the classical mythological sense, in that he enjoys...
sent Cir-El and everyone else involved back to their appropriate locations.
Powers and abilities
A hybrid of human/KryptonianKrypton (comics)
Krypton is a fictional planet in the DC Comics universe, and the native world of the super-heroes Superman and, in some tellings, Supergirl and Krypto the Superdog. Krypton has been portrayed consistently as having been destroyed just after Superman's flight from the planet, with exact details of...
origin, Cir-El absorbs yellow sunlight to gain superhuman strength and speed, super-hearing, and invulnerability. Originally, instead of flying, Cir-El could leap vast distances, although she is later seen flying in Superman/Batman #5, and again in issue 24. Her "trademark" power is the ability to release her stored solar energy from her hands as "Red Sunbursts", blasts of red solar radiation (the very wavelength of sunlight that Superman loses his powers under) that strike an enemy with intense heat and force. Like Superman, she is vulnerable to Kryptonite
Kryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material from the Superman mythos —the ore form of a radioactive element from Superman's home planet of Krypton. It is famous for being the ultimate physical weakness of Superman, and the word kryptonite has since become synonymous with an Achilles' heel —the one weakness...
.
The only other human/Kryptonian hybrid, Superboy
Superboy (Kon-El)
Superboy is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. A modern update of the original Superboy, who is a younger version of Superman, the character first appeared in Adventures of Superman #500 , and was created by writer Karl Kesel and artist Tom Grummett.Originally...
, inherited (eventually, through retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
) more traditional powers because his D.N.A. is 50 percent Kryptonian, whereas Cir-El's D.N.A. is primarily human, with some grafted-on Kryptonian attributes.