The War Against Zod Left Supergirl Something She’s Always Needed (and It’s About Time)

Supergirl has had a quite a time in the last year. In 2025, she returned to the world of solo series, with writer/artist Sophie Campbell giving readers the best Supergirl comic in years. It finds a way to homage various eras of the heroine’s history, all while telling a very zoomer-coded story about a girl in her early 20s with her friends having insane adventures. 2026 would see Supergirl hit theaters and unfortunately bounce off, even though the movie isn’t all that bad. However, Supergirl (Vol. 8) has remained one of the strongest titles among the Superman books and it proved that in the latest Super-crossover – “Kingdom of Zod”

Zod is one of Superman’s biggest threats, with this story revealing that he was behind the massive Kryptonite meteorite that hit the Earth in Superman Unlimited, leading to the rise of the Kryptonite Kingdom of El Caldero. He sent it and was able to take power rather quickly, infecting the world with a Kryptonite virus and stealing his powers back from Lois Lane. This led to the Superman family striking back, with Superboy from the past and Superman, returning from saving everything in DC K.O., finally saving the day. However, it all goes pear-shaped when Ursa steals a time machine, bringing back a young Zod and leading Superman to choose the destruction of Krypton by stopping him. El Caldero’s power is broken, with Sun Stone they found inside the meteor finally given to the heir of the House of El: Supergirl. This led to the biggest addition to her history in years, giving her something that she’s always deserved.

Supergirl Finally Recieves Her Birthright

Supergirl has long been one of the most important characters in the Superman mythos. She was the first major sidekick for the Man of Steel and the Maid of Might has starred in awesome stories. We’ve seen her grow and change in numerous ways, but she’s still just a B-lister in a lot of ways. She has the power and the reputation, but she’s always felt like she’s missing something compared to her cousin, which has always felt a little weird since in a very real way, she’s the eldest scion of the House of El, the head of one of the last Kryptonian families.

Superman was always looked at as the keeper of the legacy of Krypton, but if you think about it, that shouldn’t be the case. Supergirl experienced Krypton in a way that her cousin never did. She got to Earth slower, though, and he got to grow up here. He also had something that she didn’t – a Sun Stone. This piece of Kryptonian technology held the blueprints for a Kryptonian fortress, one that he would grow in the Arctic. The Fortress of Solitude was like a massive Kryptonian embassy, the last piece of that dead world, and it was Superman’s.

Supergirl lived on the planet, yet she didn’t hold its last legacy. Her younger cousin, who had never breathed the air or tasted its bounty, does. “Kingdom of Zod” finally rights this wrong. El Caldreo getting their hands on a Sun Stone and keeping it was part of the first Superman Unlimited story arc. The Stone was specifically for the “heir of the House of El”, so we always know it would be a problem in the future. Supergirl is the one chosen to take it after the day is saved – Superman already has one after all, and in the most technical sense Jon and Conner aren’t from the House of El; they’re Kents.

One of the best parts about Supergirl (Vol. 8) is the way that book has paid homage to both Kara’s life on Earth and her life on Krypton, using Midvale and the Bottle City of Kandor as settings for her stories. The book has been selling us this idea of Kara as a child of both worlds, the bridge between them in a way her cousin can’t be. It’s done a fantastic job of rebuilding the character into a more classic version, giving her her own family of characters to work with. The book has been positioning her as a bigger and bigger deal, and giving her a Sun Stone is a big jump forward for her.

Supergirl has her own Fortress of Solitude – which she named the Fortess of Solidarity – and it’s honestly about time. All of DC’s biggest characters have their own secret hideouts, places that define them in ways that a simple apartment can’t. There’s a certain grandeur to a secret hideout and that is multiplied to the Nth degree once you realize it’s a Kryptonian fortress. It’s a big deal for Supergirl to get one, because it means that DC might finally be serious about pushing her as a bigger character.

If I’m being honest, the cynical fan in me knows that the only reason we’re getting this is because of her movie. DC probably thought it would be a bigger success and that since the Superman books got a bump last summer, that her books would as well. They wanted to position her as a higher status character and giving her the Fortress of Solidarity is a big step in that direction. It’s the perfect addition to her mythos, especially under the deft hand of Campbell.

The Fortress of Solidarity Is the Next Step In Supergirl’s Evolution

The history of Supergirl has been one of the most interesting in the history of comics. She quickly became an icon in the ’50s and ’60s, grew up in the ’70s, and was killed in the ’80s, leading to her to be brought back as a shapeshifter. The regular version was brought back in the ’00s and since then, she hasn’t really had a lot of huge successes. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow brought even more attention to her and since then she’s been riding that wave. Supergirl (Vol. 8) has been doing a fantastic job with her and her world and the Fortress of Solidarity is the perfect next step.

Supergirl has never had something like this before. Sure, she had access to Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, but it wasn’t hers. Her Fortress of Solidarity puts her on a new level of hero. At least, it should. Often times, events like “Kingdom of Zod” get glossed over, their impact lessened by time and change. However, something like this is exactly what Supergirl and her fans deserve. The Fortress of Solidarity is a brilliant addition to Kara Zor-El’s life and hopefully it will stick around for a long time.

Do you think Supergirl deserves her own Fortress? Do you think is going to become a permanent part of her mythos or will it be forgotten when Campbell leaves? Sound off in the comment section below.

Every Major Character Supergirl Adds to the DCU & How They Differ from the Comic