Mark Waid's Lazarus Planet shakes up DC Comics and establishes a new status quo for many of their main characters. Beginning in the pages of Batman vs Robin, a volcano erupts on Lazarus Island. The fallout of this event is seen in Lazarus Planet as the eruption into Earth's atmosphere causes a rain with magical properties to cover the planet having a different effect for everyone it lands on.
The story continues in the pages of Monkey Prince #12 (by Gene Luen Yang, Bernard Chang, Marcelo Maiolo, and Janice Chiang) where DC quietly teases a new change for Supergirl. Supergirl has always been one of if not the strongest Kryptonian from time to time. As King Fire Bull continued in his search for heroes with powerful Qi it was revealed that Kara possessed the Immortal Power of Strength. This notably sets her apart from her cousin who possesses an entirely different power that may speak to their history together.
King Fire Bull's Hunt For Immortal Powers
In the pages of Monkey Prince #9 ((by Gene Luen Yang, Bernard Chang, Marcelo Maiolo, and Janice Chiang), we glimpse the initial stages of King Fire Bull's Hunt for the Eight Immortal Powers. Easily breaking into Lexcorp Campus, he sets upon the clones of Bizarro in order to gain the strength needed to defeat Superman himself. During this, it is noted that while the clones have no immortal powers of their own Superman possesses the Immortal Power of Invincibility. This is in contrast to the revelation about Kara's own powers later in the series.
In what feels like an epilogue to Lazarus Planet, Monkey Prince #12 sees King Fire Bull's skeleton demons discover Kara has one of the Immortal Powers within her. Sensing this, they know King Fire Bull will want to collect her Qi. After Fire Bull is defeated, the sorceress who resurrected him remarks that Kara possessed the Immortal Power of Strength rather than Invincibility like Clark. She can tell that Immortal Power is different from her cousin, and looking back at her history in comics it makes perfect sense.
Supergirl's Strength Vs Superman's Invulnerability
One of the bigger differences between Clark and Kara is Superman's self-control over his abilities. Superman is constantly holding back, always taking care that his powers don't hurt anyone. Meanwhile, Kara is often characterized as giving in to her anger. Supergirl wasn't just born on Krypton but lived as a Kryptonian. This gives her strength and confidence in herself that her cousin doesn't have. This lack of restraint even led her to briefly become a Red Lantern during the New 52 in Red Lanterns #28 (by Charles Soule and Alessandro Vitti).
Due to these differences in personality, it's not hard to guess why Superman's spirit might contain a defensive power versus Kara's containing an offensive one. Although little is known about the specifics of Kara's Immortal Power of Strength it points out a fundamental difference between her and Superman. Given Monkey Prince's focus on Chinese mythology it may not be long before this concept is expanded on as well as the comparison through the use of the Eight Chinese Immortals.
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