Supergirl (real name Kara Zor-El) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by Otto Binder and designed by Al Plastino. The character first appeared in the story "The Supergirl from Krypton" in Action Comics #252 (May 1959). She is the biological cousin of Kal-El, who went on to adopt the name of Clark Kent and the superhero identity Superman. Her father, Zor-El, is the brother of Superman's father, Jor-El.
During the 1980s and the revolution of the Modern Age of Comics, Superman editors believed the character's history had become too convoluted, thus killing Supergirl during the 1985 Crisis on Infinite Earths event and retconning her out of existence.