The S Does Not Stand for "Shame": The Joint Making of a Queer Supergirl

Abstract

One of the major changes that mark twenty-first-century superhero depictions is the introduction of inclusive standards—whether race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation—in new or existing reinterpreted characters. Accordingly, the CW network series Supergirl (2015-2021), chronicling the adventures of Superman’s cousin, became famous for powerfully challenging the comic-universe canon of the titular heroine’s sexuality, albeit despite the intentions of its producers. When, during Season 2, the show cast Katie McGrath as Lena Luthor, the good sister of Superman’s arch-nemesis, Lex Luthor, the actress’s strong lesbian appeal colored the friendship intended between her character and Kara Danvers/Supergirl (played by Melissa Benoist), so that their bond was immediately coded by viewers—even non-LGBTIQ+ ones—as deeply romantic. While, however, fans clamored that “there is no heterosexual explanation” for the two women’s relationship and demanded that it—and Supergirl’s bisexuality—be acknowledged as canon in the CW and the DC comics universes, the writers/producers of the show gaslighted such expectations to the end by pairing Lena or Kara with male partners and insisting on their being just “friends,” earning the show the title of “the biggest queerbait in television history.” This paper, therefore, reads “SuperCorp” both as a sign of the times regarding popular culture attitudes for queer superheroes, and a significant occasion of what Henry Jenkins has termed the “textual poaching” ethics of twenty-first century media fandom, with consumer creations actually impacting back upon the production process itself.