Secret Origins (1986) 11 (1)

Secret Origins (1986) 11

Feb 1987

Ancient Histories

by Paul Kupperberg, Mary Wiltshire, Albert T. DeGuzman, Carl Gafford, Robert Greenberger

16 pages

Power Girl recalls how the Crisis (aka Crisis on Infinite Earths) has changed so many things. She was the cousin of Superman of Earth-2 but with him having been erased from most people’s memories she questions how she fits in to the post Crisis world.

The only remnant of her past prior to the Crisis in the bio ship in which she arrived on Earth. She is sitting in the bio-ship sulking when Arion, Lord of Atlantis reaches out to her and explains. He is her grandfather.

Kara was born 45,000 years in the past in Atlantis. Arion sent her to the late 20th century to protect her from Garn Daanuth, his brother, who sought to use her as a conduit, while she was still a baby. Garn’s body is gone but his soul lives on. He seeks to return to the world of the living through his grand-niece. 

Her memories of her Kryptonian origins and Earth-2 were implanted by Arion and not real. 

Thoughts

This origin was in my mind one of the stupider ideas that came out of Crisis on Infinite Earths. My opinion hasn’t changed much since I first read it more than 35 years ago. It was later retconned out of existence. 

According to my research, Power Girl traveled to Skartaris soon after this story, seeking to learn more about her Atlantean roots. She appeared in Warlord 116-124 and Warlord Annual 6, all of which were published in 1987. She only appeared on the cover of one of those issues. I do not own and have not read any of those issues.

I do not know what further exploration of Power Girl’s connection to Atlantis there was between 1987 and 2008 when her origin was restored to something much closer to what it was prior to Crisis on Infinite Earths.