I noticed a number of threads in the Power Girl forum were touching on the topic of DC possibly introducing a new origin for her that streamline's her concept from the "Supergirl of a different universe" thing. I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to consolidate that discussion into one thread.
 
This has actually been attempted before, and for a while she was not Kryptonian at all but instead magic-based. It did not stick. In continuity, there have been (by my count) three different origins for PG: 

1. Earth-2 Supergirl and cousin to Superman
2. Descendant of the Atlantean wizard Arion
3. Clone of Supergirl (DC animated, named " Galatea," similar backstory to the new "Divine")

• Totally unchanged (survived all of Flashpoint and into nDCU unchanged)
• Alt. universe Supergirl, cousin of Superman
• Kryptonian, relative to Superman
• Kryptonian, unrelated to Superman
• Atlantean origin
• Magic origins (non-Atlantean)
• Clone of superman/supergirl
• Standalone character (powered)
• Standalone character (non-powered)
• Other

Still the Supergirl of Earth -two, cousin of the original Superman.

She could assume the Matrix Supergirl's origin, sort of.  Genetically engineered being from a dying parallel Earth.

I'm with you on the Galatea idea. It was perfect

Still the Supergirl of Earth -two, cousin of the original Superman.

There were only two origins for PG.  She was never a clone.  And I would favor her original origin---an Earth-Two Kryptonian who is the cousin of that universe's Superman.  We just finished around five years of that origin, and 27 issues of her own title with that origin, plus however many JSA and other comic books issues.  Johns went to the trouble of retconning her back to that origin, might as well keep it.

There were only two origins for PG.  She was never a clone.

And I would favor her original origin---an Earth-Two Kryptonian who is the cousin of that universe's Superman.  We just finished around five years of that origin, and 27 issues of her own title with that origin, plus however many JSA and other comic books issues.  Johns went to the trouble of retconning her back to that origin, might as well keep it.

"Totally unchanged (survived all of Flashpoint and into nDCU unchanged)" 
 
Power Girl is a survivor!  She should remain the same Power Girl that made it through the Infinite Crises to bid Earth-2 fair-well, and retain Some history to all the legacy DC has behind it...

@fodigg: I'm fine with some changes.  For example, I'm not wedded to Karen Starr being a tech mogul.  Obviously, her history in the DCnU Earth probably won't include anything with the Justice League, and might well not include anything with the JSA.  Whenever we see her might be the first DCnU in-continuity appearance as PG and that's fine with me---so long as she was PG on Earth-Two.  I'm even up for some costume changes, though I don't hold out much hope I'll like them, based on what I've seen already with respect to costumes.  I do want her powers to stay basically the same, though.

I'd like it if she were a Kryptonian refugee with no relation to Superman. Because I think that the whole Earth-2 thing is a little confusing. And a Kryptonian without ties to Superman, who isn't evil, sounds great.
I'd also like her to join the JLI

I wish they had just merged Power Girl and Supergirl into one character. We don't need both of them. I like the fact that Superman and Supergirl and the LAST surviving members of Krypton (Except Zod and his cronies in the Phantom Zone)

I think they should make her a  New God

@achilles100 said:

@fodigg: I'm fine with some changes.  For example, I'm not wedded to Karen Starr being a tech mogul.  Obviously, her history in the DCnU Earth probably won't include anything with the Justice League, and might well not include anything with the JSA.  Whenever we see her might be the first DCnU in-continuity appearance as PG and that's fine with me---so long as she was PG on Earth-Two.  I'm even up for some costume changes, though I don't hold out much hope I'll like them, based on what I've seen already with respect to costumes.  I do want her powers to stay basically the same, though.

That all makes sense to me.  For my part I'd love for her JLI membership to become her core membership in place of JSA, but then I'm a big Booster Gold fan.

@achilles100: Wait, no JLI in the nDCU? I thought JLI and Checkmate were two different books.

Freak Breast Implant accident gives her super powers
 
 
Think about it

what /i/ Think would be cool is this 
 
Kara's (Supergirl) parents had two twin daughters who they rocketed from Krypton before it exploded in two separate ships, one of the ships, the one with Kara in it landed in Gotham where she met Batman and Superman (assuming they are in fact keeping Supergirl's origin the same) and she grows into the hero supergirl, the other however lands in the middle of know where, where powergirl (a teenager) lives on the streets and has to fend for herself in a cruel world, all while coming to terms with her abilities and figuring out who and what she is.this makes her cold, distant and slightly savage

Power Girl  PleasedontbeKryptonian PleasedontbeKryptonian PleasedontbeKryptonian

I'd like Power Girl to either be the cousin of Superman from the original Earth-2 or a Kryptonian not related to Superman in any way.

I just had a thought—what if they tie her to a wildstorm character instead of a DCU proper character? She could be Apollo's cousin as easily as Superman's.

@cattlebattle said:

Freak Breast Implant accident gives her super powers Think about it

It's actually been done. Sort of. In an Image one-shot called Chix, the character, a...homage...to Power Girl, (with some art contributed by later Power Girl scribe Jimmy Palmiotti), was called Good Girl, and her powers fluctuated according to the size of her implants, which could be changed remotely. Unfortunately, her intelligence went down as her cup size and powers went up..

Fairly amusing as those things go.

@cattlebattle said:

Freak Breast Implant accident gives her super powers Think about it

It's actually been done. Sort of. In an Image one-shot called Chix, the character, a...homage...to Power Girl, (with some art contributed by later Power Girl scribe Jimmy Palmiotti), was called Good Girl, and her powers fluctuated according to the size of her implants, which could be changed remotely. Unfortunately, her intelligence went down as her cup size and powers went up..

Fairly amusing as those things go.

I'd like her to be a Kryptonian that thinks the House of El are all douchebags. 
 
I want my Power Girl comics back! Volume 2 was so much win!

@fodigg said:

I just had a thought—what if they tie her to a wildstorm character instead of a DCU proper character? She could be Apollo's cousin as easily as Superman's.

Why change her from the cousin of one of two DC characters everyone knows, to the cousin of some obscure character who's actually likely less well known than she is?

In fact, why tie her to Wildstorm at all? Didn't they cancel the entire line a couple years back because of low sales? Regardless of what they think with the reboot, that doesn't scream of a viable property.

@fodigg said:

So what would people prefer?

• Totally unchanged (survived all of Flashpoint and into nDCU unchanged)
• Alt. universe Supergirl, cousin of Superman
• Kryptonian, relative to Superman
• Kryptonian, unrelated to SupermanI don't mind her being Kryptonian, but its not my preferred thing. Specially not from earth 2, it ruins the whole point of the DCnu.
• Atlantean originbut not with actual magical powers
• Magic origins (non-Atlantean)but not with actual magic powers.
• Clone of superman/supergirl
• Standalone character (powered)
• Standalone character (non-powered)
• OtherI hate the Clone of Supergirl origin. Specially since she exists and supergirl's just arrived. I don't like it.

Just as a general reference, here are some "power origins" listed on the vine: human, alien, animal, mutant, cyborg, robot, radiation, god/eternal, other (usually demon or other magical being).

Personally, I'd like them to go with the galatea/divine/superboy origin where she was created as an experiment/weapon and gets placed on the UN-run JLI.

@achilles100 said:

@fodigg said:

I just had a thought—what if they tie her to a wildstorm character instead of a DCU proper character? She could be Apollo's cousin as easily as Superman's.

Why change her from the cousin of one of two DC characters everyone knows, to the cousin of some obscure character who's actually likely less well known than she is?

In fact, why tie her to Wildstorm at all? Didn't they cancel the entire line a couple years back because of low sales? Regardless of what they think with the reboot, that doesn't scream of a viable property.

Well, because it'd be an origin she could own all by herself instead of borrowing it from Supergirl, really. Power Girl's problem has always been that her origin was confusing, and since she didn't have an 'S' on her uniform even if you bill the character by the tersest form of her origin—"Superman's cousin, the older one"—casuals might not make the connection when looking at the book's cover anyway. I don't think you'd lose as much as you think by disconnecting her from Supes.

@fodigg said:

I just had a thought—what if they tie her to a wildstorm character instead of a DCU proper character? She could be Apollo's cousin as easily as Superman's.

That's an interesting idea. I'm not necessarily opposed.

@fodigg said:

@achilles100 said:

@fodigg said:

I just had a thought—what if they tie her to a wildstorm character instead of a DCU proper character? She could be Apollo's cousin as easily as Superman's.

Why change her from the cousin of one of two DC characters everyone knows, to the cousin of some obscure character who's actually likely less well known than she is?

In fact, why tie her to Wildstorm at all? Didn't they cancel the entire line a couple years back because of low sales? Regardless of what they think with the reboot, that doesn't scream of a viable property.

Well, because it'd be an origin she could own all by herself instead of borrowing it from Supergirl, really. Power Girl's problem has always been that her origin was confusing, and since she didn't have an 'S' on her uniform even if you bill the character by the tersest form of her origin—"Superman's cousin, the older one"—casuals might not make the connection when looking at the book's cover anyway. I don't think you'd lose as much as you think by disconnecting her from Supes.

So what you're saying is really that she needs better marketing---something like an "S" of her own. I'll grant you that might help. So I'd say run with it, and put an "S" back on her. There's nothing special about her not having one.

Don't disconnect her from Superman, connect her in a stronger fashion, a more explicit fashion. Cause her origin was never complicated at all---it's more that the casual reader might not connect her with Superman since she typically doesn't wear her own "S".

@achilles100: She has an "S" of her own, and it's her cleavage! That might sound like a joke, but I'm being serious. Kara's identity is her own. She's not anywhere as intimately tied to Krypton as Superman, Supergirl, or even Superboy, are.

I should elaborate, because I know this sounds crazy, but I'm really tired. Nonetheless, if you give her an "S", she stops being Power Girl.

If you gave her an S then you're back to confusion with Supergirl. Not that this can't be overcome mind you. There are, after all, four different Robins basically.

@gangly said:

@achilles100: She has an "S" of her own, and it's her cleavage! That might sound like a joke, but I'm being serious. Kara's identity is her own. She's not anywhere as intimately tied to Krypton as Superman, Supergirl, or even Superboy, are.

I should elaborate, because I know this sounds crazy, but I'm really tired. Nonetheless, if you give her an "S", she stops being Power Girl.

Then she stopped being Power Girl some months ago, in Generation Lost...

Seriously, the sky didn't fall, her cleavage didn't implode, and everyone still called her Power Girl, even though she was well over a hundred years old at that point---she looked roughly the same except for an injured eye, the costume, and white hair. And she was in charge. That latter is more key to who PG is than her costume. It's her personality and life experience that separate her from SG, not her costume. After all, SG adopted a variant of PG's costume with no one suggesting that it wasn't SG anymore.

And, like SG, PG is in a way far more connected to Krypton than Superman was. Like SG, though with her own twist, PG grew up on Krypton, and was raised in a Kryptonian environment. Superman wasn't. Having her put on the "S" would help establish in the minds of readers who don't know her who she is, and in the minds of readers who do know her, but don't follow her, just what she's about. It doesn't mean she has to show up in Action all the time, or have Superman show up in her title every third issue, or even that she has to participate in EVERY crossover in the Super titles, (though the being active in the big ones would be nice---that probably propped up SG's sales in the last year of this last run, and would have helped PG IMO).

Standalone (powered) character. It's an element I quite liked in the Atlantean origin (what can I say... I have an act for finding one good thing, in something bad).

That she could exist without a man having to exist. Though, I think she should have something other, than the Atlantean/mystical origin, give her a new Sci-Fi based origin. And with the JSA having been announced to live on a new Earth-2, you can have it both ways. Have Superman's cousin Power Girl live on one Earth, while there's another Power Girl (the Karen Starr from Mister Terrific), in the mainstream continuity with a standalone origin.