Alura In-Ze is a character appearing in media published by DC Comics, usually those involving Superman. Alura is the Kryptonian daughter of In-Zee, wife of Zor-El, mother of Supergirl/Power Girl, and paternal aunt (by marriage) of Superman. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the character first appeared in Action Comics #252 (May 1959).[1]

Alura
Variant cover art of Supergirl #47 (Jan. 2010), art by Joshua Middleton
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceAction Comics #252 (May 1959)
Created by
In-story information
Full nameAlura In-Ze
SpeciesKryptonian
Place of originKrypton
Team affiliations
Supporting character of
Notable aliasesAlura In-Zee
Abilities(Under a yellow sun):
  • Superhuman strength, stamina, endurance, speed, agility, reflexes, intelligence, longevity, and hearing
  • Solar radiation absorption and projection
  • Enhanced vision
    • EM spectrum vision
    • Microscopic vision
    • X-ray vision
    • Telescopic vision
    • Infra-red vision
  • Invulnerability
  • Ice and wind breath
  • Flight
  • Heat vision
  • Vocal mimicry

The character has appeared in media adaptations of the Superman and Supergirl comics, including live-action films, television programs and video games.

Alura was portrayed by Mia Farrow in the 1984 film Supergirl. In the first two seasons of the Arrowverse series Supergirl, Laura Benanti portrayed Alura until Erica Durance took over the role.

Publication history

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The character Alura appeared unnamed in Action Comics #252 (May 1959) as part of the origin of Supergirl (Kara Zor-El).[2] She was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino. Her role was similar to that of what Lara was to Superman. She and her husband, Zor-El, send her to a spaceship from Argo City to Earth to survive.[3][4]

Fictional character biography

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Pre-Crisis

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Earth-One

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Alura is the mother of Kara Zor-El and wife of Zor-El, originating from Argo City. When Krypton explodes, Argo is preserved with a protective dome. When a meteor destroys the city's protective lead sheets, exposing its residents to deadly kryptonite, Alura and Zor-El survive by entering the Survival Zone and send Kara away in a rocket. Later, Supergirl rescues her parents, and they move to the planet New Krypton/Rokyn.

Earth-Two

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In the alternate universe of Earth-Two, Allura In-Z and Zor-L do not survive Krypton's destruction.

Post-Crisis

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In post-Crisis continuity, Alura is a resident of Kandor. Superman later restores Kandor to full size, after which its inhabitants move to a planet opposite from Earth in the Solar System dubbed New Krypton.[5] However, Alura and most of the Kryptonians are killed when Reactron destroys New Krypton.[6]

Powers and abilities

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Alura In-Ze has all the powers and weaknesses of a Kryptonian from exposure to Earth's yellow sunlight.

In other media

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Television

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  • Alura appears in the Super Friends episode "The Krypton Syndrome".
  • Alura appears in Supergirl, portrayed initially by Laura Benanti in the first and second seasons,[7] and later by Erica Durance in the third and fifth.[8][9][10][11][12][13] This version is a member of the Kryptonian Science Council and has a twin sister named Astra In-Ze (also portrayed by Benanti).[14] Towards the end of the third season, Supergirl discovers that Alura is still alive and is part of Argo City's High Council, with Zor-El having built a fail-safe around Argo City to protect it from Krypton's destruction.
  • Alura appears in the DC Super Hero Girls episode "#DCSuperHeroBoys", voiced by Kari Wahlgren.[15] This version is a member of the council of Krypton and imprisoned General Zod, Ursa and Non in the Phantom Zone.

Film

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Video games

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Alura appears in Injustice 2, voiced by Grey DeLisle.

References

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  1. ^ Greenberger, Robert; Pasko, Martin (2010). The Essential Superman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-345-50108-0.
  2. ^ Fleisher, Michael L. (2007). The Original Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes, Volume Three: Superman. DC Comics. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-4012-1389-3.
  3. ^ Otto Binder (w), Al Plastino (p). "The Supergirl from Krypton" Action Comics, no. 252 (May 1959). DC Comics.
  4. ^ "10 Facts You Need to Know About Supergirl | ScreenRant". screenrant.com. 10 September 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2019.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ Supergirl (vol. 5) #52 (June 2010). DC Comics (New York).
  6. ^ Superman: War of the Supermen #1 (July 2010). DC Comics (New York).
  7. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 20, 2015). "Laura Benanti To Play Supergirl's Mom In Greg Berlanti's CBS Pilot". Deadline Hollywood.
  8. ^ "'Supergirl' star Erica Durance previews major Alura reveal". EW.com.
  9. ^ "Does 'Supergirl' Recasting Alura Have Anything To Do With Mon-El?". Bleeding Cool News And Rumors. 1 August 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  10. ^ Wickline, Dan (29 May 2018). "Erica Durance Talks Her Return to Supergirl and the Future of Alura". Bleeding Cool News And Rumors. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  11. ^ Petski, Denise (7 July 2017). "'Supergirl': Erica Durance To Take Over Alura Role From Laura Benanti". Deadline. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  12. ^ "Who Is Alura On 'Supergirl'? Kara's Mother Can Do Big Things From Beyond The Grave". Bustle. 9 November 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  13. ^ Swift, Andy (22 May 2018). "Supergirl Photos: Alura Lives! What Brings Kara and Her Mom Together?". TVLine.
  14. ^ Abrams, Natalie (October 26, 2015). "Supergirl postmortem: Get the scoop on that villain twist and what's next". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  15. ^ a b c d e "Alura Voices (Superman)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved February 21, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  16. ^ Couch, Aaron (October 13, 2022). "DC's 'Legion of Super-Heroes' Sets Voice Cast With Meg Donnelly and Harry Shum Jr. to Star (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  17. ^ Harvey, James (February 21, 2024). ""Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths, Part Two" Arrives April 23, 2024". The World's Finest. Retrieved February 21, 2024.