Well, it’s official. Kara and Lena’s friendship is officially over and its only downhill from here.
Luthors and the House of El just don’t mix. DC Comics fans will know this as fact given the icy relationship between Lex and Superman, but did anyone ever think that besties Kara and Lena would ever remain friendly? Not us. It was only a matter of time before the friendship became toxic.
It wasn’t a matter of “We told you so”, but a pattern of what came before. Supergirl is following a Superman-esque storytelling system. We learned in earlier episodes that Clark and Lex were friends before their relationship soured to what we know today.
Lena’s Introduction And Friendships
When Lena was introduced in Season 2 it was a nice change to see a Luthor and a Super working together rather than be at each other’s throats. However, it was obvious from the start it was never going to last as long as Kara kept her dual identity a secret.
While some fans were optimistic that Lena wouldn’t react negatively to the truth, we knew it was only going to end in a heartache. Look at the way the woman was raised. Her mother died when she was four and she was taken in by her father, destined-to-be-evil half-brother, and spiteful stepmother who adopted her.
Friendship was all but foreign to Lena as having a psychopath as a brother didn’t go down well with most people. However, this didn’t stop her as she became friends with Andrea Rojas and Sam Arias though the relationship with Rojas soured.
Becoming friendly with Kara meant having a true friend, even if it lead to Lena’s distrust in Supergirl later down the track.
Evil Brothers Apparently Know Best
When you’re a Luthor, being related to Superman’s least favourite bald person is trouble, no matter what way you look at it. Lex knows exactly what he wants and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Before his death at his sister’s hand, he tells her who Kara is and it adds to her mistrust of Supergirl even more.
Lex’s one goal, besides wanting Superman dead is to turn Lena into the female version of himself; someone who hates Supers. The younger Luthor has claimed time and time again that she is not the villain but wants the world to see how hurtful they can be.
Yeah, we’re pretty sure this is villain speak for ‘I was wronged by the hero and I want revenge.’
Whatever the case might be, it was never going to end well for Lena and Kara.
#Supergirl100 Teaches Kara A Valuable Lesson On Friendship
Since this article is being written the day of the airing of Supergirl‘s 100th episode entitled It’s a Super Life, we learned that no matter what Kara did to try and repair her friendship with Lena, it would never work out. In the end, it’s realised that the younger Luthor was responsible for the deterioration, not Kara.
Now, before everyone goes “No, Kara lied to her, so it’s a betrayal.” It’s really not and here’s why.
Kara did want she did to protect Lena from getting hurt. It’s like when Barry tried to hide his powers from Iris in the first season of The Flash. He wanted to tell her but Joe told him not to as a way to protect her. However, it backfired and she ended up becoming his greatest support.
Lena has been trodden on so many times that one betrayal from her best friend was enough to send her over the edge. This isn’t the worst part. Before Kara had a chance to tell her the truth, Lex beat her to it and it resulted in his sister hating her former BFF even more.
We need to thank Mxyzpltk for assisting Kara in realising that her friendship with Lena couldn’t be saved. Without Mxy, there would’ve been more back and forth for the Maiden of Might trying to get her cousin’s adversary’s sister to trust her again.
Lena To Become Kara’s Version of Lex?
We need to ask ourselves if Lena will become Kara’s version of Lex. The answer to that question is a resounding yes. The way the series is laid out shows us that having a Luthor go from friend to foe was always on the cards. Look at the breakdown below:
| Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman | Kara Danvers/Kara Zor-El/Supergirl |
| Perry White (mentioned only) | Cat Grant/Snapper Carr/James Olsen |
| Lois Lane | Various Love Interests |
| Martha Kent (mentioned only) | Eliza Danvers |
| Jor-El | J’onn J’onzz/Martian Manhunter |
| Lex Luthor | Lena Luthor |
| Jonathan Kent (mentioned only) | Jeremiah Danvers |
There’s a few we’re missing here, but you get the idea. In an earlier episode, Lena blows up at Kara, saying:
I wasn’t a villain. You shouldn’t have treated me like one.
Since that blow up, Kara has felt so much guilt, but thanks to Mxy, she knows that Lena’s grudges were never her fault.
She also throws Lena’s comment about being the ‘villain’ back in her face when she says if she wants to join Lex’s crusade, she’s welcome to but she will be stopped.
Are Lena’s Grudges Making Her Selfish?
In a way, Lena’s emotions cloud everything she sees. For close to a month, she faked being friends with Kara as her former bestie tried to work up the courage to tell her about being Supergirl. She also used the Obsidian contact lenses to hurt Kara in a fake reality. This goes to show how much she has become like Lex without even realising it.
She holds a grudge when there is a reason why Kara and the Superfriends kept the truth from her. They knew she would react the way she did and they weren’t being spiteful. Since Lena has no super powers, she could’ve been a sitting duck for any of Kara’s enemies.
The reason the Superfriends knew who Kara is because of their work at the DEO. James already knew because he’s Clark’s best friend. Alex is Kara’s adoptive sister and they grew up together. Winn, being Kara’s best friend at CatCo could be trusted. Then, there’s J’onn, who was once the director of the DEO.
Later, Brainy replaced Winn after he left to join Mon-El in the future. He was also aware of Kara’s powers as he’s from the future. Let’s not forget Nia who is one of Kara’s newest alien friends who works with her at CatCo.
Lena didn’t really need to know unless she was in mortal danger. Also, if she knew Kara at all, she would know her ex-BFF had a good heart. Her insecurities of being abandoned were ultimately her downfall and in the end, it cost her dearly.
Also, when she snapped at Kara, she went on about how Kara had wronged her by hiding her alter ego from her. It was all about her and never about Kara’s feelings and how guilty she felt.
What Happens Now? Can The Supercorp Friendship Ever Be Repaired?
From we’re standing, probably not. It’s clear that Lena didn’t care enough about her relationship with Kara to save it. Can it be repaired? Probably not as Kara tried everything she could to make Lena see that she didn’t have any ill intent.
If the writers decide to have Kara and Lena’s turn into something like Clark and Lex’s did, then that’s one hell of a parallel. Though we also have to ask ourselves if Lena will be as extreme as her brother.
Ah, that’s a great thought, but not something we’re going to answer now. We will in another post.
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