Alura (DC Comics)

For the Buck Rogers character, see Buck Rogers.

Alura
Variant cover art of Supergirl #47 (Jan. 2010), art by Joshua Middleton
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Action Comics #252 (May 1959)
Created by	Otto Binder (writer) Al Plastino (artist)
In-story information
Full name	Alura In-Ze
Species	Kryptonian
Place of origin	Krypton
Team affiliations	Zor-El Supergirl
Supporting character of	Supergirl Superman
Notable aliases	Alura 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

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]

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 . Laura Benanti portrayed the character in the first two seasons of the Arrowverse series Supergirl , with Erica Durance taking over the role in season three.

Publication history

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]

Fictional character biography

Pre-Crisis

Earth-One

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

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

Post-Crisis

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 dubbed New Krypton. ^[4] However, Alura and most of the Kryptonians are killed when Reactron destroys New Krypton. ^[5]

Powers and abilities

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

In other media

Television

• 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, ^[6] and later by Erica Durance in the third and fifth. ^{[7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]} This version is a member of the Kryptonian Science Council and has a twin sister named Astra In-Ze (also portrayed by Benanti). ^[13] 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. ^[14] This version is a member of the council of Krypton and imprisoned General Zod, Ursa and Non in the Phantom Zone.

Film

• Alura appears in Supergirl (1984), portrayed by Mia Farrow.
• Alura makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in a flashback in Superman/Batman: Apocalypse .
• Alura appears in Superman: Unbound , voiced by Sirena Irwin. ^[14]
• Alura appears in DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year , voiced by April Stewart. ^[14]
• Alura appears in Legion of Super-Heroes , voiced by Jennifer Hale. ^{[15] [14]}
• Alura appears in Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths , voiced again by Jennifer Hale. ^{[16] [14]}
• Alura is set to appear in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (2026), portrayed by Emily Beecham.

Video games

Alura appears in Injustice 2 , voiced by Grey DeLisle.

References

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. Action Comics #252 (May 1959)
4. Supergirl (vol. 5) #52 (June 2010)
5. Superman: War of the Supermen #1 (July 2010)
6. Andreeva, Nellie (February 20, 2015). "Laura Benanti To Play Supergirl's Mom In Greg Berlanti's CBS Pilot". Deadline Hollywood.
7. Abrams, Natalie (May 23, 2018). "Supergirl star Erica Durance previews major Alura reveal". Entertainment Weekly.
8. Wickline, Dan (1 August 2017). "Does Supergirl Recasting Alura Have Anything To Do With Mon-El's Return?". Bleeding Cool . Retrieved 16 November 2019.
9. 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.
10. Petski, Denise (7 July 2017). "Supergirl: Erica Durance To Take Over Alura Role From Laura Benanti". Deadline. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
11. "Who Is Alura On Supergirl? Kara's Mother Can Do Big Things From Beyond The Grave". Bustle. 9 November 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
12. Swift, Andy (22 May 2018). "Supergirl Photos: Alura Lives! What Brings Kara and Her Mom Together?". TVLine. Archived from the original on 16 November 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
13. Abrams, Natalie (October 26, 2015). "Supergirl postmortem: Get the scoop on that villain twist and what's next". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved October 26, 2015.
14. "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.
15. 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.
16. 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.