For years, Superman was known as the last survivor of Krypton, the only one to escape its destruction. But over time, it became clear he wasn’t alone – his cousin, a pet dog, various enemies, and even an entire miniature Kryptonian city also survived. Despite DC Comics frequently highlighting threats to Superman, one Kryptonian villain, Black Flame, was largely ignored for over sixty years. Now, she’s returned, and she’s more dangerous than ever.
Black Flame first appeared in Action Comics #304, but she wasn’t a villain for Superman – she was actually an enemy of Supergirl. Unlike more famous Supergirl foes like Zod or even Lesla-Lar, Black Flame hasn’t been featured much, appearing as a supervillain only once and making just two brief appearances afterward. Now, after many years, she’s returned and is ready to cause trouble again. Supergirl (2025) #9 brought Black Flame back, reigniting what could be the most dangerous friendship in Midvale.
Who Is Black Flame?
Zora Vi-Lar operated as the supervillain Black Flame. She first appeared by deceiving Comet the Super-Horse into demolishing Monument Mountain in Gold Stone National Park. When Supergirl arrived, Black Flame claimed to be her descendant from the year 4000. She then mocked Supergirl, stating she ruled a pirate planet in the future but chose to use her powers for villainous purposes. Disturbed by this revelation about her future lineage, Supergirl decided to investigate Black Flame’s claims after the villain escaped.
Supergirl traveled to the year 4000 searching for the pirate queen, but discovered the story was a lie. She realized Black Flame must have originated from the lost city of Kandor. Investigating the city, Kara found a likely suspect: Zora Vi-Lar, a brilliant scientist and friend of a former Supergirl enemy. However, Zora had an alibi for the time of the attack. Determined to prove Zora was Black Flame, Kara devised a clever trap.
Supergirl confronted Black Flame, declaring she’d rather lose her powers than allow her family to continue a path of evil. To prove it, she seemingly exposed herself to Gold Kryptonite, which would take away her abilities. However, it was a trick! Black Flame revealed she was actually Zora, and the person in her lab was just a robotic duplicate. Zora attempted a final act of revenge, but Supergirl had cleverly used the real Gold Kryptonite on Zora, permanently turning her human and ending her brief, insignificant career as a villain.
Back and Deadlier Than Ever
Okay, so the latest issue of Supergirl really threw me for a loop! It was tough watching Kara and Lesla’s friendship hit a rough patch. Everyone went to this New Year’s Eve party Clarissa threw – super wholesome, no alcohol – but Lesla was determined to try getting drunk. Kara was rightfully worried, knowing how dangerous a tipsy Kryptonian could be, and tried to stop her, but Lesla wouldn’t listen. Lena, thinking she could create a mild buzz for Kryptonians, mixed up a drink, but it totally backfired and Lesla got completely wasted. And then, to make things even crazier, Kara accidentally took a sip of Lesla’s drink! Suddenly you had two incredibly strong, plastered women who could, seriously, destroy mountains. It was a mess, and I’m really curious to see how they fix things!
Supergirl was forced to temporarily incapacitate Lelsa to prevent her from destroying Clarissa’s home, which damaged their relationship. It was then discovered that Lelsa’s unique biology meant she would eventually disappear if she didn’t return to the Bottle City. Kara sent her back, ending their mentorship, and felt she had let them both down. Lost and feeling defeated, Lelsa was found by an old friend named Zora, who now went by Black Flame, and offered her a chance to embrace chaos.
This new version of Black Flame is a much bigger threat than the one we’ve seen before. Because she comes from a different timeline, she hasn’t been weakened by Gold Kryptonite and is still at full power. She appears to be a criminal in Kandor, and this time, she’s working with others. Seeing an opportunity, Black Flame will probably exploit Lesla’s feelings of inadequacy and convince her to get revenge on Supergirl. Supergirl is strong enough to defeat either enemy individually, but facing two Kryptonian villains at once could overwhelm even her. Things are about to get incredibly difficult for Supergirl, and Black Flame is the one to blame.
Supergirl #9 is on sale now!
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2026-01-18 23:17