- "Kara, my brave daughter. By now you have become the woman I knew you would grow up to be. And though you were sent to Earth to protect young Kal-El, your destiny is not tied to his. There is no correct path in life. You will lose your way many times. What's important is that you find your way back to the brave girl you always were. Be wise, be strong and always be true to yourself."
- —Alura's message to Kara Zor-El[src]
Alura Zor-El (died 1979) was the mother of Kara Zor-El and wife of Zor-El, as well as one of the most influential judicators (judges) of Krypton.
Biography
Early life
Alura was born on the planet Krypton a number of decades before its destruction. She and her sister, Astra, were one of the rare cases of twin birth recorded on the planet. When they were children, Alura and Astra took pleasure in confusing their parents, due to their almost identical appearance.[1]
As an adult, Alura become a judicator and was put in charge of administering justice in the maximum-security prison Fort Rozz (prison).[2] She fell in love with a member of the science guild named Zor-El, who she later married. Eventually she gave birth to a daughter, Kara.
Alura telling Kara that she had the heart of a hero.
Coming home late after sentencing a Hellgrammite who had been brought to the citadel, Alura went into Kara's room, asking her why she was still up. After being told by her daughter that she simply wanted to see her, Alura went on to explain why she had been working so late when asked by Kara. When Kara mentioned that she wanted to help people like Alura did one day, Alura told her that she would, as she had the heart of a hero.[1]
Sentencing Astra to Fort Rozz
Alura sentenced Astra and Non to imprisonment in Fort Rozz (prison).
After Astra learned that Krypton was dying because of its resources being too heavily exploited, she tried to prevent it by rebelling against the government and committing several extreme crimes to the point that her husband and second-in-command Non killed a guard while under her command. Knowing Kara was the only person Astra would trust enough to meet, Alura suggested to Kara that she use her spy beacon to contact her aunt.[3] When Astra came to see Kara, Alura pleaded with her sister to turn herself in, promising to speak to the council on her behalf. However, Astra refused to stop her plans, and Alura had her arrested.[4] Despite the fact that they were family, Alura sentenced both her sister and brother-in-law, Non, to prison in Fort Rozz.[1] Before sending Astra to Fort Rozz, Alura told her sister that she believed about Krypton's impending destruction. However, she was "bound by more than blood in [the] courtroom", and Astra's actions resulted in several deaths, which left Alura with no choice but the sentence her sister to prison. However, she promised Astra that she would do everything she could to carry on her work, but the right way, with compassion and understanding rather than violence and fear. Bidding her sister a final farewell, Alura regretfully sent her sister to Fort Rozz.
Sending Kara to Earth
Zor-El and Alura say goodbye to Kara.
Alura and her husband, Zor-El, sent their daughter Kara to Earth as their home planet was dying. Before sending her off, Alura told Kara that the trip would be long, but that she would sleep for most of it and that they'd be with her in her dreams, mentioning to Kara that'd she have extraordinary abilities on Earth, due to its yellow sun. She gave Kara her necklace before the latter boarded her ship, leaving right before the planet self destructed.[2]
Guide on Earth
Alura's hologram talking to Kara.
After battling her aunt Astra and saving Alex and "Director Henshaw", Alex revealed to Kara that a program downloaded from Kara's pod contained an A.I. in the holographic form of her mother who Kara would be able to seek advice and speak with,[1] however, most of the time the program is unresponsive and refuses to divulge classified information.
Legacy
Kara initially looked up to Alura believing her be a hero (unaware of her mother's true nature at the time), however, years after her death, Kara finally learned the truth, of what kind of person her mother truly was, from her aunt, Astra who revealed that her sister used her as a means to arrest her aunt, when the A.I that housed Alura's memories and emotions, confirmed that Astra was telling the truth, Kara became completely enraged and disgusted by this deception.
Any respect Kara had for Alura was completely shattered and destroyed after this, as she makes no attempt to defend her mother's unspeakable actions, during a conversation between Kara and Mon-El, she mentions that Alura did not try to save Krypton during its destruction, as she was no hero in the end; revealing just how low her opinion for late mother has become.
Personality
Initially, Alura appeared to be a kind, caring, selfless and moral individual, who her daughter thought of as the best woman who ever lived. However, as Kara learned more about her mother, she realized that like most people she was not perfect. Alura was extremely inflexible in her immorality, which led to her commit several less than moral actions. Her adherence to the law led her to ignore the warning signs of Krypton's impending destruction and instead focus on bringing her sister to justice for her crimes. Kara later commented on how her mother let Krypton die via inaction. Alura was also not above using manipulation for the sake of the law, as evidenced by her manipulating Kara into contacting Astra to draw the latter out of hiding so she could be arrested.
While rigid in terms of upholding the law, Alura did genuinely care about her family. Before arresting Astra she pleaded with her sister to turn herself in, in order to get a lesser sentence. However, she also seemed to ignore Astra's own arguments about how Krypton was dying. After sentencing Astra, Alura told her that she believed her about Krypton dying and that she would do everything she could to save the planet. She seemed truly remorseful about sending her sister to Fort Rozz, but as she explained, she was bound by the law within the courtroom; although, the sincerity of her remorse was doubtful.
Alura failed in saving Krypton, and as a result had to send Kara to Earth at the moment of the planet's destruction in order to save her life. Kara later noted that the reason Alura made no attempt to save herself was because she felt guilty for what had happened to Krypton, blaming herself for not having done more, and saw dying with the planet as honorable.[5]
However, while she may have felt guilty for letting Krypton die, the A.I that housed her memories and emotions makes it clear that she did not truly regret using Kara to lure Astra out of hiding, still believing it was justified in light of Astra's various crimes (completely disregarding the fact that her twin sister had good reason for committing these crimes). Alura's greatest vice was her arrogant, prideful, self-righteous and hypocritical traits; common traits among Kryptonians. Like many of her people, she looked down on Daxamites, her A.I claiming them to be bullies, who care more about their own profit than the welfare of others.
Powers and abilities
Powers
- Kryptonian physiology: Normally, like all Kryptonians, Alura's capabilities were no greater than a normal human of her physical conditioning. However, if she had been charged by the energy of a blue or yellow sun and metabolized into her body, she would have become able to perform various inhuman feats. However this never happened as she wasn't ever exposed to a sun different to the the Kryptonians' natural red one.
Abilities
- High-level intellect/Master lawyer: Alura was a highly respected judicator, put in charge of administering justice in Krypton's maximum-security prison, Fort Rozz. Her ability to use the legal system to her advantage allowed her help others and herself both inside and outside the court, serving as an exemple for her daughter, Kara. However she was also a gifted tactician and a ruthless manipulator, perfectly able to deceive even her loved ones in order to achieve her ends.
- Multilingual: Alura was capable of fluently speaking English and Kryptonese.
Weaknesses
- Arrogance: Like most Kryptonians, Alura had a massive ego; this was evidenced by the fact that she ignored the warning signs of Krypton's impending destruction, and even ignored Astra's own warning that Krypton was dying because of it's resources were being too heavily exploited. By the time she realized that Astra was right it was too late, as she only had time to save her daughter moments before the planet was destroyed.
Appearances
Supergirl
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
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Comics
Adventures of Supergirl
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Behind the scenes
- In the DC comics, her full maiden name is Alura In-Ze, as most depictions of Kryptonian culture show that females use their father's full name as their last names before marriage.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Stronger Together"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Pilot"
- ↑ "Hostile Takeover"
- ↑ "Blood Bonds"
- ↑ "Strange Visitor from Another Planet"