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Take, for example, Superman’s heat vision. This technically made its comic book debut 77 years ago, in 1939’s Superman #49, but it was very different. It was originally an extension of his x-ray vision; “by turning on the full strength of my x-ray powers, I can use them to melt that oversize block of ice,” Superman reflected. It wasn’t long until heat vision began to be seen as a completely different power. And now, 48 years after Reeve’s incarnation of Superman first demonstrated heat vision on the big screen, that power is changing again – courtesy of Supergirl.
Supergirl Has a Very Different Approach to Heat Vision
The new Supergirl trailer features some stunning scenes in which Kara Zor-El goes up against the villainous Krem and his Brigands, and the fight is about as mismatched as you’d expect; as Kara observes, this fight looks like it’s going to go badly… for them. To be fair, it’s pretty clear Krem and his allies have strategies to help them against Kryptonians; there are hints of Kryptonite poisoning on Kara’s neck at one telling moment in the trailer, suggesting he’ll manage to get Kara at his mercy at one point.
Another key moment, though, can be seen from 2:29 in the trailer. There, Supergirl unleashes the full force of her heat vision on one of Krem’s Brigands, and it’s very different to the traditional portrayal. Rather than project heat, she’s blasting out energy in what’s clearly a kinetic blast, one strong enough to send the thug through the hull of an actual spaceship. That’s a notable change for heat vision, suggesting there’s a kinetic component – likely one that can be dialed up and down at will (akin to Superman’s originally dialing up his x-ray vision to generate heat).
This change in Superman’s powers was actually set up in Gunn’s 2025 movie. There, Superman’s clone certainly demonstrated a kinetic version of heat vision, at one point blasting the Man of Steel off his feet; likewise, there’s a scene where Superman uses his heat vision to hold the clone’s hand back. But the kinetic component was inconsistent, just as you’d expect if it can be controlled. It would make sense for Kara to choose to dial up the physical force, which is perfectly in-character for the more violent and abrasive Supergirl. It seems Kryptonian powers are still evolving on-screen even now.
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