Instruct: Given a question, retrieve passages that can help answer the question.
Query: Who plays Supergirl in the TV series?
In January 2015, it was announced by "The Hollywood Reporter" that Melissa Benoist would star as Supergirl. Benoist later revealed that auditioning for the part "was a long, drawn-out, three-month process"; she was the first actress looked at for the role, although Claire Holt and Gemma Atkinson were also considered. In March 2015, Blake Neely, composer for "Arrow" and "The Flash", revealed he would be composing for "Supergirl". The show was officially picked up to series on May 6, 2015. It was originally set to premiere in November 2015, before being moved up to October 26, 2015. The pilot episode was screened at San Diego Comic-Con International 2015 on July 8 and 11, 2015. In July 2015, Adler spoke on how much influence Superman would have on the show, saying, "Our prototype is the way the president is seen on "Veep". It's certainly [inspired by] so much of what Julia Louis-Dreyfus' character goes through. Ultimately, this is a show about Supergirl and we really want to see it through her lens." On November 30, 2015, CBS ordered an additional seven episodes of "Supergirl", for a full season of 20 episodes.
Generally speaking, exceptional-but-not-superhuman fictional characters like Batman, Iron Man, Green Arrow, and the Punisher may be classified as superheroes even though they do not have any actual superhuman abilities. Similarly, characters with superhuman abilities derived from artificial, external sources, like the Six Million Dollar Man's bionic limbs, Green Lantern's power ring, and Tony Stark's Iron Man armor, may be described as having superpowers, but are not necessarily superhuman.
During "The New Batman Adventures", Barbara Gordon appears as Batgirl as a recurring character. Her original voice actress, Melissa Gilbert, is replaced by Tara Strong. Batgirl is eventually allowed into the Batcave and becomes a main character and is Batman's main partner. Batgirl was made an addition to the cast with producer Bruce Timm stating, "The consumer products division and the people at the WB wanted to make sure kids would watch the show, so they strongly suggested we include Batgirl and Tim Drake (as Robin) as a way of courting young girl audiences as well as young boys...We liked the Batgirl character and I certainly didn't mind putting her in the show." It is also shown in the series that her previous relationship with Dick Grayson did not last. The episode "You Scratch My Back" emphasized this, portraying her relationship with Nightwing as strenuous. The episode "Over the Edge" also implies this as Nightwing states that he "can't believe it ended like this for us or Barbara". The episode "Girls' Night Out" establishes Batgirl and Supergirl (Kara Kent) as close friends. Along with all other characters in the series, Barbara's civilian and superhero identity were redesigned. Her Batgirl costume was changed to a black body suit with yellow gloves, boots, bat-symbol and utility belt to match her original comic book design seen in "Detective Comics" #359. In the movie "", Barbara Gordon appears briefly when she calls Bruce Wayne to find out who Batwoman is. She expresses jealousy and Bruce dodges the issue by faking cellular phone problems. This is the only scene in which Gordon appears and hints a crush on Bruce which she expresses with hinting that she misses him.
Lady Shiva (real name Sandra Woosan, or more recently Sandra Wu-San) is a fictional supervillainess and antiheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was co-created by Dennis O'Neil and Ric Estrada, and first appeared in "Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter". Over time, she has become more closely associated with Batman and related characters, both as an enemy and an ally. She is a martial arts grandmaster and one of the most skilled combatants in the DC Universe. She is an assassin-for-hire, who specializes in killing her targets with her bare hands, and is the mother of Cassandra Cain, a.k.a. Orphan.
Schwartz stated that he had been asked to develop a new female character in order to attract a female viewership to the "Batman" television series of the 1960s. Executive producer William Dozier suggested that the new character would be the daughter of Gotham City's Police Commissioner James Gordon, and that she would adopt the identity of Batgirl. When Dozier and producer Howie Horowitz saw rough concept artwork of the new Batgirl by artist Carmine Infantino during a visit to DC offices, they optioned the character in a bid to help sell a third season to the ABC television network. Infantino reflected on the creation of Batgirl, stating "Bob Kane had had a Bat-Girl for about three stories in the ’50s but she had nothing to do with a bat. She was like a pesky girl version of Robin. I knew we could do a lot better, so Julie and I came up with the real Batgirl, who was so popular she almost got her own TV show." Yvonne Craig portrayed the character in the show's third season. Barbara Gordon and alter ego Batgirl debuted in "Detective Comics" #359, "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl" (1967). In the debut story, while driving to a costume ball dressed as a female version of Batman, Barbara Gordon intervenes in a kidnapping attempt on Bruce Wayne by the super villain Killer Moth, attracting Batman's attention and leading to a crime-fighting career. Although Batman insists she give up crime-fighting because of her gender, Batgirl disregards his objections.
Batgirl continued to appear in DC Comics publications throughout the late 1960s and 1970s as a supporting character in "Detective Comics", in addition to guest appearances in various titles such as "Justice League of America", "World's Finest Comics", 
"The Brave and the Bold", "Adventure Comics", and "Superman". 
In the early-1970s Batgirl reveals her secret identity to her father (who had already discovered it on his own) and serves as a member of the United States House of Representatives. She moves to Washington, D.C., intending to give up her career as Batgirl, and in June 1972 appeared in a story entitled "Batgirl's Last Case." Julius Schwartz brought her back a year later in "Superman" #268 (1973) in which she has a blind date with Clark Kent, establishing their friendship, and fights alongside Superman. Batgirl and Superman team up twice more, in "Superman" #279 and "DC Comics Presents" #19. Batgirl also guest-starred in other Superman related titles such as #453 of "Adventure Comics" and in "Superman Family" #171, where she teams with Supergirl.
In 2008, she was the eighteenth actress to be cast in The CW series "90210", portraying antiheroine Naomi Clark. Initially, the part of Clark was conceived as a supporting role. However, by the end of the first season, media outlets had begun referring to McCord as the series' lead. For the role of Naomi Clark, she was nominated for a Teen Choice Award and received the "Hollywood Life" Young Hollywood Superstar of Tomorrow award in 2009. In 2010, she won a Breakthrough of the Year Award in the category of "Breakthrough Standout Performance".
The main characters are: Ted Mosby, a romantic searching for "The One"; Barney Stinson, a womanizer; Robin Scherbatsky, a journalist who moved to New York in 2005; and Marshall Eriksen and Lily Aldrin, a long-term couple. Although the show is based around The Mother, her first appearance is not until the season eight finale.
On August 30, 2012, it was announced that Julia Ormond had landed a main role on the show, as Joanna Beauchamp. On September 14, 2012, the role of Freya Beauchamp was officially given to Jenna Dewan Tatum, who publicly announced on December 17, 2012, that she and husband Channing Tatum were expecting their first child. On September 17, 2012, the leading male role of Dash Gardiner was assigned to Patrick Heusinger. And on September 19, 2012, Rachel Boston and model Daniel Di Tomasso were announced to have earned the two remaining main roles, respectively Ingrid Beauchamp and Killian Gardiner. Finally, as announced on September 25, 2012, Nicholas Gonzalez would portray detective Matt Torcoletti. On October 9, 2012, two guest star announcements were made: Mädchen Amick, who then became a part of the permanent main cast, and Glenne Headly - Amick as Wendy (Joanna's sister) and a leading role and Headly as Penelope (the Gardiner brothers' mother). Tom Lenk was later given the role of Hudson Rafferty, Ingrid's best friend, as announced on October 16, 2012.
"Reckoning" is the twelfth episode of the fifth season of the superhero television series "Smallville" and the hundredth episode of the overall series. It originally aired on The WB in the United States on January 26, 2006, and on E4 in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2006. The episode was written by Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson, and directed by Greg Beeman. The series follows the adventures of the young Clark Kent (Tom Welling) in the town of Smallville, Kansas, before he becomes Superman. In this episode, Clark reveals his secret to Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk), but there are consequences. Jonathan Kent (John Schneider) and Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) learn the results of the senatorial election and the life of someone Clark loves is taken from him.
Virginia Elizabeth Gardner (born April 18, 1995) is an American actress who is known for playing Karolina Dean in the Hulu original series "Marvel's Runaways" (2017) and Vicky in David Gordon Green's horror film "Halloween" (2018).
In "The Incredibles" (2004), Helen is seen as Elastigirl in the time before superheroes are banned. She married Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) and starts a family: Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack. She gives up her vigilante job to become a housewife while her husband worked. When Bob starts to act sneakily, Helen suspects an affair and confronts him. Later, when she discovered her husband is in trouble, she pilots a jet to rescue him, accompanied by Violet and Dash.
Batgirl is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, depicted as female counterparts to the superhero Batman. Although the character Betty Kane was introduced into publication in 1961 by Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff as Bat-Girl, she was replaced by Barbara Gordon in 1967, who later came to be identified as the iconic Batgirl. The character debuted in "Detective Comics" #359, titled "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!" (January 1967) by writer Gardner Fox and artist Carmine Infantino, introduced as the daughter of police commissioner James Gordon.
In an alternate future timeline, Danielle Cage, nicknamed Dani, inherits both of her parents' abilities and becomes Captain America. It is mentioned that she was mentored by an aged version of Black Widow, who goes by the name Madame Natasha. She is plucked from her timeline to battle Ultron and then a Doombot, and subsequently teams up with the modern day Avengers to battle Moridun, who had possessed Wiccan. She returns to the present again to aid the U.S.Avengers in capturing her nemesis, the Golden Skull.
Violet Parr is a fictional character who appears in Pixar's animated superhero film "The Incredibles" (2004) and its sequel "Incredibles 2" (2018). The eldest child of Bob and Helen Parr (Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl), Violet is born with the superhuman ability to render herself invisible, as well as generate force fields. Voiced by Sarah Vowell, Violet is a shy junior high school student who longs to fit in among her peers, a task she believes is hindered by her superpowers. Throughout the course of the films, Violet gradually matures and becomes more confident in herself as both a young woman and superhero.
"General Hospital" is an American television soap opera, airing on ABC. Created by Frank and Doris Hursley, the serial premiered on April 1, 1963. The longest-running cast member is Leslie Charleson, who has portrayed Dr. Monica Quartermaine since August 17, 1977, also making her one of the longest-tenured actors in American soap operas. Former cast member Rachel Ames was previously the series' longest-running cast member, portraying Audrey Hardy from 1964 to 2007, and making guest appearances in 2009 and 2013, the latter for the series' fiftieth anniversary. Ames made a special appearance on October 30, 2015. Actors Genie Francis and Kin Shriner, who portray Laura Spencer and Scott Baldwin, are the second and third longest-running cast members, having joined "General Hospital" in February and August 1977, respectively. Actress Jacklyn Zeman — who portrays Bobbie Spencer — is the fourth longest-running cast member, joining the serial in December 1977. Actress Jane Elliot, who joined the serial in June 1978 as Tracy Quartermaine, is the fifth longest-running cast member, joining "General Hospital" in June 1978 until her departure in May 2017. Former cast member Anthony Geary, who portrayed Luke Spencer, was the sixth longest-running cast member, having joined "General Hospital" in November 1978. The following list is of cast members who are currently on the show: the main and recurring cast members, or those who are debuting, departing or returning to the series.
Buffy Summers (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar) is the "Slayer", one in a long line of young women chosen by fate to battle evil forces. This mystical calling endows her with powers that dramatically increase physical strength, endurance, agility, accelerated healing, intuition, and a limited degree of clairvoyance, usually in the form of prophetic dreams. She has returned from death twice and is known as a reluctant hero who wants to live a normal life. However, she learns to embrace her destiny as the vampire slayer.
The first known female superhero is writer-artist Fletcher Hanks's minor character Fantomah, an ageless, ancient Egyptian woman in the modern day who could transform into a skull-faced creature with superpowers to fight evil; she debuted in Fiction House's "Jungle Comics" #2 (Feb. 1940), credited to the pseudonymous "Barclay Flagg". The first widely recognizable female superhero is "Wonder Woman", from All-American Publications, one of three companies that would merge to form DC Comics. In an October 25, 1940, interview conducted by former student Olive Byrne (under the pseudonym 'Olive Richard') and published in "Family Circle", titled "Don't Laugh at the Comics", William Moulton Marston described what he saw as the great educational potential of comic books (a follow up article was published two years later in 1942.) This article caught the attention of comics publisher Max Gaines, who hired Marston as an educational consultant for National Periodicals and All-American Publications, two of the companies that would merge to form the future DC Comics. At that time, Marston decided to develop a new superhero. In the early 1940s the DC line was dominated by superpowered male characters such as the Green Lantern, Batman, and its flagship character, Superman. According to the Fall 2001 issue of the Boston University alumni magazine, it was his wife Elizabeth Hollowy's idea to create a female superhero. Marston introduced the idea to Max Gaines, cofounder (along with Jack Liebowitz) of All-American Publications. Given the go-ahead, Marston developed "Wonder Woman" with Elizabeth (whom Marston believed to be a model of that era's unconventional, liberated woman). In creating Wonder Woman, Marston was also inspired by Olive Byrne, who lived with the couple in a polygamous/polyamorous relationship. In a 1943 issue of "The American Scholar", Marston wrote:
The first known female superhero is writer-artist Fletcher Hanks's minor character Fantomah, an ageless, ancient Egyptian woman in the modern day who could transform into a skull-faced creature with superpowers to fight evil; she debuted in 1940 in Fiction Houses "Jungle Comics".
Naomi Clark was initially developed by the series' original show-runner, Rob Thomas, who was succeeded by Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah prior to the premiere. Early press releases described the character as a privileged, attractive, and popular teenager, prompting the media to draw comparisons to Kelly Taylor of "Beverly Hills, 90210", the first series of the franchise which launched "90210". As production of the spin-off began, the part would become more defined, with actress AnnaLynne McCord, who received the role, labeling Naomi an intelligent girl who possessed both manipulative and sensitive sides. She further described the character as "kind of a chameleon", stating that "she'll be someone with the principal and then someone else with her mother and then someone else with her friend."
Karolina Dean appears in the Hulu television series, "Runaways" portrayed by Virginia Gardner. Karolina's power dampening bracelet is still intact, but her fear of removing it comes from her mother's religious-like background. She is mocked at school by her peers who view her as being brainwashed by her cult-like religion called the Church of Gibborim founded by her grandfather and a benefactor named Jonah. Throughout the course of the first season, she slowly learns more about her true form and supernatural abilities. She later kisses Nico, revealing her feelings, and the two then begin a relationship. In season two, she learns and embraces her dual identity of human and alien. Instead of being Majesdanian, she is half-human and half-Gibborim from a family of exiled Royal Magistrates.
The fourth season of the American television series "Supergirl", which is based on the DC Comics character Kara Zor-El / Supergirl, premiered on The CW on October 14, 2018. The season follows Kara, a reporter and superpowered alien who fights against those who threaten Earth, and the fallout of her use of mysticism and time traveling. It is set in the Arrowverse, sharing continuity with the other television series of the universe. The season is produced by Berlanti Productions, Warner Bros. Television, and DC Entertainment, with Robert Rovner and Jessica Queller serving as showrunners.
Melissa Benoist, Mehcad Brooks, Chyler Leigh, Jeremy Jordan, and David Harewood return from the first season as Kara Danvers / Supergirl, James Olsen, Alex Danvers, Winn Schott and J'onn J'onzz / Martian Manhunter, respectively. They are joined by Chris Wood and Floriana Lima, playing Mon-El and Maggie Sawyer, respectively. Harewood also portrays Hank Henshaw, who becomes this series' version of Cyborg Superman. The season establishes Olsen as the vigilante Guardian, unlike the comics where Jim Harper is the vigilante. The producers decided to depict Sawyer as a Latino for the series, unlike the comics where she is a white blonde; however, the character's homosexuality was retained for the series.
During the second season, Supergirl appears in "Invasion!", a crossover episode of "The Flash", "Arrow" and "Legends of Tomorrow", when she's recruited by Barry Allen and Cisco Ramon at the end of "Medusa" to help fight off an invasion by the Dominators. "Supergirl" and "The Flash" also featured in a musical crossover, featuring several covers of existing songs along with two original numbers. Similar to "Invasion!", the crossover begins at the end of the "Supergirl" episode "Star-Crossed" and primarily takes place during "The Flash" episode "Duet", featuring the Music Meister as the antagonist who puts both The Flash and Supergirl in a shared hallucination. After "Invasion!", Guggenheim felt "If there's an appetite for it from the fans and from the network," the crossover next year could be "a proper four-part crossover."
During her career, Slater has revisited her 1984 role of Supergirl. She made a brief guest appearance on "Seinfeld" as a love interest of Jerry Seinfeld, who in reality is a huge fan of Superman. Slater was seen in a recurring role as Clark Kent's biological mother, Lara, on the TV series "Smallville" and as Supergirl's adoptive mother in the TV series "Supergirl".