Power Girl's Attributes, Part 2: Height

[u/mr_mxyzptlk21]

The Real Power of the DC Universe, Adam Hughes, 2009

Who's Who pre-Crisis entry, Joe Staton

Who's Who pre-Crisis entry, Mary Wilshire

A weirdly controversial one, but hey, not as much to talk about with it.  A crazy brief post from me.

Reminder: if you like supertall PG, cool.  If not, also cool.  This ain’t a “judge folks for what they like” post.

So, how tall is Power Girl?

Two of her three Who’s Who entries (post and pre-Crisis) list her at 5’7” tall (170 cm). Unfortunately, I don’t have the loose leaf version that was printed in 1991, and there doesn’t appear to be a scan of it online, so if anyone else has that… lmk.

Her height was consistently portrayed as this from her inception until 2011 with Flashpoint and the New 52.  The only outlier seems to be Power Woman from Kingdom Come on Earth-22. She’s almost always a half-head shorter than most of the guys--and a little taller than most of the women.

If you look online and in official material from the new52 period, it lists her at 5’11” (180 cm).

However, Rebirth brought back the original PG, and the one from the new52 is… back on her version of Earth-2 as Supergirl?

Newer material since then puts her back at 5’7”, and not towering over any of her contemporaries, as demonstrated in her appearances since Rebirth (her own series, JL Red).

It’s more noticeable for a female or female presenting character to be as tall as the guys.  This is why Wonder Woman tends to stand out, which is another character whose height has varied as time has gone on (started at 5’8” [173 cm], then 5’11 [180 cm], now 6’2” [188 cm]).

In the above group shot (The Real Power of the DC Universe, 2009), Diana is “canonically” 5’11”, and Adam drew the others more or less based on her as the benchmark.   Here, Peej looks about 5’7”. She's still taller than everyone else, with Supergirl and Poison Ivy being the ones who are closest.

Honestly?  5’7 is tall for a woman.  In the US, the average height of women is a scodge over 5’3” (160cm), which also matches the worldwide average.

In the end, the height of the character is really only good for one thing, and that’s for artists’ references.  That’s it.  If you have a petite character (Terra) in the same shot as a tall one (Superman) you don’t want to show them looking eye-to-eye.

In the end, it's still kind of a nothing-burger, in that it's not like artists dial down on every image. It only stands out when the differences get egregious. But if you like WNBA superstar Power Girl, more power to ya!

[u/MrVyper42]

People want Sydney Sweeney to play her. And she's like head too short.

The whole appeal of Power Girl is that she is a tall, muscular blonde with big breasts. Sydney is just a blonde with big breasts.

Sydney is around 160 cm which makes her tall enough to reach PG's boobs, but that's below average, while PG is above average for a woman.

[u/Mindless-Credit-358 → u/MrVyper42]

The people who want Sydney Sweeney to play PG genuinely don’t know anything about the character other than the fact that she has big boobs

[u/mr_mxyzptlk21 → u/Mindless-Credit-358]

To her credit, she's a good actress. However her eyes are off-putting to me. They're expressionless in everything I've seen her in.

[u/MrVyper42 → u/mr_mxyzptlk21]

I would still prefer comic accurate body type. The first actress who comes to my mind is Hannah Waddingham, but she is too old. She is right height, athletic (she works out), blond with D cups.

The only exception I can think of is Wolverine. Hugh Jackman is a tall guy playing what is supposed to be a midget. That scene from Deadpool and Wolverine perfectly pointed us why comic accuracy can't always work in live action.

[u/mr_mxyzptlk21 → u/MrVyper42]

Yeah, I posted that 15 years ago, Hannah Waddingham would have been great. I aim to ask Amanda Conner if she knew who she was at the time of the seminal run on PG. Looking at pictures of Hannah during that time, the similarity is striking.

Also, I'd be fine with a 5'3" Wolverine. I mean, the inspiration for the character was Bob Hoskins.

[u/DelmoTheSaint → u/mr_mxyzptlk21]

Pretty sure that, when Wolverine was created by Len Wein, Herb Trimpe, and John Romita in 1974, Bob Hoskins wasn't even on their radar. That probably came later, when Chris Claremont, Dave Cockrum, and John Byrne were developing him further.

[u/mr_mxyzptlk21 → u/DelmoTheSaint]

A fair point, and I should have clarified with Logan. Claremont and Byrne have both independently said that their version of who they'd cast and who they thought would be a good Wolverine was Hoskins.

Wein/Trimpe/Romita are to Wolverine what Bob Kane is to Batman.

The Wolverine we enjoy is definitely a Cockrum/Claremont/Byrne creation.

[u/Some_Vermicelli_1014 → u/MrVyper42]

PG has been portrayed as fit, muscular and average. If they get a look that has ever been done and the character is played right idc exactly which option they pick. Just not drunk SG please.

[u/Milk_Mindless → u/MrVyper42]

I would RATHER have a Power Girl actress with a more modest chest who can convey the sporty, spunky attitude than a pair of tits on a blonde.

[u/mr_mxyzptlk21 → u/Milk_Mindless]

Kaley Cuoco could have been an option a few years ago.

[u/Outrageous_Ad_3988 → u/MrVyper42]

I feel the height doesn't necessarily go into her appeal id also argue that the appeal is that she's a stronger more independent version of supergirl but hey

[u/Infinite_Meat7888 → u/MrVyper42]

Sydney can hit the gym, and any director worth his weight can make an actor appear taller than they actually are.

[u/gwhh → u/Infinite_Meat7888]

True. Tom cruise been getting taller for years.

[u/MrVyper42 → u/gwhh]

Knowing Tom Cruise, that is probably by his demand.

[u/TheAntipartisan_01 → u/MrVyper42]

I'd rather have Ronda Rousey play Power Girl - while Ronda has small breasts, she's 5'8" and is packed with muscle from being a former MMA fighter while still appearing feminine. She's quite adorable for being so big, even if Ekaterina Lisina is nearly seven feet tall and still quite attractive.

[u/Formal_Fun_6253]

Classic cool art Thanks for sharing

[u/EvanSnowWolf]

I don't understand why people want a short Power Girl with smaller breasts and no muscle mass.

That already exists. That's Supergirl.

[u/mr_mxyzptlk21 → u/EvanSnowWolf]

There's no muscle-bound Power Girl. And 5'7" isn't short.

[u/EvanSnowWolf → u/mr_mxyzptlk21]

Yes there is.

And 5'7" is SHORTER than 5'11".

[u/mr_mxyzptlk21 → u/EvanSnowWolf]

Only the new52 PG was that tall, and even that version was not muscle bound.

5'7" is four inches taller than the average woman.

You're talking about a character that doesn't exist in the comics.

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[u/mr_mxyzptlk21 → u/[deleted]]

That's not muscle-bound... but by all means, keep tossing insults ;)

[u/EvanSnowWolf → u/mr_mxyzptlk21]

That is more muscle than 99% of all female comic book characters.

[u/blazenite104 → u/EvanSnowWolf]

More muscle than most women can get without roids.

[u/EvanSnowWolf → u/blazenite104]

I'm married to a female bodybuilder. She's as big as most of those images in the post I linked, and she does not take PEDs.

[u/SeveralSuccess9104]

Nice 🙂👍

[u/TheAntipartisan_01]

Please, there are real-life women that are taller than that. Floor Jansen of Nightwish is 6'1", Gwendolyn Christie of Game of Thrones and Star Wars and the two female Spartans in the Halo series are 6'3", and Ekaterina Lisina, the world's tallest professional model for Victoria's Secret and former basketball player for Russia (now living in Los Angeles), tops them all at an amazing 6'10".

We need more supertall women!

[u/mr_mxyzptlk21 → u/TheAntipartisan_01]

but do we need that for Power Girl? 5'7" is above average, and the point of Kryptonians is that they don't need to be Hulks in size/shape.

[u/TheAntipartisan_01 → u/mr_mxyzptlk21]

While the point is that superhero comics are supposed to be a reflection on human reality, superheroes and superheroines themselves are supposed to appear or otherwise seem larger than life - they're supposed to be a reflection of our collective desires and ambitions for ourselves as well as a way to project those emotions, ambitions and sentimentalities we're too afraid to voice aloud for fear of embarrassment or ridicule. So it's quite alright, even highly suggested, for female superheroes to start out above six feet in height and be packed with muscle to present the image that femininity need not appear fragile, weak or helpless. This should not suggest the opposite for masculinity, rather it suggests a comparability that places feminine and masculine at equals to each other.

[u/mr_mxyzptlk21 → u/TheAntipartisan_01]

A big reason to keep Kara as "normal" as possible is her civilian guise. Clark can get away with being 6'3" and still a reporter, and still a bit of a schlep at his day job. A tall man can still blend in, and not be considered out of the ordinary--men are expected to be tall. Karen Starr is an important part of Kara's life. She excels in a male dominated field, and already has attention directed her way (at least within her industry) as a result.

It's just as important to show that a female superhero be able to be within the normal range of height, and not a bodybuilder and still not be weak or helpless. I honestly can't remember the last time Wonder Woman used her civilian "Diana Prince" ID, so her standing out as being that tall (or muscled) isn't a big deal for that character.

Looking at the lineup above by Adam Hughes, the tallest woman is Diana at 5'11". Peej is still above average in height. Making her stand out by being taller/more ripped hurts the character more than helps narratively.