Warning: Spoilers for Titans: Beast World #3!
By tapping into classic Superman lore in more ways than one, Power Girl officially unleashes her new beast form upon the world. Power Girl’s Beast World transformation makes her one of the Superman Family’s most powerful members — and the most dangerous, as she’s more like a “Flamebird” than ever.
Power Girl adopts a literal “flame bird” form in Titans: Beast World #3 by Tom Taylor and Lucas Meyer. Power Girl is the latest hero afflicted by the “plague” brought on by Beast Boy’s transformation into a Starro, but unlike most transformations during this new DC event, Power Girl’s is suspiciously apropos, as it has a number of connections to Superman lore.
Power Girl’s new beast form not only evokes the legends of Krypton’s history, but it also evokes the legend of the Superman character, specifically his classic phrase: “It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s Superman!” This world-famous phrase is echoed by the issue’s narration and Jon Kent’s arrival later in the scene. The debut of Paige’s beast form puts a twist on the familiar introduction to the Man of Steel.
Power Girl Reveals New Name Now She’s Officially Part of the Superman Family
Power Girl has often been the black sheep of the Superman Family, but her new identity proves she’s finally taken her place in the House of El.
Power Girl’s Ultimate Beast Form Echoes Classic Superman Lore
When Beast Boy’s mind was wiped in mid-Garro transformation earlier in this event miniseries, the new version of him released Starro spores across the Earth. Whomever these parasites land on, those people wind up becoming animal-person hybrids of themselves. So far, readers have seen Black Adam become a bloodthirsty lion while Batman becomes his inner wolf. Now, Power Girl becomes an actual flaming bird woman — but not before attempting to save an actual flying plane from a flock of mad birds, a twist on a classic Superman scenario. Once Paige’s transformation is complete — and as she cracks the plane in half — the narration reads: “A bird. A plane. And then… Superman.“
Just like that, Jon Kent, now known as Superman, arrives and then takes on his Electric Blue form, preparing to face-off with the newly transformed Power Girl. This Superman phrase is truly iconic, dating back to the 1940s radio show and popularized during the 1950s Adventures of Superman TV series. Even those not familiar with the history and legacy of the Flamebird name in Superman (and Nightwing) lore will have at least heard, “Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s Superman!” The name Flamebird, of course, was originally applied to an ancient Kryptonian legend, and now that myth has been made literal thanks to Power Girl.
Superman’s Past Opens the Door for Power Girl and Jon Kent’s Present and Future
Pairing the new Flamebird with a plane moments after it’s attacked by birds, accompanied by the narration, feels too deliberate to call coincidental. Bringing in Jon Kent as well is a clever way to use the past of Superman to showcase the future of Superman, especially as Jon continues to play a central role in the DC Universe. The same is true of Superman’s multiversal cousin, Power Girl, who continues to star in her own ongoing series — if she can manage to transform back into her usual Kryptonian self, that is. But Paige’s new form proves once and for all that Power Girl is a major player in the Superman Family — she is their new Flamebird, after all.
TITANS: BEAST WORLD #3 (2023) | |
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Titans: Beast World #3 is available now from DC Comics.
