Smallville actor Laura Vandervoort wasn’t the biggest fan of her wardrobe as Supergirl. The long-running superhero series was a staple of The WB and CW in the early 2000s. Starring Tom Welling in the leading role, Smallville set itself apart from other comic book properties by focusing on Clark Kent before he becomes Superman. It also served as a precursor of sorts to the Arrowverse, which instead focuses on superheroes as they begin using their powers. Smallville is even canon within the current CW franchise, as Welling and former co-star Erica Durance reprised their roles as Lois and Clark in last season’s Crisis on Infinite Earths event.
As Kara Zor-El/Supergirl, Vandervoort appeared in 23 episodes of Smallville. She played a central role in season 7, before returning as a guest star in seasons 8 and 10. Like in the comics, Kara is Clark’s cousin and works on adjusting to Earth after Krypton is destroyed. She appears for the last time in Smallville‘s penultimate episode, where she helps Green Arrow before departing for the future.
At New York Comic Con this weekend, Vandervoort joined other members of the Smallville cast to participate in a virtual panel. At one point, moderator Garrett Wang joked about the actor probably wishing she’d been able to wear more clothing as Supergirl. Vandervoort responded, “Yes please. … I did ask them to burn the wardrobe when I was done with the show. I would’ve personally liked to have done it.“
On Smallville, Vandervoort’s Kara frequently wore midriff-bearing tops, often for no particular reason. Luckily, there have been strides made since, especially with the Arrowverse’s version of Supergirl, where Vandervoort memorably guest starred in season 1. In fact, early on in Supergirl, Kara’s friend Winn made her a revealing suit that she quickly rejected. For most of the series, Kara wore a modest skirt look that worked well for fights. However, the series took it even further with its most recent iteration of the suit, trading the skirt for pants in a move applauded by many.
Vandervoort’s comments about her wardrobe as Supergirl prove how far television has come in its portrayal of female superheroes. There’s been an effort on both the small and large screen to desexualize those characters by ensuring their costumes favor function above all else. There is still a long way to go on that front, though Supergirl‘s efforts, as well as those of the Wonder Woman franchise, for instance, show things are moving in the right direction. Hopefully, if Smallville was made today, Vandervoort’s Supergirl would be given the more practical wardrobe she deserves.
