Kara Zor-El’s story has come to a close with the CW’s “Supergirl” finale. However, it has left some fans unsatisfied after the potential romance between Zor-El (Melissa Benoist) and Lena Luthor (Katie McGrath) wasn’t made canon. It seems that history has repeated itself as fans called its showrunners out for queerbaiting. While reminiscent of what went down after the CW’s “Supernatural” finale, the SuperCorp shippers may have gotten the last laugh this time around. It’s all thanks to an edited kiss.
One “Supergirl” fan edited scenes from the show’s final episode to create an image of Zor-El and Luthor kissing. The photo has since gone viral along with an edited “leaked” script to support the claims that an actual kiss was shot but eventually cut from the final episode. The edits were so well-made that a number of online publications (such as Just Jared Jr.) were convinced of their authenticity—much to the amusement of the fandom.
Fans filled the replies section of tweets on the show’s social media accounts with critical comments about how the showrunners wrote and edited the characters’ scenes to make it look like a slow-burn romance unfolding. Queerbaiting (or adding homoerotic subtexts that don’t result in actual queer romance) has been a recurring issue for shows with sizable and devoted fanbases. With the rise of substantive LGBTQIA+ representation in the past few years, queerbaiting seems like something that we can already do without. It would allow audiences to seek legitimately queer alternatives instead of facing heavy disappointment.
But that’s not to say that “Supergirl” didn’t have a queer romance. In the final episode, Kara’s sister Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh) and Kelly Olsen (Azie Tesfai) celebrated their gay wedding. And before Olsen, Danvers was previously engaged to Maggie Sawyer (Floriana Lima).
Still, the send-off to DanSen didn’t sate the fandom. Some accussed the writers of using Supergirl’s gay sister as a scapegoat to avoid addressing Supergirl’s own sexuality. We can’t really blame them either. It’s not impossible for sisters to both be gay, CW. And you can’t tell us this isn’t meant to be romantic: “Supergirl may have saved me. But, Kara Danvers, you are my hero.” It’s a textbook superhero romance line.
The SuperCorp kiss may be an edit, but many are choosing to believe in the alternate reality it offers. The kiss is canon in our hearts.
Photo courtesy of “Supergirl’s” Instagram
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