How does Supergirl fit into The Flash's story? Details with the Flashpoint comic and Superman's replacement

With the recent trailer for The Flash, viewers got their first look at Sasha Calle's Supergirl.

Confirmed to be Kara Zor-El, as opposed to Lara Lane-Kent - who many believed the character to be - Supergirl will have pretty much the same role that Superman did in the Flashpoint comic. However, there will be a few minor differences here and there.

The Flash very much seems to be a loose adaptation of Flashpoint. With Supergirl being a new addition to the plot, it looks like the film is all set to introduce this character to viewers in a big way.

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Why Supergirl fits into The Flash's story

Sasha Calle as Supergirl (Image via Warner Bros Pictures)

With the Flashpoint comic being a source of inspiration here, the answer is pretty simple for why Supergirl is in the film instead of Superman.

In the comic book written by Geoff Johns, we see Barry traveling back into the past and changing the timeline. This causes Superman to basically not exist, but Kal-El is still a part of the story.

When Barry Allen teams up with Thomas Wayne's Batman and Cyborg, the trio learns about Project: Superman. Here they learn that the US government found a specimen from when an aircraft crashed in Metropolis.

They go out to a secret bunker to find him to seek his help and stop the war between Wonder Woman (Diana Prince) and Aquaman (Arthur Curry). The two were at odds because Diana had killed Arthur's wife, Mera, as their fight threatened the destruction of the world.

Superman in Flashpoint Paradox (Image via Warner Bros Pictures)

However, what they find is something even more tragic. They find a weakened and pale Kal-El who had been possibly trapped since he was a child. Never seeing a human before, Kal escapes from the faculty and flies off as he is afraid.

This leaves the main trio alone to defend themselves from the incoming guards. Kal-El does eventually return at the end of the comic to help turn the tide in favor of the heroes.

With The Flash, fans might possibly get a similar story, but with a few changes. The biggest of them being, of course, that Supergirl is a part of it now. Kara Zor-El will be taking Kal-El's place in the story as the trailer suggests that Barry will find the depowered Kryptonian in a secret place.

Kara also looks like she won't fly away from the team and will stick around to help them. The trailer shows her fighting Zod during his invasion, with these events replacing the war between Themyscira and Atlantis from the comics.

This might also suggest a difference in the origins of Supergirl, who is also sent to Earth on a Kryptonian ship but finds herself trapped in the Phantom Zone.

While she does eventually make her way out, it is unclear if The Flash will follow that comic book's origin as of now considering the liberties that hav been taken. You can check out Sasha Calle's Supergirl when the film releases in theaters on June 16, 2023.