Supergirl: All 7 Kara Zor-El actresses ranked from worst to best

3. Helen Slater

Appeared in: Supergirl (1984)

Helen Slater holds the distinct honor of being the first ever actress to play the Girl of Steel in a live-action production, and she did this when she headlined 1984's Supergirl movie. It was an infamous movie that few were kind to, but it certainly isn't worthy of its poor reputation as there are a lot of redeeming qualities about it, particularly the strength of Slater's performance.

Slater is downright delightful as Kara Zor-El. This version of the character was modelled after Superman (and later inspired the version we see in the TV series) and she captured that beautifully. She committed to the role completely, and you could see that throughout, especially the scene in which Kara spends time in nature, learning about it and how to use her abilities. You can see the intrigue in Slater's eyes, the naïve wonder that just made her performance so darn endearing.

Kara might not have been as weighed down by loss as her more modern comic book counterpart, but she was still committed to being a symbol of hope and freedom; and Slater captured this well, showcasing how seriously Kara took the responsibility of being a superhero and how her journey from Krypton to Earth forged her into that hero.