Ship Spotlight: Celebrating ‘Supergirl’s’ Karamel

Supergirl is a beacon of hope in National City and a role model for all the other girls. But what she embodies in our modern and progressive society should not strip away her nature and individuality.

Supergirl is an alien and a superhero, with all the responsibilities that it entails, but Kara Danvers/Zor-El (Melissa Benoist, Glee) is a dork and a woman. Male superheroes switch girlfriends every other day like it’s part of the job while oddly building his alpha male legend but when the female superhero dares to even voice some romantic interest it suddenly and irrevocably shames her cape. No matter how progressive we think our society is double standards die hard.

Mon-El’s character (played by Chris Wood) from those double standards. But most of all, the pairing he made with Kara was unfairly misjudged as a hindrance to her character arc rather when it was actually one of the strengths of the show.

With Mon-El’s arrival in season 2, Kara found herself taking on a new role, one of a mentor. Wat made Karamel different and feminist-friendly was that it relied on subverted gender stereotypes and expectations. Mon-El is the seemingly giddy, stay-at-home boyfriend who reads romantic literature and looks up to his heroic, public figure girlfriend. Sure, Mon-El was not perfect but the character’s immaturity and flaws were immediately labeled despicable and irredeemable without giving him a chance of growth.

A growth that Mon-El did achieve with Kara’s patient guidance. And Valor, the hero that he has become in the future, was shaped by everything she taught him and all the values she stood for. Kara inspired Mon-El to better himself and she turned the selfish prince of Daxam that he was into superhero without ever compromising herself. Doesn’t scream anti-feminist to me.

Now, on to a lighter topic, Karamel brought in a refreshing wave of dorkness and goofiness in the superhero show, allowing “civil” Kara Danvers and alien Kara Zor-El to thrive and grow behind the Supergirl persona.

The two basked in a pool of snuggles, other pastel blankets, and food. Personally, I’m all in for that aesthetic. Sure, there were fights and many mishaps but Mon-El’s strength was his ability to learn and grow. We can cut him some slack for tripping a few times along that new journey.

His departure did not go unnoticed (among the fans of course) and, whether you consider for better or worse, it altered the tone of the show.

Being a Karamel shipper at heart, I guess I am naturally drawn to optimism and know that Mon-El will make a return. Kara and Mon-El are endgame; look at it as  Romeo and Juliet with a happy twist. Their sweet delights can only have sweet ends.

Speaking of sweetness, check out some of our favorite cute moments!

THAT TIME WHEN HE BROUGHT HER LUNCH AT WORK

Mon-El is a devoted boyfriend who understands and shares his girlfriend’s valid obsession with food. Between two ice-cream cones, Mon-El likes to answer the call of Kara’s growling stomach. The exploit worth praising is that the bag doesn’t get o its destination empty.

 

That time when Mon-El learned to mispronounce ‘president’

The first conversation between Kara and Mon-El set the tone of their relationship to come: not so smooth but oh so funny. At this moment, it didn’t take a cop to figure out he’s not the bad guy. And it was also the start of a hilarious series of misused words!

 

That Time when Kara was so impressed she bought him flowers

Kara and Mon-El like to celebrate every stage of their relationship but this one wins the (cup)cake! After their first night together, Mon-El wakes up alone. She turns up a few moments later with flowers and a cup of coffee with a grateful smile on. We won’t comment further…

 

That Time when Kara was definitely mad

Before getting together, Kara and Mon-El s̶p̶e̶n̶t̶  wasted a lot of time denying their feelings for each other. As frustrating as it was, it also served us some funny moments, like when Kara accidentally let it slip she was mad Mon-El went on a date with Eve and denied saying so literally 30 seconds later.

Kara can bend steel and fly but she is the worst at lying.

 

That Time when she couldn’t let him go alone

Besides the cute moments, Karamel also served some iconic scenes. Like when Mon-El had to get on board an alien ship following a threat to destroy Earth. He and Kara share a long look filled with pain until she can’t take it anymore and super-runs into his arms. I mean, the feeeels! It was the first time we could begin to gage Kara’s love and let me tell you, it’s bottomless.

 

That Time when Mon-El confessed his feelings

After kissing Kara then feigning amnesia (really, Mon-El?), he finally waits outside her apartment to admit his feelings for her. The scene is flawless apart from the moment he friendzoned himself just when she was about to cave in — she was definitely staring at the lips.

This is one of the times whe Mon-El drops the cocky facade and lets on his vulnerable side. This scene is among any Karamel shipper’s top 3 moments.

 

That time when Mon-El gave her true love’s kiss

In a crossover episode with The Flash, Kara and Barry (Grant Gustin, Glee) find themselves trapped (not sure about this word) in another world full of jazz music, tap-dancing and glittery dresses — yeah, the horror. Anyways, they do get shot at some point with no chance of rescuing.

This is when Mon-El runs in and apologizes for lying about his true identity. Kara forgives him because this is what love is about, isn’t it? We haven’t finished reeling from this that True Love barges in. Mon-El saves the kiss with a heart-stopping light-infused kiss that has Kara wake up in a daze.

This is pretty much confirmation that Karamel is the real stuff. And we’re down for it!

 

Karamel wasn’t perfect but it was pure and their relationship made them both grow in different ways. Like love should.

So please, please, can Mon-El come back and can we have the happy ending these two club-soda drinking, ice-cream eating dorks deserve? And can they complain about the ending of Game of Thrones together?

Until then, you can check out our podcast on Kara and Mon-El!

Share your thoughts and favorite Karamel scenes with @CapeandCastle