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Like most incarnations of the El family, Supergirl is able to hover and fly.

We know that Superman doesn't always need to be able to breathe in space, and there has been discussion about how Superman flies, but the 2015 Supergirl TV show appears to have different rules.

From Better Angels (S01E20):

You wouldn't be able to generate thrust, you wouldn't be able to breathe, you wouldn't be able to get back.

While one might argue

that this was just Alex conjecturing and trying to convince her to not go, Supergirl was briefly stranded once she left Earth's atmosphere.

Has there been any explanation as to how Kryptonians hover or fly in this newest version?

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  • That's a strange statement. If she can't generate thrust in space she apparently flaps her arms or has a hidden propeller to help her fly. Perhaps her flight is powered by interaction between gravity and plotonium, the plotonium converts and multiplies gravity into thrust. – Gorchestopher H Sep 27 '16 at 15:10
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    Come on guys, she is clearly breathing out of her nose, generating huge amounts of thrust, which allow her to fly or jet around at will. – Jason K Sep 27 '16 at 15:29
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    @JasonK - That actually would be plausible. – Adamant Sep 27 '16 at 15:43
  • @Adamant I dunno, unless she can somehow store a LOT of compressed air in her lungs! Otherwise she would be limited to the air volume of a typical woman which would severely limit her thrust. Unless she is (very) rapidly breathing in and (extremely) forcibly breathing out. This would produce a lot of noise and wind effect though. On the show at least, the wind effects appear to just be her moving at high speed, not because she is using an ultra high pressure air jet for propulsion. Plus when she catches someone in flight it would be pretty messy if they are directly below her exhaust :) – Jason K Sep 27 '16 at 15:49
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    Years of yellow sun exposure improving his powers granted Superman the ability to fly. Initially, he would just use his immense strength to leap great heights and distances, but over time he discovered that he could alter his personal gravity field to propel himself at will. Maybe Kara can't fly the same way Supes does because of spending less time under a yellow sun, and she uses air pressure to propel herself while on Earth. This would explain why she gets stranded in space. – DisturbedNeo Sep 27 '16 at 16:04
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I don't think that, within the fiction of the 'Supergirl' TV show, they've offered an explanation as to how Supergirl (or Superman) is able to fly.

In the episode "Human For A Day", Supergirl temporarily loses her powers - including her ability to fly - due to the fact that her Kryptonian cells are drained of their solar energy ... So, such solar energy (stored in, and used by, her Kryptonian cells) must be the source of Supergirl's power of flight. Exactly how she utilises such energy is not stated.

There's no reason - as yet - to think that Supergirl's powers in the TV show differ from her powers as seen in other incarnations of the character (as seen in e.g. comic books, animated shows). While there's typically little by way of concrete explanation offered in such sources, it may be speculated that she's able to control her own gravity field (and she literally wills herself to fly).

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Well considering that at first Superman's presumed ability to fly was actually the effects of enhanced jumping ability it is difficult to wonder how a Kryptonian flies. One could think that they have a natural ability (in Earth's atmosphere) to adjust their gravity in relation to the planet enabling them to appear super heavy to some people and yet float at times or glide.

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