#so the shit from Iron Man 2 wouldn't work on Lena

[redspiderling]

OMG i'm a big big Supergirl fan :D Lena is like Nat in some ways. Others think of them as bad people even though they're big softies :)

Hello anon!

Sure! There are lots of parallels between them. I think the most obvious one is how they both seek familial connections (or, at least Lena openly does, Natasha sort of ends up realising it’s what she needs), and they are both burdened by other people’s preconception of themselves. They also both come from some pretty difficult backgrounds, which has made them build a tough exterior.

But at the same time there are many elements of their personalities that greatly differentiate them, at least in my mind. 

Lena has a very clear purpose, and a clear code of ethics: She wants to be Good. She wants to do good things for the world, and she’s not afraid of taking great personal risks to do that. The only problem is that Lena is emotionally vulnerable, and that vulnerability has been exploited by other characters throughout the show. Lena has fully offered her skills and her resources to various causes, but people manage to manipulate her findings and use them to their own advantage. I’ve always felt that this pattern rang very true to life, since all great scientific discoveries can be used in a positive, or negative way.

In the end, what I mean to say is that while Lena is a brilliant scientist who, at least at this point in the show, is capable of creating far more advanced tech even than her brother, she is also easily manipulated by the people around her, exactly because she is in actuality an extremely isolated character with great emotional baggage, and that makes her vulnerable. 

(I mean, even Kara (however unwittingly) has taken advantage of Lena’s propensity to just give to the people around her who offer her even the slightest amount of positive feedback and honestly, that would have been a much sturdier foundation to create a rift between the two, than the whole “you never told me you were a super” thing. No, seriously, Lena is the giver in that relationship, and she has given a.lot.) 

On the other hand, Natasha cannot be emotionally manipulated. Natasha knows all the tricks of the trade and what’s more, she’s been trained all her life to not let her emotions get in the way of her mission. Or let other people’s emotions get in the way of her mission, if she can. Also, Natasha doesn’t look at the world as “good” vs “evil”. She understands the concept of making sacrifices for the greater good, yes, but she doesn’t feel like she has to uphold herself to a moral standard, nor does she care about other people’s opinion of her.

Lena is singlehandedly shouldering the sins of her entire family and feels she has to hold herself to a moral standard in order to survive. She’s also a proud character, so she wants that moral high ground. And she’s not entirely wrong, given that the reason she’s in actuality an isolated character is the fact that her mere association to the Luthor family makes people keep their distance, for the most part.

Finally, Natasha could never become a villain. She doesn’t have the predisposition, or the motivation for villainy. Natasha doesn’t think of herself as someone who knows what’s best of the world, nor does she care about getting recognition, or glory, she doesn’t give AF about any of that stuff. In fact, if Natasha heard the Russos calling her a cypher, she’d probably shrug in complete indifference. Being thought of as unimportant is good for a superspy.

Lena on the other hand could -under the right circumstances- become a villain. She’s ambitious, somewhat arrogant, and -again- isolated. She doesn’t have a sounding board to keep her in check. Also, she could become one of those “the world has hurt me so I just want to watch it burn” trope-y characters, but I think, for whatever shitstorm season 5 was, at least we dodged THAT particular bullet. Unfortunately, the writing team on that show just isn’t capable (or willing) to really dig deep into a character like that and bring out the intricacies that would make her shine. Ah, I guess that’s another thing Lena and Natasha have in common.