Supergirl (2026) - The Last Daughter of Krypton

Let's talk about Supergirl!

She's been helping save the world since the 1950s. From comics to cartoons to live action. She's the Woman of Steel...The Last Daughter of Krypton.

She first appeared on the silver screen in the mid-80s with Helen Slater donning the red cape. The movie was...well we'll get to that soon. She arrived at an odd time for the Superman franchise. Part III had just released and it didn't do well and Reeve himself wasn't a fan of it. It definitely had its moments.

Twenty plus years later, Laura Vandervort arrived on Smallville as Kara Zor-El. While I loved her portrayal of Kara, due to her contract being limited episodes, she wasn't fully fleshed out. It felt like they wanted to bring her in and when they did, they didn't really know what to do with her. After her appearance in S7, she was brought in a few more times as a special guest star, rising as the hero she was intended to be.

We finally got a Supergirl TV show thanks to the Arrowverse. While it started out on CBS (weird I know), it was moved to the CW. Melissa Benoist did an excellent job as both Kara/Supergirl. She had great strength and an even bigger heart. There were times it was a bit overly good. Much like her cousin, her moral compass was pointed straight north, no shades of gray. Just good and evil.

In The Flash, we got the Snyderverse version of Kara. While limited, she and Keaton's Batman were the main highlight of the movie. We just didn't get to spend enough time with her to know her as Supergirl. She could have been great, but it would have been a bit less lighthearted than seen before.

With the death of the Snyderverse, we now have a new Supergirl in Milly Alcock in the James Gunn DCU. How does she hold up compared to past iterations of the character? Did the movie hold up to the legacy of the character?

It's complicated.

This version of Kara is very different than most. She's got more of an edge compared to the ones before. In a lot of ways, its a good thing. In the CW series she was the purest of good just like Clark. Here, she doesn't see the good in people like Clark does.

She also carries a lot of trauma with her, given her tragic backstory. She lost everything and everyone she loved. She lost her family, her community, her home. All this while she was a teenager. She remembers all of it. Kal-El was sent as a baby and never had the chance to know his world enough to truly miss it.

The movie takes place during her birthday week. She's galivanting across the stars on a pub crawl, trying to get as drunk as she can. She's not the hero that Superman hopes she can be. That he knows she can be.

Kara is running from that life because all she truly has in this world is her dog Krypto. Kal-El's her only family, but she's reluctant to stay on Earth. To find a home and community there.

When our main villain, who is, lets be honest, a bit one note and kinda bland, poisons our favorite canine companion Kara makes her first step into becoming the hero.

A young girl, Ruthye Mayre Knoll, watches as the villainous Krem kills her family. Out for revenge, she seeks anyone who'll be willing to help her find him so she can kill him.

The movie has elements of True Grit. Kara's pulled into helping her for Krypto's sake. The two go on a long journey together across the planets to find him. It's here where she finally starts to find community. She's not quite a hero, but she's a good person and stands up for what's right. She's not always kind, but she has a great heart.

Throughout her journey, she always chooses to stand up and do the right thing, even when she really doesn't want to. She probably wouldn't have even helped Ruthye if Krypto hadn't gotten hurt. She's selfish in the start, but grows as a person.

There's a moment in the climax where she does something for the little girl. It was something dark and Superman would probably never approve of it, but she did it because, in my opinion, it was so Ruthye wouldn't have to. I'm hoping for storytelling purposes, it comes with consequences. Whether it be internal or external. The choices she made set her on the course that could go either way.

Hoping for that being her moment of realization that she never wants to do something like that again. To find the love of community and a new home so she can be a hero like her cousin, but in her own way. We already have a Superman, being a little different as Supergirl could be a great thing.

I won't say this movie is perfect, but it had a lot of great moments: the journey of Kara, Lobo (though underused a bit), a new backstory for Kara. There are some parts that dragged a bit, especially in the middle. The villain was weak, but served as the motivation to get Kara into the game.

I am curious to see what happens with her next. She's going to be in Man of Tomorrow, so we'll get to see how she's progressed and adjusted to life on Earth by finally staying put long enough to put some roots down. Hoping she has a job, maybe a few friends. We know there are a lot of versions where Kara and Jimmy get together, and since he pulls, will be interesting to see that dynamic.

The hate that its getting is undeserved. It's a fun movie with action and heart. The Gunnverse is just getting warmed up. Just let it cook. He cares about the property and wants to do it well. The characters and movies should be fun and larger than life. The real world sucks. I need larger than life stories and heroes, not ones that are grounded in reality.

The universe is going to grow and take us on lots of twists and turns. They all won't be perfection. They don't need to be perfection. It just needs a compelling story and our favorite heroes doing what they always do...make us believe in a better world.

Kara's taking the steps towards this. Watch her fly.

4/5