- Supergirl (2026) is the next big project under James Gunn from the DCU.
- Kara Zor-El first appeared in Action Comics #252, where she was introduced as Superman's older cousin who faced the fall of Krypton when she was a teenager.
- Till now, Supergirl has been treated as a side character for the longest time, and James Gunn bringing her to the DCU, in contrast to Superman's hopeful presence, opens a lot of creative opportunities.
When James Gunn and Peter Safran unveiled their vision for the new DC Universe back in early 2023, the announcement that Supergirl (2026) would be part of Chapter One: Gods and Monsters surprised a lot of people. Superman’s cousin has always lived in the shadow of the Man of Steel, but Gunn made it clear right away that his Supergirl was going to be very different from the bright, hopeful character most casual fans might know from comics or the CW show. So who exactly is Supergirl or Kara Zor-El, and why does James Gunn feel she deserves her own movie in the rebooted DCU?
Who Is Supergirl in DC Comics?
Kara Zor-El first appeared in Action Comics #252, released in 1959. She’s Superman’s older cousin who was a teenager when Krypton exploded. While Kal-El’s ship reached Earth quickly, Kara’s path wasn’t as straightforward. Depending on the version you’re reading, her pod gets delayed, diverted, or damaged, meaning she arrives on the planet after Superman has already established himself as Earth’s greatest hero.
That’s where the real conflict of interest comes in. Kara is supposed to look after baby Kal-El, but by the time she finds him, he doesn’t need protecting. Instead, she’s the one stuck trying to find her place in a world that already has a Superman.
Through decades of DC Comics storytelling, Supergirl has been reimagined countless times: the bubbly teen hero, the outsider with a temper, and in Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s 2021 comic Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, we meet a hardened, more complex warrior who’s seen far more pain and loss than Clark ever did. Seemingly, that’s the version James Gunn is interested in bringing to the big screen, given that the name of Supergirl (2026) was Superman: Woman of Tomorrow earlier.
Why James Gunn Brought Supergirl to the DCU?
Gunn himself has said that his Superman, played by David Corenswet in Superman (2025), will represent hope, kindness, and optimism. But Supergirl? She’s the flip side of that coin. Gunn described her as someone who “didn’t grow up on Earth, and watched her family and close ones die in front of her, in a very rough and violent way.” This isn’t the smiling cousin who happily follows Kal’s lead. This is a woman shaped by trauma and isolation.
By telling Kara’s story alongside Clark’s, Gunn can expand the DCU beyond the typical “Boy Scout” image of Kryptonians. We’ll get two radically different perspectives from the same doomed planet: one raised under the yellow sun of Earth, the other hardened by witnessing her world fall apart. That contrast is at the heart of why Gunn must have thought that Kara deserves her own spotlight.
What Do We Know about Supergirl in the 2026 Movie?
The upcoming movie pulls from King and Evely’s eight-issue limited series Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. In the comic, Kara finds herself dragged into a revenge quest by a young alien girl named Ruthye, whose father was murdered by a mercenary. What unfolds is part sci-fi odyssey, part western, and part character study, showing us a Supergirl who’s battle-worn but still fighting to do what’s right in a universe that feels hostile at every turn.
Gunn and director Craig Gillespie aren’t adapting the book word-for-word, but they’ve confirmed that the story and tone are guiding the film. With Milly Alcock cast as Kara, it’s clear they’re aiming for a character who looks young but radiates a sharp edge as someone you believe has carried the weight of survival.
There’s also a bigger-picture reason why Supergirl’s movie in the DCU makes sense right now. For decades, Superman has dominated Kryptonian storytelling. Kara has been present, but often pushed into supporting roles, whether in comics, animation, or TV. Gunn’s new DCU is all about breaking those old molds and giving audiences something unexpected. Choosing to highlight a Supergirl who isn’t just “female Superman” but a fully realized, flawed, fascinating character lines up perfectly with the studio’s goal of refreshing its roster of heroes.
