DC Studios made some significant alterations to Supergirl following its test screenings, according to an insider who attended one. The latest DCU film focuses on Superman's cousin, Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock), on a journey that draws upon the seminal Supergirl comic Woman of Tomorrow. Like most major movies, Supergirl underwent a test screening process ahead of its release, which led to some changes to the cut now in theatres.
While it's not always known what changes are made after test screenings, writer Dan Marcus shared some of the alterations he noticed having seen both the final and test screening cuts of Supergirl. Marcus noted he attended a test screening in February 2026 and that the "cut wasn't very different" from the one released in cinemas, though he pointed out a few key changes.
Marcus noted that the start of the film was one of the immediate changes, with the test screening featuring an "alternate opening" that "started with the destruction of Krypton." The death of Superman and Supergirl's homeworld is a pivotal moment in their lore, and Supergirl was the DCU film chosen to show this, which was particularly relevant given how it plays into Kara's character. Unlike Kal-El, Kara grew up on Krypton, and it was only years later, after Argo City began to poison its inhabitants with radiation, that Kara's father sent her to Earth.
According to Marcus, opening Supergirl with the destruction of Krypton was "definitely better" than the new opening, which starts with Supergirl and Krypto's drunken escapades, followed by the action with Krem of the Yellow Hills (Mathias Schoenaerts) killing Ruthye Marye Knoll's (Eve Ridley) family.
Apparently, the test screenings featured "more scenes on Krypton" in general. In the final cut, Supergirl intermittently features flashbacks to Kara's time on Krypton. The sequences show how she adopted Krypto, what happened to her parents, and how her father was instrumental in keeping Argo City alive after Krypton's core imploded. Krypton's backstory is the key to Kara's trauma, but it appears some of that was trimmed back in the final cut.
Following Krypton's destruction, Kara's lifeline once she arrives on Earth is her cousin, Kal-El, who has grown up on Earth and now goes by Superman.
David Corenswet ended up featuring a fair bit in Supergirl, which is something Marcus noted had changed since the test screenings, with "about two more David Corenswet scenes" included in the final cut. Superman is featured in both flashbacks showing Kara's arrival and integration to Earth, and in the present as he checks up on his cousin's whereabouts and tries to encourage her to come home.
Corenswet may have received more scenes, but one character who reportedly faced the chopping block after Supergirl's test screenings was the villain, Krem. Marcus said, "Krem had more of his backstory cut from the finished film." He elaborated, saying the original scenes revealed that Krem was "abused as a child," and how he felt this "upbringing made him stronger." Krem apparently also had plans to "do the same to Ruthye," and he threatened to "make her his wife."
Krem is the notorious leader of the Brigands, a gang of space pirates who murder and maraud their way throughout the galaxy, and in the movie, they capture and enslave women to be their wives. Krem's controversial redesign and his two-dimensionality have been among the criticisms lobbed at Supergirl in reviews.
Marcus noted that overall, after having seen both cuts, he felt "10-15 minutes" of footage had been trimmed from the final cut of Supergirl. It seems that the removal of Krem's backstory and the additional Krypton-set scenes could have made up a fair chunk of this. He added that "the finished film didn't feel that much different than the cut I saw in February," so whatever else was cut clearly wasn't overly narratively important.
Supergirl officially released in cinemas on June 26. It is the second live-action film in DC Studios' new DCU and stars Milly Alcock, Eve Ridley, David Corenswet, Mathias Schoenaerts, and Jason Momoa. Craig Gillespie directs, and James Gunn and Peter Safran serve as producers.
Did Supergirl's Test Screenings Improve the Movie?
These details about Supergirl's test screenings offer interesting insights into the movie and what it could've been. Now that the film has been released, it's quickly become clear which elements of the movie are resonating with people. Test screenings are typically used to gauge which elements of the movie are working, but in Supergirl's case, the moments cut might have been detrimental.
As mentioned, Krem's lack of depth as a villain has been one of the main criticisms of Supergirl, but it seems that there was once a version of the film that gave him more dimensionality. Tidbits that emerged from Supergirl's test screenings ahead of the movie's release had already hinted that Krem was underwhelming, so it's possible those additional moments still weren't doing the villain any favors, which is why they were cut.
Removing scenes from Krypton also seems like a surprising choice, given how important they are to Kara's character in the film. It seems the altered opening Marcus referred to, which had started on Krypton, may have been one of the scenes cut in favor of starting the story with Kara in the present and with Ruthye's family being killed.
One thing that did seem to be a positive adjustment was adding more scenes between Superman and Supergirl, which helped ground the film in the broader DCU and also set up the relationship between the two cousins, which will seemingly be very important in their next film, Man of Tomorrow.
