DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn is making a significant shift in one of the key characters in the Superman saga by removing "America" from Supergirl's official slogan. For years, Superman's iconic motto has been, "Truth, Justice, and the American Way," which originated in the 1940s radio show, The Adventures of Superman. In 2021, DC Comics took a completely different direction when they dropped "America" and changed it to "Truth, Justice, and a better tomorrow." Gunn introduced his own spin on Superman's slogan by adding "the human way" instead of America to complete the original statement. It is now confirmed that the trend will continue with Supergirl following the release of the movie's new poster.
DC Studios released the first official poster for Supergirl, alongside the heroine's new slogan: "Truth, Justice, Whatever."
Similar to what he did with Superman, James Gunn continued to remove "America" from Supergirl's mantra, indicating that the studio is moving away from American exceptionalism and leaning toward a more globally resonant take on heroism (which is what Superman achieved by leaning toward the hero's humanity as his greatest strength).
While "The American Way" is typically always associated with Superman and almost never Supergirl, it's worth noting that the Arrowverse confirmed that that part of the slogan was still associated with Supergirl as the title of Season 1, Episode 14 of the CBS series in 2016 was "Truth, Justice, and the American Way."
In that same episode, Kara Danvers (Melissa Benoist) embarked on a self-reflective journey to discover what Supergirl is supposed to fight for, culminating in a confrontation with her morality after telling Season 1's big bad, Maxwell Lord, that the world would be a better place without him.
By replacing "America" with "Whatever," Supergirl's movie slogan fully embraced the character's edgier and no-nonsense persona that was already hinted at in Superman's ending.
Directed by Craig Gillespie, Supergirl is confirmed to be a space adventure (similar to Guardians of the Galaxy) as the titular Kryptonian heroine goes on a revenge quest alongside an unlikely ally in the cosmos. The movie stars Milly Alcock, Jason Momoa, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Matthias Schoenarts, and Emily Beecham. Supergirl premieres in theaters on June 26, 2026.
Why Supergirl's New Slogan Is Still Perfect Despite Gunn's Change
James Gunn's decision to change Supergirl's slogan by removing "The American Way" and replacing it with "Whatever" remains perfect, given the heroine's ongoing character arc.
Following Superman's controversial retcon of the hero's origin, which revealed the truth behind Jor-El and Lara's message, Kara Zor-el would be aware of Krypton's flawed legacy. If anything, she would not have agreed with the planet's endgame, and this revelation could still have lingered within her in the present day, which explains why she chooses not to confront the truth and drink all her problems away on planets with red suns.
"Whatever" essentially captures Kara's rebellious and trauma-scarred essence, mainly because she seems unwilling to fully embrace her heroic self. It also serves as an antithesis to Superman's Boy Scout nature, making Kara's growth more intriguing to watch in her big-screen debut.
All in all, Supergirl's new slogan helped establish the fact that the DCU's heroes are far from perfect, but that's okay because it was never the point. As flawed as she is, Supergirl's willingness to show up and become a hero is all that matters.
