DC Studios chief James Gunn has confirmed where Supergirl sits in the rapidly expanding DCU timeline. The upcoming superhero film will be the second major feature in the new DCU and focuses on Superman's cousin, Kara Zor-El/Supergirl. Milly Alcock appeared briefly to introduce her character in Superman, and now the interconnected universe will switch focus to tell Kara's side of the story.
As the DCU continued to grow, there were questions about where, within this continuity, new projects fit. So far, the DCU is unfolding roughly chronologically, in line with release order, and the same has been confirmed for Supergirl. James Gunn took to Threads to answer a fan question about where Supergirl sits in the timeline, confirming the movie is "In between Superman and Man of Tomorrow."
This dispels any theories about whether Supergirl's origin story would take place before or alongside Superman. However, Supergirl will have flashbacks to Kara's life on Krypton, exploring how the planet died and sent the Kryptonian cousins on their trajectory to Earth.
When Supergirl begins, it finds the heroine reunited with her dog, Krypto (as seen in the final moments of Superman), and celebrating her 23rd birthday. From here, Kara embarks on a journey very similar to the Woman of Tomorrow comic, teaming up with a young girl, Ruthye, to seek retribution against the man who killed her father.
All of this has now been confirmed to take place after the events of Superman, meaning the character arc Kara goes on will build on her introduction in the 2025 film and set her up for any future DCU appearances.
Gunn also confirmed the placement of his Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow, which will take place after Supergirl, and not concurrently as some might have suspected.
Supergirl is directed by Craig Gillespie, starring Milly Alcock, Jason Momoa, Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, and Emily Beecham. It will be released in theatres on June 26, 2026.
Supergirl's Timeline Placement Opens Up A World of Possibility
The best part of this timeline confirmation is that it opens up the door for Supergirl to have a role in Man of Tomorrow.
If the movies had been taking place concurrently, it would have been a logical explanation for why Alcock wasn't appearing in the Superman sequel. But now that Supergirl takes place before Man of Tomorrow, the solo film has the opportunity to set up an arc that can launch Supergirl into future DCU films, the next most likely being Superman 2.
While a lot of Supergirl appears to be taking place off-world, it doesn't rule out a possible return to Earth by the time the film ends. With both Kryptonian heroes back on the same planet, and Kara likely having gone through an arc that resolves her resistance to being a hero, they have the chance to reunite and save the world as a team.
It's been all but confirmed that David Corenswet will reprise his role as Superman for a cameo in Supergirl, which could further provide connective tissue between Supergirl and the two Superman films.
James Gunn proved that he is a fan of team-ups in Superman, and with Man of Tomorrow, the director has the chance to go even bigger thanks to the groundwork that's been laid in the DCU so far. Already confirmed to return in Man of Tomorrow are Aaron Pierre as Green Lantern and Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl. Adding Supergirl to the list would lay the groundwork for a full-on Justice League team-up in the new DCU film.
