2026's Supergirl Movie Script Is Breaking A 29-Year DC Storytelling Rule

2026's Supergirl movie will buck a trend for DC films that has stood true for the last 29 years. The DCU's movies featuring the biggest Kryptonian heroes from the comics are already changing up plenty from what fans have grown accustomed to over the decades. This will continue with Milly Alcock's first DC solo movie, releasing on June 26.

Supergirl is the first movie in DC history to be specifically based on the story from a DC comic released in the same decade in which the movie premiered. Directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueira, this movie is based on the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow run from DC Comics (it was also originally titled Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow), written by Tom King and released in 2022.

In the comics, Kara Zor-el is partying on an alien planet with a red sun for her 21st birthday to cope with the trauma of losing Krypton. She meets Ruthye Marye Knoll and learns of her quest for vengeance against Krem of the Yellow Hills, who also poisons Krypto the Super-dog and sends Kara and Ruthye on a shared mission to get revenge.

Supergirl stars Milly Alcock, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, and Jason Momoa. This film will also be the first solo movie for Kara Zor-el since Helen Slater's run as the heroine in 1984.

Other DC Movies' Comic Inspirations 

Steel (1997)

Considering Supergirl is the first movie in 29 years to be based on a comic released in the same decade as the film, the last one being 1997's Steel. Starring NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal in the titular role next to Judd Nelson, Richard Roundtree, and Annabeth Gish, the film centers on weapons designer John Henry Irons, who develops artillery for the military before becoming a vigilante to carry out a war on crime.

This movie is based on a DC comic released four years earlier (1993) titled Steel 1, Reign of Tomorrow!. In that story, Irons returns to Washington and takes on a street gang equipped with deadly weapons called Toastmasters, leading him to suit up as Steel and stop the violence.

Constantine (2005)

Keanu Reeves embraced the world of DC Comics in the 2005 Constantine movie, centered on the famous DC hero John Constantine. Teaming up with future Marvel stars Rachel Weisz, Tilda Swinton, and Djimon Hounsou, Reeves' John Constantine is shown to be a suicide survivor who teams up with a policewoman to investigate her identical twin's suicide, getting involved in a supernatural plot filled with demonic and angelic forces.

Hellblazer - Dangerous Habits (1991)

This movie was based on the Hellblazer: Dangerous Habits storyline, written by Garth Ennis in 1991. In this run, Constantine is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and attempts to con the Lords of Hell into curing him, which results in an epic supernatural conflict.

Rumors and reports also noted a second Constantine movie being in development in recent years, but those talks have since fizzled out.

Batman Begins (2005)

Christian Bale first suited up as the Caped Crusader under director Christopher Nolan in 2005's Batman Begins, the first film in Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. Telling Batman's origin story, Bruce is trained by Ra's al Ghul in the ways of the League of Shadows before using his training and resources to turn himself into the crime-fighting vigilante known as Batman.

This story was first told in the comics in 1996 in Batman: The Long Halloween, written by Jeph Loeb (who also helped create Marvel's Agents of SHIELD for ABC) with art by Tim Sale. Set in Batman's early days as a hero, he partners with District Attorney Harvey Dent and Gotham Police Captain James Gordon to uncover the identity of a killer known as Holiday. It also serves as an origin story for Two-Face, showing the evolution of Gotham's criminal world as well.

The Flash (2023)

Near the end of the most recent cinematic universe centered on DC storytelling was The Flash, released in 2023. Starring Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle, Ben Affleck, and Kiersey Clemons, this story saw the Flash use the Speed Force to travel back in time to prevent his mother's death, altering the timeline and bringing back villains like Michael Shannon's General Zod.

Notably, this film was based on one of the most popular DC comic runs from the 21st century, 2011's Flashpoint, written by Geoff Johns with art by Andy Kubert. In this story, Barry Allen goes back in time the way he does in the movie, but the new reality shows Thomas Wayne as a violent Batman and features a terrifying war between Aquaman and Wonder Woman.