James Gunn's DCU is still in its early days, and it looks promising with the spotlight falling on another important character, Supergirl, on June 26. The Kryptonian debuted in last year’s Superman in a fashion fans did not expect. The heroine appeared drunk, and it was clear her arc in the DCU will be different. Supergirl's solo movie will delve into detail how distinct she is from her cousin, but the way it's told will be unique as well. Craig Gillespie, director of Supergirl, will use flashbacks to tell Kara Zor-El's story, a storytelling device notably absent from Superman.
Trailers for Supergirl show sequences set on Krypton, depicting the planet's destruction and Kara's survival in Argo City. Kara's parents, Zor-El and Alura, played by David Krumholtz and Emily Beecham, are canonically dead by the time the main story begins. Those scenes we see of them in the trailer can only exist as memories. The film will use them to lay the emotional groundwork for who Kara is and why she sees the world so differently from her cousin Clark.
This is a different storytelling choice from the one Superman made. Gunn's film opens three years into Clark's career as a hero, without traditional flashbacks to his childhood and early days at the Daily Planet. Instead, the film uses a unique format to show us what Clark's boyhood was like. In one scene in the Fortress of Solitude, one of Superman's robots, Gary, shows him clips of his childhood.
The happy footage detailed the enjoyable early life Clark had. He relaxes in his chair and enjoys the memories thoroughly. As cool as that was, a traditional flashback of his upbringing would’ve felt more emotionally resonant.
Audiences would’ve easily connected with that better than seeing footage from a screen. It's like only Clark is enjoying the moment; we don’t get to properly experience it alongside him. A flashback provides further insight into Superman's psyche and the world that shaped his beliefs and love for humanity.
His childhood aside, a sneak peek of how he got the Daily Planet job and how his first few days at work were like would've added extra depth to that side of Clark's life. There's also that cryptic holographic message from Superman’s parents that introduces Krypton in the DCU. Unfortunately, Clark Kent's planet of origin isn’t given as much emphasis as many would’ve wanted. But the good news is, Supergirl will right these wrongs and dive deeper into Krypton in Gunn's universe.
How Different Will Supergirl Be From Superman?
Director Craig Gillespie described Supergirl as a road movie with a darker tone, one that deals candidly with the trauma Kara experienced as a child. That trauma is the foundation of the film. Unlike Clark, who arrived on Earth as a baby and grew up knowing nothing else, Kara was young when Krypton fell. She watched it happen, and she remembers it.
That distinction is already baked into the DCU's version of the character. In Superman, Clark tells his robot assistant, Gary, that Kara visits red-sun planets to get drunk because the lack of yellow sunlight strips her of her powers. This allows her to feel something close to normal. Milly Alcock's version of the character, as described going into the film, sees "the truth" where Clark sees "the good in people." That shows how dramatically distinct her worldview is, and the events of Supergirl will test that philosophy.
Adapted from Tom King and Bilquis Evely's Woman of Tomorrow comic series, the film will follow Kara as she reluctantly teams with a young alien named Ruthye to pursue the space pirate Krem of the Yellow Hills, who murdered Ruthye's father. The story is built around two people shaped by loss. Ruthye's is recent. Kara has lived with hers longer.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
