2025’s Superman film from James Gunn took Superman and gave fans a look at the character unlike one we have ever previously seen on the big screen. David Corenswet’s Man of Steel was one part Henry Cavill, one part Tyler Hoechlin (from the CW’s Superman and Lois), and one part Guardians of the Galaxy all blended into a much more humanized version (while still staying true to the sci-fi aspects) of the character than has ever previously been in theaters. At the end of the film, we got our first look at his very clearly recently inebriated cousin, Kara Zor-El, also known to the general audiences as Supergirl. And now she will also be coming to the big screen in her own self titled film Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow in 2026, with the first trailer for the film being released just yesterday:
I’ll just say it (since most fans already have), but the trailer gave off very heavy Guardians of the Galaxy vibes. If Superman had some minor Guardians undertones in style and tone, then from the looks of the new Supergirl trailer she could almost be considered a gender-bent spiritual successor to Chris Pratt’s Starlord. Which, to be quite honest, is not the worst route they could have gone with the character. They already did the Melissa Benoist upstanding citizen version of the character on the CW, and while it wasn’t bad by any means it didn’t leave fans with much of a memorable character. This version, on the other hand, seems like it could really do leaps and bounds for how audiences view and respect female superheroes (At least the first time since 2017’s first Wonder Woman film which was pretty good… I won’t mention the sequel here though).
Audiences tend to enjoy a flawed character redemption arc, and when the character starts perfect right from the beginning there is no where to go to add any sort of character development. And according to the film’s director Craig Gillespie, that’s exactly what they were going for. At a recent press conference, the director was asked about the film and how it compared to James Gunn’s Superman. According to Gillespie,
“They are so different in tone, and to be able to really lean into it and embrace it… and plus… are we allowed to say this? It’s like, the whole movie takes place in outer space. It’s a very different world you start with. So we had a completely blank slate.”
The film’s star, Milly Alcock (Kara Zor-El/Supergirl), reaffirmed this idea by saying, “It’s just a completely different movie. Very different tonally.” While the film is very clearly a follow up to Gunn’s Superman, considering the character was introduced at the end of that film, it sounds like the new DCU might be going the old school Marvel route of making every film cohesive while also being it’s own thing, which I personally am all for. Keeping the films seamlessly cohesive yet unique in identity at the same time is the best way to form an interesting shared universe in my opinion, and I think this is a smart step in the right direction.
Gillespie continued by mentioning an early conversation he had with James Gunn about what the film was going to be, and he mentioned Gunn basically gave him complete creative freedom:
“What I loved when we met, I said, ‘How much do I have to adhere to Superman and that world?’ And he was like, ‘We’re approaching this like every [movie] is its own graphic novel. You get to put your stamp on it, and your style and your vision.’ And that was incredibly exciting, and I’m very grateful for that.”
So, while Kal-El and Kara Zor-El are related and exist in the same universe, their experiences are much different and their films will emphasize that by giving us two totally different tonal experiences, which is something even Marvel has been dropping the ball with in recent years between their films and their Disney+ properties.
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow follows a disillusioned and cynical Kara Zor-El who saw her planet destroyed, but still takes on a revenge quest when an alien girl named Ruthye Marye Knoll tells her that her father was murdered by the film’s villain, Krem of the Yellow Hills. Krypto and space dog (who we found out at the end of Superman was actually Kara’s dog) and Ruthye go on an intergalactic journey along with Kara to find Krem, and Jason Momoas’s Lobo is there because… why not? It’s Lobo, and DC fans can agree it’ll help bring audiences reluctant to see a female led superhero movie into theaters, so it’s not exactly a bad addition. It’ll be interesting to see to what extent they use the space bounty hunter in the film.
While Superman was an alien on Earth fighting for humans, and the character himself was truly the hopeful big blue boy scout persona he always should have been in films, it seems as if Supergirl will be a fully intergalactic space movie that will take the DC space-mythos and expand on it in a way that makes the rest of the sci-fi corner of the DCU possible to do in future films. So, not only are the characters going to be different, but also the entirety of the films settings and backdrops will also be completely new and unique. In a way, it’ll set a baseline for what we can expect from future space-based properties of the DCU, which is another reason it can be so easily compared to Guardians of the Galaxy, which did the exact same thing for the MCU.
So, while the DCU is still technically in its infancy, Supergirl will be a large step forward for Gunn’s overall vision for what he would like his universe to be, and will hopefully have a strong enough story to carry the weight that this film needs to carry across the finish line to be considered both a successful addition to the DCU and a strong spring-board for future films to come. Are you excited for Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow? Let us know your thoughts about this new version of Kara Zor-El and if you think the departure of the prim-and-proper days of Melissa Benoist’s Supergirl is going to hurt or help the character and the overall perception of female superheroes!
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow premiers in theaters on June 26th, 2026!
Source: GAMESRADAR+
