How James Gunn's Superman Sets Up The Supergirl Movie

Published 11 hours ago• 3 minute read

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With Superman (David Corenswet) back at his Fortress of Solitude, his cousin, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl (Milly Alcock), comes crashing in, clearly intoxicated. She's there for her dog, Krypto, who Kal-El has been watching while she's apparently been out drinking on planets with red suns. As Superman explains, Kryptonians derive their immense power from yellow suns, but on planets orbiting red suns, they have no power. That means Supergirl can party and get drunk on those worlds and actually feel the effects.

James Gunn cast Milly Alcock as Supergirl because he wanted a fresh take on the character. The idea was to give audiences something different to what they're used to, and that definitely seems to be the case with Alock's version. But Supergirl being a drunk party girl in "Superman" isn't an attempt to cram one final edgy joke into the movie. This scene actually sets up the comic book story arc that "Supergirl" will largely adapt: "Woman of Tomorrow."

Supergirl flying away from a planet in the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic

Bilquis Evely/DC Comics

James Gunn has cited comic book writer Tom King as a major influence on the DCU, and the second film in the franchise confirms that. "Supergirl" is currently slated to come out on June 26, 2026, and it'll draw from the eight-issue limited series "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow" from King and artist Bilquis Evely. In fact, the film was originally going to be called "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow" before it was shortened to just "Supergirl." Despite the title change, the story will still be heavily derived from the comic. But what happens in "Woman of Tomorrow," exactly?

Supergirl is out getting drunk on a planet with a red sun when she encounters Ruthye Marye Knoll (to be played by Eve Ridley in "Supergirl"), who wants Kara to help her track down her father's killer, Krem of the Yellow Hills (to be played by Matthias Schoenaerts). Kara initially wants nothing to do with the conflict until Krem attacks both her and Krypto, who have been weakened enough by the red sun to sustain damage. She then agrees to go on Ruthye's mission of vengeance while exploring her own past trauma. Unlike Kal-El, she was old enough to remember Krypton before being sent off-world. The booze is a coping mechanism, so while she comes off as a party girl for the ending of James Gunn's "Superman," her drinking will no doubt be explored in greater depth in her own movie.

"Superman" laid the groundwork for how this story is supposed to begin. Of course, as most superhero movies do, "Supergirl" is bound to deviate from the source material to an extent. For instance, Jason Momoa is set to play Lobo in the film even though he's nowhere in the comic (King has revealed that he originally intended to include Lobo in "Woman of Tomorrow" before his editors blocked the idea, so his appearance in "Supergirl" is something of full-circle moment). In other casting news, "Supergirl" will include David Krumholtz and Emily Beecham as Supergirl's parents, Zor-El and Alura In-Ze, respectively.