There was a lot to set up with Superman, the film did kick off the DCU in a big way. And one character’s introduction has me so excited for her future in the DCU.
Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock) is Clark Kent’s cousin. She is often depicted as older than Clark (David Corenswet) and was sent to Earth to protect him after the destruction of Krypton. But now, with Supergirl, it seems we’re going to get a different kind of Kara and I cannot wait to see what chaos she brings with her. Especially if her dog Krypto is around.
In Superman, Kara crash lands into the franchise. Literally. Clark is trying to recover after stopping Lex and returns to the Fortress of Solitude. While Four is working on taking care of Clark, you hear a crash and instead of it being another one of Krypto’s chaotic moments, it is his owner: Kara.
She’s drunk and stumbling, calls Clark a “b****” and then thanks him for watching her dog before taking him and leaving. It is beautiful, messy, and the kind of superhero I long to be. Even if Four says that if he had emotions, he’d be worried about her. As Clark explains, Kara goes to planets with red suns so that she can get drunk as the yellow sun of Earth prevents her from doing so.
And look, do I love her because she’s a disaster? Yes. I love when women get to be a bit messy!
Don’t look up, look OUT
After the release of Superman, James Gunn released a look at Supergirl that features Milly Alcock drinking a slushie and writing over Superman’s logline of “Look Up” with spray paint. Hers? “Look Out.”
For so long, female superhero have had to be perfect. If they dare to be a bit off kilter or heroes who need a little help when it comes to being “perfect,” people labeled them as villains. Looking at you, people who don’t understand the difference between a hero, an anti-hero, and a villain! But with Kara, she is a hero. Just one who doesn’t have everything sorted out.
Clark is a little more together. He still doesn’t understand the ins and outs of working with the government as Superman but he’s trying. He’s not off getting drunk on the weekends. But Kara is depicted as a bit younger this time around. Corenswet is 32 years old and Milly Alcock is 25 years old. If her Kara wants to go out and get drunk, I say we let it happen!
So Kara’s very brief moment in Superman was really all I needed to get excited about the 2026 film. She’s perfect.
(featured image: Parisa Taghizadeh/James Gunn on social media)
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