- Supergirl (2026) is the next big project under James Gunn from the DCU.
- Kara Zor-El first appeared in Action Comics #252, where she was introduced as Superman’s older cousin who faced the fall of Krypton when she was a teenager.
- Till now, Supergirl has been treated as a side character for the longest time, and James Gunn bringing her to the DCU, in contrast to Superman’s hopeful presence, opens a lot of creative opportunities.
When James Gunn and Peter Safran unveiled their vision for the new DC Universe back in early 2023, the announcement that Supergirl (2026) would be part of Chapter One: Gods and Monsters surprised a lot of people. Superman’s cousin has always lived in the shadow of the Man of Steel, but Gunn made it clear right away that his Supergirl was going to be very different from the bright, hopeful character most casual fans might know from comics or the CW show. So who exactly is Supergirl or Kara Zor-El, and why does James Gunn feel she deserves her own movie in the rebooted DCU?
Who Is Supergirl in DC Comics?
Kara Zor-El first appeared in Action Comics #252 , released in 1959. She’s Superman’s older cousin who was a teenager when Krypton exploded. While Kal-El’s ship reached Earth quickly, Kara’s path wasn’t as straightforward. Depending on the version you’re reading, her pod gets delayed, diverted, or damaged, meaning she arrives on the planet after Superman has already established himself as Earth’s greatest hero.
That’s where the real conflict of interest comes in. Kara is supposed to look after baby Kal-El, but by the time she finds him, he doesn’t need protecting. Instead, she’s the one stuck trying to find her place in a world that already has a Superman.
Through decades of DC Comics storytelling, Supergirl has been reimagined countless times: the bubbly teen hero, the outsider with a temper, and in Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s 2021 comic Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, we meet a hardened, more complex warrior who’s seen far more pain and loss than Clark ever did. Seemingly, that’s the version James Gunn is interested in bringing to the big screen, given that the name of Supergirl (2026) was Superman: Woman of Tomorrow earlier.
Why James Gunn Brought Supergirl to the DCU?
Image Credit: Shutterstock (Fred Duval)
Gunn himself has said that his Superman, played by David Corenswet in Superman (2025) , will represent hope, kindness, and optimism. But Supergirl? She’s the flip side of that coin. Gunn described her as someone who “didn’t grow up on Earth, and watched her family and close ones die in front of her, in a very rough and violent way.” This isn’t the smiling cousin who happily follows Kal’s lead. This is a woman shaped by trauma and isolation.
By telling Kara’s story alongside Clark’s, Gunn can expand the DCU beyond the typical “Boy Scout” image of Kryptonians. We’ll get two radically different perspectives from the same doomed planet: one raised under the yellow sun of Earth, the other hardened by witnessing her world fall apart. That contrast is at the heart of why Gunn must have thought that Kara deserves her own spotlight.
What Do We Know about Supergirl in the 2026 Movie?
The upcoming movie pulls from King and Evely’s eight-issue limited series Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. In the comic, Kara finds herself dragged into a revenge quest by a young alien girl named Ruthye, whose father was murdered by a mercenary. What unfolds is part sci-fi odyssey, part western, and part character study, showing us a Supergirl who’s battle-worn but still fighting to do what’s right in a universe that feels hostile at every turn.
Gunn and director Craig Gillespie aren’t adapting the book word-for-word, but they’ve confirmed that the story and tone are guiding the film. With Milly Alcock cast as Kara, it’s clear they’re aiming for a character who looks young but radiates a sharp edge as someone you believe has carried the weight of survival.
There’s also a bigger-picture reason why Supergirl’s movie in the DCU makes sense right now. For decades, Superman has dominated Kryptonian storytelling. Kara has been present, but often pushed into supporting roles, whether in comics, animation, or TV. Gunn’s new DCU is all about breaking those old molds and giving audiences something unexpected. Choosing to highlight a Supergirl who isn’t just “female Superman” but a fully realized, flawed, fascinating character lines up perfectly with the studio’s goal of refreshing its roster of heroes.
Shashank Shakya is an entertainment writer at Beebom. He has completed his Bachelors (Honors) in English Literature and is a published author. Shashank boasts incomparable knowledge about the Marvel and DC universe, along with other branches of entertainment with substantial experience in the field of writing.
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When James Gunn confirmed that Man of Tomorrow will see Superman and Lex Luthor working together against a larger threat, the fandom collectively raised an eyebrow. After all, Superman and Lex are usually the last two people you’d expect to fight on the same side. But with Gunn also hinting that the movie is “as much a Lex story as a Superman story,” and Brainiac heavily rumored to be making his DCU debut, it’s worth diving into DC comics to see what blueprints might inspire this new chapter. So, here are five DC comics storylines that Man of Tomorrow could adapt.
1.Superman: Brainiac (2008)
Image Credit: DC Comics (via Amazon)
If Brainiac is truly the villain Gunn is saving for DCU’s future , Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s Superman: Brainiac is the most obvious starting point. It redefined Brainiac for the modern era, showing him not just as a collector of bottled cities but as a terrifying invader with godlike intellect.
Superman is pushed to his emotional and physical limits, and Lex Luthor’s presence in a Brainiac story almost writes itself simply because when Earth is on the line, even Lex’s self-preservation instinct forces him to work with Superman. For Gunn, this gives him a blockbuster spectacle with a deeply personal hook of Kal-El facing the villain who embodies his worst fears about alien power.
2.Superman: For All Seasons (1998)
Image Credit: DC Comics (via Amazon)
On paper, Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s For All Seasons is a Superman comic that isn’t about Brainiac at all. But what it does brilliantly is explore Clark Kent and Lex Luthor as two men shaped by Smallville and Metropolis in very different ways. If Gunn truly wants this film to be “as much about Lex as it is about Superman,” he’ll need this kind of emotional grounding. For All Seasons provides the character-driven core where Superman embodies hope, and Lex embodies ambition, forced to set aside their rivalry when the universe demands it.
3.Superman: Up, Up and Away! (2006)
Image Credit: DC Comics (via Amazon)
If Brainiac is attacking Earth with overwhelming force, Superman might need Lex’s intellect and ruthlessness in ways he never wanted to admit. That uneasy alliance could be the beating heart of Man of Tomorrow.
4.Superman: The Black Ring (2010–2011)
Image Credit: DC Comics (via Amazon)
Paul Cornell’s The Black Ring is one of the best modern Lex Luthor stories, where we see him on a cosmic journey to obtain ultimate power. Along the way, Lex faces threats bigger than even he can manipulate, forcing him into unlikely alliances. For Gunn, adapting elements of The Black Ring would put Lex front and center, not just as a foil to Superman, but as a co-protagonist with his own arc.
5.Superman vs. Brainiac / Injustice League Arcs (2007–2014)
Image Credit: DC Comics (via Amazon)
From Justice League: Injustice League to Forever Evil, we’ve seen versions of Lex Luthor stepping up as Earth’s defender when bigger villains threaten annihilation. These arcs aren’t strictly Superman stories, but they capture the essence of what Gunn has teased, a reluctant partnership forged by necessity. If Man of Tomorrow borrows this DNA, we could see Lex and Superman clashing as much as cooperating, in some of the finest ways imaginable.
Shashank Shakya is an entertainment writer at Beebom. He has completed his Bachelors (Honors) in English Literature and is a published author. Shashank boasts incomparable knowledge about the Marvel and DC universe, along with other branches of entertainment with substantial experience in the field of writing.
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