Adapting Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow was always going to be an uphill battle for director Craig Gillespie and screenwriter Ana Nogueira, as it was for James Gunn’s 2025 film Superman. There are preconceived thoughts on Kryptonians thanks to over 70 years of stories about these respective characters.
Supergirl’s lore has had a bit of variety over the years, with interpretations ranging from a female equivalent of her cousin (especially during the golden age of comics), to a gritty, more in-depth reflection of survivors’ guilt (during the bronze to modern age of comics). She’s the older cousin that can’t seem to catch a break before being whisked into action time and time again. The 2026 film had quite the challenge before itself. How does it take Tom King’s 2022 comic book and adapt it so that it honors the character’s heritage while forging its own path? How does it distinguish itself from Superman (2025)? Lastly, what will it do to advance the DC Universe going forward?
The 2026 film Supergirl starring Milly Alcock is a continuation of the new DC Universe films which started when CEO James Gunn took his position in 2022. While there is already a Supergirl TV show and the hero made an appearance in the 2023 film The Flash, neither of these are considered canon in the latest film. Instead, Supergirl (2026) follows a young girl named Ruthye (Eve Ridley) as she seeks vengeance against her family’s killer, Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts). This keeps the plot of Supergirl far closer to that of the Woman of Tomorrow comic.
The film received mixed reviews, due in large part to a divisive ending. From my point of view, it excels as a space adventure superhero film, but not as much as a John-Wick-style revenge movie. Sadly, the film tries to have it both ways and therefore cheapens the serious moments by following them with Supergirl talking to the audience or a reactive joke. It can be fun at times, but it does not always know how to deploy each of these dual tones.
The plot is driven by revenge both for Ruthye’s family and Supergirl’s dog, Krypto; Krem also injured the furry companion. Ruthye is an orphan, and Kara (Supergirl) is one of only 3 survivors of the planet Krypton. They’re both fighting for what they have left. Kara is merely trying to save her dog by getting the antidote for the poison that may kill Krypto in 3 days, but Ruthye pulls her into a larger revenge plot against Krem.
The film pulls at Kara’s need to discover her place in the universe. It also dives deep into the loss of Krypton from Kara’s perspective. As moviegoing audiences are taught time and time again, the planet Krypton died in a day. Supergirl, however, strays greatly from this notion, showing an alternative version of events from Kara and her father’s perspective.
The graphic novel Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, on the other hand, starts and remains from Ruthye’s point of view. The novel doesn’t give Kara a timetable to save Krypto and instead shows Supergirl on a noble mission to teach Ruthye about the never-ending hatred that comes with vengeance. The graphic novel also does not have the challenge of explaining Supergirl to a casual viewer. In comic book culture, the immediate response to questions or curiosity is either “look it up online” or “read a previous issue.” I enjoyed the comic shortly before seeing the 2026 movie, and understood it didn’t have to be a direct or exact adaptation. However in this instance, I wish I saw the film first so I wasn’t so nitpicky based on the source material.
The 2026 movie wrestles with being both an origin story for Supergirl and an adaptation of one of her most harrowing journeys. Does it do thegraphy in the movie feel pulled straight from the pages of the comic book. Is the story word-for-word? Not at all. The movie builds on the plot from the comic but brings its own strengths to the table, leading to an altogether different but complimentary combination of awesome art
Although he’s a massive part of Supergirl’s marketing push, Jason Momoa’s LOBO is not present in the comic Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by any means. It seems like he is in the movie for the sole purpose of universe expansion. His presence could also be financial—Momoa previously played Aquaman in the DC Expanded Universe, and that film grossed a lot more money than Superman (2025).
Does the movie work as a good origin story for Supergirl? Yes, on many levels, as the movie distinguishes Kara from Superman by portraying her as the reluctant hero. Both cousins will go out to save the day, but while Clark does it due to the beauty he sees in everyone, Kara does it in the hope of inspiring good deeds from those around her.
With that in mind, I will end on a positive note with the 2026 movie Supergirl. Between the awesome all-star cast that brings everything they have to their respective roles, to the lived-in feel of this universe, I would recommend it. It is not meant to be everyone’s perfect adaptation of the character, but my hope is that there are more people that discover this quirky yet lovely film. I hope people see themselves among these heroes in personal identity and in the capacity to do good in our world. However people discover this film, I hope it brings a smile to their face as it did mine.
