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Superman is often called the Last Son of Krypton, but that doesn’t mean he’s the last of his people. As we saw in the James Gunn-directed 2025 film, there is (at least) one Kryptonian left in the universe, and that is Kara Zor-El, more commonly known as Supergirl. But she is much more than just a derivative female version of her cousin. Here is everything you need to know about Supergirl and her recent arrival in the DCU.

How is Supergirl related to Superman?

In comics when the planet Krypton exploded, Jor-El didn’t just put his infant son into a rocket and launch him into space. That would be silly. Instead, he sent his teenage niece, Kara Zor-El, to watch over the young Kal-El when he arrived on Earth. However, her spaceship got delayed and she ended up arriving decades after him, meeting her cousin when he was the fully grown Clark Kent.

Kara, who became known as Supergirl, is Superman’s cousin in most modern versions of the character. Though she usually appears younger than him, Supergirl is actually older and has actual living memories of Krypton. She has most of the same powers and abilities Superman does, making her one of the most powerful characters in the DC Universe.

What does Supergirl do in the 2025 Superman movie?

We don’t get to see much of Supergirl in the 2025 Superman movie, but her presence is felt through the canine menace that is Krypto. Superman briefly says that it isn’t his dog and that it is “sort of a foster situation” earlier in the movie, but it isn’t until the very end that we find out whose dog Krypto really is.

Turns out, he belongs to Supergirl, who returns to Earth in the final scene of the movie after having spent the last week or so on a planet with a red sun to get absolutely hammered. She comes back, crashes into the Fortress of Solitude, and stumbles around before being tackled by Krypto, whom she encourages to play rough with her. She then departs with a “Thanks for watching my dog, bitch!” to her cousin. We probably won’t get to find out why she is off drowning her sorrows on a distant planet until the Supergirl movie comes out in 2026.

My question is... is Supergirl as much of a playful menace as her dog Krypto? I hope so.

What is the Supergirl movie plot?

The main plot details of 2026’s Supergirl movie are still under wraps, but we know a few things already. Mainly, we know that it was originally called Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, which is also the name of an 8-issue comic by Tom King and Bilquis Evely, so we can assume the plot will be somewhat similar to that comic.

In Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, we see a very different version of Kara Zor-El than we are used to. It opens with her drinking in a dive bar on a planet without a yellow sun to deal with the fact that Krypton is gone. Remember, Kara was a teenager when her planet was destroyed. Unlike Superman, she remembers her family and friends and mourns what she has lost far more keenly. What’s more, her mission to protect her cousin is over before it began. Because her spaceship was delayed and she was stuck in transit on her way to Earth, she only arrived after he was fully grown and the most powerful being on the planet.

So Kara is lost and lonely when she meets a young alien woman named Ruthye, who is seeking justice for her father’s murder by Krem of the Yellow Hills. Supergirl ends up going on that journey with Ruthye and begins to understand her own place in the universe along the way.

How much of this exact plot will factor into Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl movie isn’t known yet, but a Supergirl movie from the lens of a True Grit-style space westnern - with the first appearance of Jason Momoa as Lobo in the DCU no less - sounds amazing.
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What is the Supergirl movie release date?

So we don’t know the exact plot of Supergirl, but we do know when it is coming out. The DCU’s Supergirl movie is set to debut on June 26, 2026. That is just one week after Toy Story 5, two weeks after an upcoming Steven Spielberg movie about UFOs, and one week before Minions 3, so there will be a lot of competition from other movies for that early summer blockbuster money.

Who is playing Supergirl in the DC Studios movie?

You might not immediately recognize the name Milly Alcock, but if you’re a Game of Thrones fan, you’ve probably seen her face. That is because she plays Rhaenyra Targaryen in the HBO series House of the Dragon. This was her big breakthrough for American audiences; up until that point, Alcock had mainly been known for TV and film roles in her native Australia.

Who else is in the Supergirl movie cast?

Of course, Supergirl isn’t going on this epic journey across the galaxy on her own. Just like Superman, she will be joined by a supporting cast of characters that are probably new to most DC fans. One actor who is expected to be in the movie is Jason Momoa, but not as Aquaman. Instead, Momoa has been cast as Lobo, an intergalactic bounty hunter who has often been portrayed as a send-up of gritty 90s comic book characters.

The rest of the Supergirl cast is:

• Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El/Supergirl
• Matthias Schoenaerts as Krem of the Yellow Hills
• Eve Ridley as Ruthye Marye Knoll
• David Krumholtz as Zor-El
• Emily Beecham as Alura In-Ze
• Jason Momoa as Lobo

It isn’t yet known if David Corenswet will make an appearance as Superman in Supergirl, similar to how she made a cameo appearance in his 2025 debut. However, we wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up checking on her superpowered cousin from time to time.

Where is the Supergirl movie trailer?

If you’re looking for a Supergirl trailer, we’ve got bad news for you. It isn’t out yet. In fact, we don’t expect to see one for quite a while. Considering the first teaser trailer for Superman dropped in December 2025 and the first full trailer didn’t come out until May 2025 ahead of its July 2025 release, we don’t think we’ll see any footage of Supergirl until November 2025 at the earliest.

How old is Supergirl in the 2025 movie?

You might have noticed that we mentioned that Kara Zor-El has memories of Krypton, since she was a teenager when the planet was destroyed, while Kal-El was a mere baby at the time. This means that Supergirl is technically older than Superman in the DCU. However, she has a younger physical age because she spent more time in stasis on her way to Earth.That would mean that Supergirl could be aware of what Superman's birth parents wanted him to do when reaching Earth - and kept that from him.

While Superman is confirmed to be around 30 years old in his movie, Supergirl opens with her celebrating turning 21.

What is Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow?

We mentioned Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow earlier, and that is because it was originally the title of 2026’s Supergirl movie. The subtitle was dropped at some point because James Gunn hates that naming convention, but we expect that Tom King’s comic will play a big part in the DCU’s take on Supergirl.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is one of the best modern depictions of Supergirl. It delves deep into her traumatic past as she mourns her family, friends, and entire people. It shows her as a flawed character who, at times, is frustrated by the high standard her cousin, whom she was meant to protect, sets. It is this flawed and hurting Supergirl who gets caught up in Ruthye Marye Knoll’s quest for revenge against Krem of the Yellow Hills, who killed her father. Together, they go on a journey to find justice while Supergirl confronts her emotional past.

Enjoy our guides to how to watch the recent DCEU, the Arrowverse, and James Gunn's upcoming DCU.