“Supergirl” (2026) starts with Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock) on an epic pub crawl near a red sun with her best friend, Krypto, as they celebrate her twenty-third birthday. When Ruthye Knoll (Eve Ridley) looks for help to avenge her family against Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts), the head of the Brigands, their interests align when Krem shoots Krypto with a toxin tipped arrow, and Kara needs to retrieve the antidote to save him, but they must locate Krem first. Along the way, they meet Lobo (Jason Momoa), a bounty hunter also looking for the Brigands and without teaming up, constantly bump into him. Will Kara be able to save her last piece of home? Emotionally and effectively manipulative, DC Comics has delivered the first real summer blockbuster of 2026 which may leave you crying, clapping and cheering in the aisles, but do not expect a post credit scene.
Who would not cross the galaxy to save their fluffy baby? “Supergirl” makes Kara into an utterly relatable every person as she self-medicates to numb the pain, prefers creating a cocoon of comfort for her and Krypto, keeping everyone else at arm’s length, but ultimately ready to answer the call and defend anyone in need of her help even without a yellow sun to fall back on. The onion cutting started when Kara first steps up to the plate and faces down an alien multiple sizes larger than her without any powers or hesitation. The idea of a drunken warrior has always been a powerful one, and Kara being drunk probably levels the playing field. It also sows the seeds before showing Kara’s tragic backstory behind her mindset and raison d’etre thus explaining a concept that people are beginning to appreciate: the distinction between good and kind versus nice. Kara may be a drunken, slovenly mess, but she is our drunken slovenly mess. More importantly, she seems age appropriate without veering into pandering territory to its target audience. Also, thankfully no love interests without seeming infantilized. This Kara may get into jeopardy, but there are never any sexualized moments that spoil the fun though that threat exists for others.
Alcock knocks it out of the park. Living in a bubble has its benefits because then you will miss all the naysayers pooh poohing her excellent work. Alcock’s take on Kara is distinct from previous iterations keeping it gritty and light, which is a tough tight rope to balance without falling off. Instead, she flies even higher in the quieter, dramatic flashback scenes with her on-screen parents, David Krumholtz as Zor-El and Emily Beecham as Alura. Even if “Supergirl” was just about her time before Earth, it would have been perfect and required busting out all the Kleenexes. Is it because the Kryptonian language sounds so similar to languages that evoke historical displacement stories? The Art Deco inspired design, tasteful (not tacky) golden tones of Kryptonian society reflect why everywhere else seems grimy for Kara. A funeral with an autumnal red leaf shroud just hammers home the grief in a subtle way.
Thankfully there is no heavy-handed dialogue in the present between Kara and Ruthye about how Kara relates to Ruthye’s loss. It also adjusts the usual disappointing dynamic of creating a woman superhero with questionable morals then cynically offsetting potential audience disapproval with becoming a substitute protective mother as circumstances require that she care for a child. While one person mistakes Kara for Ruthye’s mom, it feels like a ridiculous comment. It may be the same trope but tweaked enough without being off putting or patronizing. They are more like siblings, and Kara already stays away from earnest people as if she is allergic.
Ruthye evokes “Game of Thrones” Lyanna Mormont, and it is not until the denouement of “Supergirl” that her character starts to seem less like a kid bent on revenge, but her mouth is writing checks that she can’t cash. It is Ridley’s first movie, and she does a fantastic job. Also, despite the age difference between Kara and Ruthye, the pairing did not feel as far-fetched as “The Marvels” when the trio had to pretend that hanging out together was fun for all involved.
Schoenaerts is a great actor, but if you are familiar with his early work, it is a little sad to see him basically slumming it in pop culture land, which he may love and enjoys a fantastic paycheck. There is no shame in playing the game, and while he showed a lightness as the Big Bad in contrast to his other performances, he is not necessarily a memorable villain. Even if it is the fault of the writers, imagine Michael Fassbender or Ralph Fiennes in the role. He would be an extra in that kind of line up. Even styled like a group of punk bikers, the Brigands are kind of generic.
Apparently, the Brigands are terrorizing the universe and share a lot of characteristics with the Boko Haram as an all (toxic) male society who grabs girls to ensure their continued existence. Again, this obviously rapey storyline is not graphic and done tastefully. Somehow it also does not feel heavy-handed that a superhero movie with a woman at the helm has such a gendered storyline, but it is likely because it is a side note, not the mission statement. It highlights the Brigands’ villainy and does not feel like keeping “Supergirl” in some pink ghetto. Also, a big problem for women in action movies is that the fight scenes are sometimes awkwardly staged so that a woman hero mainly fights the one-woman henchman or villain. Kara and Ruthye are fighting against the odds battling scores of big, burly males.
Momoa is great as Lobo, and he makes a better Lobo than Aquaman. He was always stiff and a bit wooden as Arthur Curry. For those unfamiliar with Lobo, “Supergirl” does not offer any backstory, and if the production claimed that Momoa just appeared on the set and started improving, it would be completely believable and delightful if you are a fan. He provides comic relief with a little bite. Apparently, despite the fangs, Lobo is not a vampire, but immortal and is like a nicer biker who enjoys cigars. David Corenswet returns as Kara’s cousin but only clad as Superman, a naïve outlier, as opposed to the alien society that Kara travels with ease except unlike the “Star Wars” franchise, she seems to be well versed in speaking most alien languages. Did you know that Alcock does great? Look, ma, no dragons!
How are the fight scenes? It is chaos cinema, but because “Supergirl” prioritizes conveying authentic emotions that will resonate with the audience, it works. It also sports the gimmick of let’s focus on a supporting character huddling for safety while mayhem unfolds in the background. Enough lands and feels realistic for it to work. Honestly some of the fight scenes are as good as Zack Snyder’s solid early work, not his ugly DC Extended Universe work.
“Supergirl” takes flight, but more importantly sticks the landing so future sequels will be welcomed. The DC Universe is fleshing out nicely, and unlike the Marvel Cinematic Universe, seems to still understand how to resonate emotionally with audiences and not seem cynical while reaching into our pockets. Even “Superman” (2025) naysayers enjoyed this one. Slow and steady, this franchise is shaping up nicely.
