Supergirl Villain With 11 Prior Convictions Finally Gets 6 Months Behind Bars

If you have been keeping an eye on DCU casting, here is a curveball: Matthias Schoenaerts, who is set to make his DCU debut as the villain in Milly Alcock's Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, just got hit with a six-month prison sentence in Belgium after skipping a court appearance. The sentence was handed down in absentia, and yes, he can appeal.

What happened with Schoenaerts?

Belgian outlet VRT News reports the actor has a long history with traffic-related trouble and police run-ins — they count 11 past convictions. The latest situation started when he failed to show up in court in Beringen. Along with the jail time, he was fined €4,000 (around $4,649) and banned from driving for a year.

• 2021: Reportedly barred from driving in Antwerp over alleged drug use while driving
• Last year: Allegedly caught riding a motorcycle without a valid license
• Recently: Arrested after refusing to cooperate with police for a breathalyzer test

To be clear: some of the incidents above are allegations as reported by local media. The sentence itself is official, but it was issued because he did not appear in court, and he has the right to challenge it.

So who is he playing in Supergirl?

Schoenaerts is playing Krem of the Yellow Hills, the main antagonist in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. The film is based on Tom King's comic, where Krem murders the father of a girl named Ruthye, setting off a revenge journey with Supergirl. He is not a mustache-twirler — he is nasty in a low, unsettling way that fits the story's dusty, frontier vibe.

Director Craig Gillespie is at the helm, and DC Studios co-chief James Gunn has already hyped what they are doing with the character:

"Craig [Gillespie] has amped [Krem of the Yellow Hills] up. He is so scary and creepy. It is so cool. Like, it is really cool."

- James Gunn, via DC Studios Showcase

What this means for the movie

Whether Schoenaerts actually serves time is now up to the appeals process. If he does, that is going to make press and promo awkward — studios have worked around this kind of thing before, but it is never ideal when your villain is off-limits during the marketing push.

For now, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is still dated for June 26, 2026. If nothing else, this adds a very unhelpful subplot to a movie that already has a lot of goodwill thanks to Alcock's casting and the strength of the source material.