Supergirl Will Upend the Superman Formula, Director Reveals
Think Supergirl is just a gender-swapped Superman? The new trailer—and director Craig Gillespie’s remarks—say otherwise, positioning Kara as a very different Kryptonian and teasing a bold, standalone vision for the movie.
Supergirl is not just Superman with a different haircut, and the new footage makes that pretty clear. The movie is leaning into Kara Zor-El as her own person: sharp, scarred, and not here to cosplay as Clark Kent. Director Craig Gillespie and DC Studios boss James Gunn have both been saying the quiet part out loud, and honestly, it sounds like exactly the lane this character should live in.
Kara is not Clark (and that is the point)
After the trailer dropped, Gillespie talked up the angle that sets this take apart. He framed it as a character study with edges, not a sunny power fantasy.
"This is really an anti-hero story. She's got a lot of baggage and a lot of demons coming into this, which is very different from where Superman is in his life."
That does not mean Kara is suddenly a villain-with-a-heart-of-gold. What he is really getting at is headspace. Clark tends to lead with optimism; Kara, after watching her planet die, does not. She is less interested in the benefit of the doubt and more interested in the unvarnished truth. That mindset is baked into the movie.
Woman of Tomorrow, not Woman of Perfection
The film pulls from Tom King’s 'Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow' run, and the teaser backs that up: Milly Alcock’s Kara is allowed to be prickly, moody, and figuring herself out in real time. Gunn has been vocal about actually letting a female superhero be messy on screen for once, the same way male heroes have been allowed to be for decades.
"So many times female superheroes are so perfect. She's not that at all. She's very imperfect, like male superheroes have been allowed to be for a while."
Translation: we are not getting a sanitized icon. We are getting a young Kryptonian who has seen hell and is still deciding what kind of person she wants to be. That gives Supergirl a totally different flavor than DC’s big 2025 tentpole, Superman, and that contrast is a feature, not a bug.
DC’s new plan: let filmmakers cook
From day one of this new DCU, Gunn said the goal was to prioritize the visions of writers and directors rather than sanding everything down to fit a brand template. Supergirl is being held up as proof: when Gillespie came aboard, the mandate was to make his movie, not chase someone else’s tone. That is why the footage does not feel like it is trying to mimic Superman’s vibe.
Why they’re confident
Another sign the studio believes in this one: Gunn and Peter Safran fast-tracked Supergirl after reading Ana Nogueira’s script. They liked it enough to hire her to write other DCU projects, which is a pretty loud vote of confidence. Whether this one just matches Superman’s splash next year or ends up outpacing it will come down to word of mouth and how audiences click with Kara’s steelier outlook.
The basics
Milly Alcock stars as Kara Zor-El, Craig Gillespie directs, and the story leans into the 'Woman of Tomorrow' arc’s thornier edges. Supergirl lands in theaters on June 26, 2026.
Curious where you land on a more jaded, imperfect Kara? I’m into it. Tell me your read after the trailer.