The Supergirl movie could be a much darker venture into the DCU than fans may be expecting after Superman.
Following the scene at the end of Superman where Milly Alcock briefly shows up as Kara Zor-El, attention is turning to Supergirl, which will be the next movie set within James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU. A lot of people are now assuming it will have a light-hearted, fun tone similar to Gunn’s movie, but the film’s source material suggests that might not be the case.
The Supergirl movie might have a darker tone than Superman
Before looking at what could happen in the Supergirl movie, it’s important to remember that not every DCU project is going to feel like Superman. Gunn has previously said that the DCU won’t have a specific aesthetic and that every project will have “its own stamp on it.”
He recently told IGN, “[Superman] is very different from the R-rated movie we’re making, a body horror movie with Clayface. It’s very different from the Sgt. Rock movie we’re developing. It’s very different from Supergirl, which is a space fantasy.
“…What I love about DC Comics and the graphic novels is that they allowed the individual artists and writers to create their own projects, and they each had their own voice. The Long Halloween, All-Star Superman, Dark Knight, Watchmen, those things have very little tonally in common with each other, except for they’re a part of the set of communal characters that are in the DC Comics universe. And now, we’re doing that same thing in the DCU.”
In Superman, Alcock’s Kara shows up drunk at the end of the movie to get her dog, Krypto, back from her cousin. The moment is played for laughs; however, this is because she’s only on screen for approximately 30 seconds. A whole movie centered around Supergirl and the problems she might be hiding from other people could then result in a darker, more serious tone than we see in Superman.
Krypto gets hurt in the comic the movie will be based on
There’s also a pretty violent moment involving Krypto that happens in the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic by Tom King and Bilquis Evely. After meeting an alien girl named Ruthye Marye Knoll, Supergirl is attacked by the villain of the story, Krem of the Yellow Hills. Krypto quick retaliates, which then leads to the poor pup getting an arrow through the chest.
We learn by the end of the story that he’s ultimately fine, but there’s a sad panel where we see Krypto lying on the ground and whimpering. The injury also essentially takes Krypto out for the rest of the story, meaning Supergirl might not be teaming up with Krypto for the whole movie, as there’s a very good chance he’s taken off the board in the first 20 minutes.
That’s all assuming that the movie will be faithfully adapted, which isn’t a given. Especially since it’s known that Jason Momoa will star in the movie. Lobo isn’t part of the Woman of Tomorrow comic, after all.
Still, while Supergirl will likely have some similarities to Gunn’s Superman, don’t walk into the theater next summer expecting them to be the same movie. This one has the opportunity to really surprise some fans.
