Supergirl Soars Into Theaters — Milly Alcock Leads DC Reboot
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Supergirl has arrived, and with her comes one of the most closely watched swings of the new DC Universe. The film hit U.S. theaters on June 26, 2026 following a splashy premiere in Brooklyn days earlier, planting Milly Alcock firmly at the center of the rebooted DC on-screen world as Kara Zor-El. After the success of last year's Superman relaunch, all eyes were on whether the studio could keep its cosmic momentum going, and Supergirl is the answer fans have been waiting to see.
Directed by Craig Gillespie, best known for I, Tonya and Cruella, and written by Ana Nogueira, the film adapts Tom King and Bilquis Evely's acclaimed 2021-22 comic miniseries Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. That source material is beloved for reimagining Kara not as a sunnier echo of her cousin, but as a harder-edged, emotionally complex hero shaped by profound loss, and the movie leans hard into that darker, more adult tone.
The plot sends Kara on a galaxy-spanning quest for revenge. Rather than a tidy origin story set in a friendly Midwestern town, the film follows Supergirl into the far corners of space alongside a young girl named Ruthye, played by newcomer Eve Ridley, who is hunting the man who murdered her father. It is a road movie across the stars, powered by grief, rage, and the slow rediscovery of hope, with Kara's faithful super-dog Krypto along for the ride.
Milly Alcock, who broke out as young Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon, steps into the cape after being cast as the DCU's Supergirl before even appearing in the Superman film. Critics have singled out her performance as a highlight, praising the way she balances Kara's world-weary edge with flashes of warmth and dry humor. For many reviewers, Alcock is the glue holding the ambitious project together.
The supporting cast is stacked. Jason Momoa co-stars as Lobo, the foul-mouthed intergalactic bounty hunter and longtime comics fan favorite, marking the character's long-awaited big-screen arrival. The ensemble also includes Matthias Schoenaerts as the film's central villain, along with David Krumholtz and Emily Beecham, while David Corenswet reprises his role as Superman in a connective appearance that ties the story back into the wider DCU.
Supergirl represents a major piece of James Gunn and Peter Safran's rebooted DC slate, the ambitious plan to unify the studio's films and television under a single connected vision. Following Superman's warm reception, Supergirl was positioned as proof that the new universe could tell tonally different stories, trading bright optimism for something grittier and more emotionally raw without losing the thread that binds the franchise together.
Reviews out of the release have been mixed. Some critics celebrated Alcock's magnetic lead turn and the film's willingness to take Kara somewhere genuinely different, while others felt the finished movie played things safer than its bold source material promised. The debate has become part of the conversation surrounding the film, with fans and critics dissecting whether the adaptation fully captured the emotional punch of the comic.
At the box office, Supergirl opened to a solid but not spectacular start, pulling in a reported $7.8 million in preview screenings before its wide debut. Against a hefty production budget estimated between $170 and $186 million, the film faces the familiar modern superhero challenge of needing strong legs and international support to reach profitability, making its coming weeks a real test of staying power.
The casting of Alcock also became a cultural talking point in the lead-up to release. She spoke candidly about the pressure of taking on such an iconic role and about navigating online backlash, framing the experience as part of what it means to step into the DC spotlight. Her openness resonated with fans who have rallied behind her portrayal, turning her into one of the most talked-about new faces in the superhero space.
For longtime DC readers, seeing Woman of Tomorrow reach the screen at all is a milestone. The comic is widely regarded as one of the definitive modern Supergirl stories, and its journey from page to blockbuster signals the studio's confidence in mining its deeper catalog for material rather than recycling the same familiar beats audiences have seen many times before.
Whether Supergirl becomes a breakout hit or a divisive chapter, it undeniably raises the stakes for what comes next in the DCU. With Alcock now established as Kara Zor-El and threads connecting her to Corenswet's Superman and Momoa's Lobo, the film plants seeds for future crossovers and team-ups that fans are already eagerly mapping out.
Check out the official trailer below and see how the new DC Universe's boldest hero takes flight.
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