Supergirl brought Milly Alcock, Jason Momoa, and David Corenswet together as the second film in DC Studios’ rebuilt DC Universe, releasing in theaters on June 26. Built around Kara Zor-El’s own interstellar quest for justice, the film marked a significant expansion of the shared universe James Gunn and Peter Safran began with 2025’s Superman.
Here’s the full cast, the plot, and how Supergirl fits into the wider DC Universe.
Supergirl’s Cast
Milly Alcock leads the film as Kara Zor-El, taking on the title role in her live-action feature debut as Supergirl. Jason Momoa plays Lobo, bringing a bad-boy energy to the film that critics singled out as one of its more entertaining elements, while David Corenswet appears as Kal-El, also known as Clark Kent or Superman, tying the film directly into the DC Universe’s existing continuity. The supporting cast includes Matthias Schoenaerts as Krem of the Yellow Hills, Eve Ridley as Ruthye Marye Knoll, David Krumholtz as Zor-El, and Emily Beecham as Alura Zor-El.
Supergirl’s Plot
The story follows Kara as an unexpected and ruthless adversary strikes close to home, forcing her to reluctantly team up with an unlikely companion for an interstellar journey built around vengeance and justice. That premise draws directly from the acclaimed Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic series, giving the film a darker, more morally complicated version of Kara than most previous screen adaptations of the character have attempted.
Behind the Camera
Craig Gillespie directed the film from a screenplay by Ana Nogueira, working within the new DC Universe continuity established by James Gunn and Peter Safran. Adapting Woman of Tomorrow specifically, rather than a more traditional Supergirl origin story, signaled early on that this version of the character would lean into a grittier, more morally ambiguous tone than earlier interpretations.
How Critics Responded
Reviews were mixed on balance, with The Hollywood Reporter praising Alcock’s punkish energy and Momoa’s bad-boy charisma while describing the overall film as stuck on autopilot. That kind of response, strong performances paired with more middling structural execution, has become a recurring pattern in early reactions to the rebuilt DC Universe’s output, suggesting the studio’s casting choices are landing well even where the films themselves draw more mixed reactions.
Supergirl’s Place in the DC Universe
As the second film in Gunn and Safran’s interconnected DC Universe, Supergirl carried real weight in establishing whether the franchise’s shared continuity approach would hold up beyond its first entry. Corenswet’s appearance as Superman directly ties the two films together, reinforcing that this new DC Universe is building toward the same kind of connected storytelling that defined earlier shared-universe franchises, rather than treating each film as a standalone property.
Milly Alcock’s Feature Debut in the Role
Taking on Supergirl as a live-action feature debut is a significant responsibility for any actress, and Alcock’s casting drew considerable attention given her existing profile from television work before this role. Critics specifically calling out her punkish energy suggests the film leaned into a rougher, less polished version of Kara than audiences might have expected from earlier screen depictions of the character, a choice that appears to have paid off even in reviews that were otherwise mixed on the film as a whole.
Jason Momoa’s Lobo and Tonal Contrast
Pairing Alcock’s Kara with Momoa’s take on Lobo gave the film a genuine odd-couple dynamic to build its central relationship around, contrasting Kara’s more grounded arc with Lobo’s chaotic, bad-boy presence. That kind of tonal contrast between leads is a common structural choice for team-up-driven superhero stories, and reviews suggest it was one of the more consistently praised elements of the film even where the broader plot drew criticism for feeling like it was running on autopilot.
Adapting Woman of Tomorrow for the Screen
Basing the film on the acclaimed Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic rather than a more conventional origin story gave Gillespie and Nogueira a darker, more morally complicated version of Kara to work from, one built around vengeance and grief rather than a straightforward hero’s journey. That source material choice also explains why critics zeroed in on the film’s tonal shift toward something grittier than earlier Supergirl portrayals, since the comic itself was praised for taking the character into more mature, emotionally complex territory than her previous appearances.
What Comes Next for the DC Universe
With Supergirl now the second entry in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebuilt DC Universe, attention turns to how the shared continuity continues expanding across future films and how Corenswet’s Superman and Alcock’s Kara might cross paths again down the line. Mixed critical reception on the film itself doesn’t appear to have dampened enthusiasm for the performances at its center, suggesting the studio’s broader casting strategy for this new era of DC films is on solid footing even as individual entries draw more divided reviews.
FAQ: Supergirl Cast and Release
When was Supergirl released?
The film released in theaters on June 26.
Who plays Supergirl in the film?
Milly Alcock plays Kara Zor-El/Supergirl, in her live-action feature debut in the role.
Does Superman appear in Supergirl?
Yes, David Corenswet appears as Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman, tying the film into the wider DC Universe continuity.
For more DC and superhero coverage, see our Ryan Gosling’s Ghost Rider casting and our 2026 Hollywood box office tracker.
More on the film is available on Wikipedia.
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