Why Supergirl Is So Different To Superman In The MCU

Even in space, families can be dysfunctional. So it appeared when the final act of James Gunn’s Superman gave us our first glimpse at the DCU’s Supergirl, Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock), who swaggered in with rockstar energy, collected her unruly pooch Krypto, and swiftly waved goodbye to her do-gooding cousin. Think is a Kryptonian was having a Brat summer. Now, Supergirl is front and centre in her own movie – one that looks to channel the raucous energy of its main character, who beneath all the partying is dealing with real inner turmoil.

For Alcock, it was reading the Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow comic that unlocked what DC boss Gunn wanted the Kara in his movie universe to be. “I understood at that point that James is trying to do something very different and unexpected with her,” she tells Empire. “She’s such a good contrast to Superman, because she’s a survivor of trauma in the purest sense. I was excited to play someone so beautifully flawed and resilient.” Hey, if you lost your entire planet and people, you’d probably be messed-up too.

It was this approach which opened up the film for Craig Gillespie too, who’s previously made massive bold films about complicated women in I, Tonya, and Cruella. “I have a very specific tone I’m attracted to,” he explains. “I always loved the first Iron Man: flawed, complex and conflicted. They sent me the Ana Nogueira script [for Supergirl], and two scenes in, I was like, ‘I’m in.’ It was exactly what I hoped for; it’s all character. She went from an incredibly, incredibly dark scene to this irreverent character scene, all in the first 15 pages.” Get ready for a massive swing in presenting a superhero, flaws and all. “[Supergirl] has got a lot of trauma, a lot of demons; she’s unapologetic,” he teases. “You get to have a character that can be punky and edgy and not take off those rough edges.” Bring on the noise.

Read Empire’s full Supergirl feature in the Spider-Man: Brand New Day issue – on sale Thursday June 4. Pre-order a copy online here. Supergirl comes to cinemas from June 25.