I simply watched each film and TV present that includes Supergirl with one purpose in thoughts: to determine why I’m so excited for the upcoming Supergirl: Girl of Tomorrow. Now that James Gunn’s Superman is out, I can lastly say it: Supergirl is launched within the movie. And her introduction is likely one of the strongest components. Superman (2025) takes the daring strategy of skipping conventional origin tales. You’re simply dropped into a celebration the place everybody already is aware of one another—they usually don’t really feel the necessity to clarify their shared pasts. However Supergirl’s arrival hits a bit in another way. To be sincere, I’ve at all times had a little bit of a blind spot in terms of Kara Zor-El. I beloved some Superman tales as a child, however I’d by no means seen the 1984 Supergirl film till this week. I skipped the CW present as a result of, properly, there have been like 100 Arrowverse collection. Aside from Sasha Calle’s model in The Flash, I’d by no means actually explored the character. That ends now. On this video (embedded above), I’m diving into each main on-screen model of Supergirl to determine who she actually is—and what Millie Alcock’s model may appear to be within the 2026 film. Sure, I additionally learn DC Comics’ Girl of Tomorrow, and it was truly nice—so go learn it should you haven’t. Let’s rewind 40 years, from 1984 to 2025, and try how Supergirl has been launched throughout movie and tv, in addition to the actresses who’ve performed her.
SUPERGIRL (1984)
Helen Slater performs Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, aka Linda Lee, on this very lengthy, fairly ridiculous, however oddly charming movie. Getting into with zero expectations, I discovered myself form of having fun with it—partly as a result of her introduction is simply so hilariously dumb. She’s on a refugee planet referred to as Argo Metropolis, a pocket dimension that homes survivors of Krypton. There, she inexplicably good points entry to the planet’s life-sustaining energy supply: the Omegahedron. It’s primarily their energy grid… they usually deal with it like a canine toy.
Helen Slater performs Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, aka Linda Lee, on this very lengthy, fairly ridiculous, however oddly charming movie. Getting into with zero expectations, I discovered myself form of having fun with it—partly as a result of her introduction is simply so hilariously dumb. She’s on a refugee planet referred to as Argo Metropolis, a pocket dimension that homes survivors of Krypton. There, she inexplicably good points entry to the planet’s life-sustaining energy supply: the Omegahedron. It’s primarily their energy grid… they usually deal with it like a canine toy.
Naturally, Kara by chance launches the Omegahedron into house, and it crashes on Earth. She hops into a really cute spaceship, chases it down, and discovers that Earth’s yellow solar provides her Superman-level powers. Oh, and should you didn’t know—Supergirl is Superman’s cousin. The Omegahedron finally ends up with an evil witch (after all), and Kara—now utilizing the alias Linda Lee—should cease her.
Right here’s what I took from this model: Kara is styled as a form of feminine counterpart to Christopher Reeve’s Superman. However whereas Reeve introduced subtlety to his efficiency, Slater’s Kara is extra exaggerated—nonetheless making an attempt to venture confidence as Supergirl, however very naive and wide-eyed beneath. She’s clearly in a beta part in comparison with Superman’s polished heroism. I’m not rewatching this over Superman ‘78 anytime soon, but it’s price seeing them aspect by aspect to grasp the distinction. And yeah… Helen Slater is scorching, although, proper?
SUPERGIRL (2015–2021)
Possibly I’m loopy, or perhaps the Supergirl film was simply that boring, as a result of I actually appreciated what the CW did with the character. (Fast apart: Kara did seem in Season 7 of Smallville, however she felt extra just like the Terminator in a miniskirt—there’s not a lot to investigate there.) Within the CW collection, Melissa Benoist performs Kara Danvers, and immediately she feels youthful, extra fashionable, and far more layered than earlier variations. Sure, the origin story within the first episode is tacky as hell, but it surely works.
We be taught that Kara—Clark’s older cousin—was despatched to Earth from the planet Krypton to guard child Kal-El, however received caught in a time rift and didn’t arrive till 24 years later. By the point she lands, Clark is already Superman, and Kara has to begin from scratch. She’s adopted by the Danvers household, who know Superman and assist her regulate to Earth. She doesn’t embrace her powers till her mid-20s, when she turns into Nationwide Metropolis’s protector with assist from her sister Alex, Martian Manhunter, and even a Jimmy Olsen.
I watched season one in every of this present and truthfully—I would simply watch the entire thing. The CW exhibits are corny and already really feel a bit dated, however a few of them actually hook you. Possibly I’m too easy, or perhaps they have been onto one thing. I’ll let you understand after I end it. Character-wise, Kara is dorky, awkward, and dealing as an assistant to media mogul Cat Grant. She’s received the identical bleeding coronary heart as her cousin however is extra cautious and not sure of herself. When she abandons a blind date to cease a aircraft crash, you are feeling the second she realizes she’s meant for extra than simply workplace work.
So whereas Helen Slater’s Kara was ditzier and extra unassuming, Benoist’s Kara is messier, more durable, and in the end extra relatable. Additionally… Melissa Benoist is scorching, although, proper?
THE FLASH (2022)
Up till lately, this was the model of Supergirl I used to be most aware of. The Flash takes Superman’s Flashpoint arc and provides it to Sasha Calle’s Kara Zor-El. Say what you’ll in regards to the film—it has points—however I feel Supergirl was the MVP.
Within the Flashpoint comedian, Barry Allen adjustments the previous, creating an alternate future the place Bruce Wayne dies, Thomas Wayne turns into Batman, Martha Wayne turns into the Joker, and Superman is a sickly lab experiment evaded the solar. Within the movie, they swap Superman for Supergirl. Calle’s Kara has been imprisoned, starved of the solar’s vitality, and rescued by the Flash in time to assist save the world.
This model of Supergirl is nothing just like the TV one. She’s stoic, pissed off, and has no time for hope or optimism. And truthfully, I don’t blame her. In comparison with earlier portrayals, this Kara is skilled, lethal, and all enterprise. She’s not making an attempt to be charming—she’s making an attempt to outlive. And sure, Sasha Calle is scorching, although, proper?
SUPERMAN (2025)
Lastly, we get Millie Alcock’s tackle Kara Zor-El in Superman. Her look is transient however memorable. After Superman saves the day, he’s decompressing within the Fortress of Solitude when a gap blasts by means of the roof—and in stumbles a barely tipsy Supergirl, nonetheless feeling the consequences of the evening earlier than.
It’s instantly clear what sort of Supergirl this might be. After studying Girl of Tomorrow, it looks like Gunn and Alcock are leaning into Kara’s grief, insecurities, and emotional repression. However as a substitute of carrying them on her sleeve like earlier variations, Millie’s Supergirl is masking them with rise up, bravado, and possibly a number of booze.
It seems like they’re establishing a narrative the place she learns to show her ache—her trauma over Krypton, the years she misplaced, her lack of course—into one thing significant. And I’m actually into it.
In order that’s why I’m genuinely hyped for Supergirl: Girl of Tomorrow. However what do you suppose? Which of those actresses nailed the character greatest? Are you excited for the brand new film? Let me know within the feedback!
