Supergirl Has a Dark Vibe, an Adorable Pup, and a Release Date Approaching Faster Than a Speeding Bullet
After the smash-hit success of Superman in 2025, DC studios already had its next big Kryptonian locked and loaded. While Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock) made a very brief cameo toward the end of Superman, she's getting her own solo film this year. But, don't expect another rehash of Superman, nor should anyone think this film will feel like the 1984 Supergirl movie starring Helen Slater. So, will it be like the popular CBS/CW series starring Melissa Benoist? Wrong again. What about Sasha Calle's Supergirl from the 2023 Flash movie? Nope. That's a different universe.
Here's why the new Supergirl will feel brand-new to casual DC fans, but perhaps, very familiar to readers of more recent DC comic books. Here's everything we've got on Supergirl, from the release date, to the trailers, to the cast and plot, including yes, the fact that the adorable puppy Krypto will be a big part of it.
Supergirl Plot
Taking place in the same new shared DCU as Superman and the second season of Peacemaker, the new Supergirl movie will focus on the backstory of Kara Zor-El, Superman's cousin, and how her journey to Earth was far different than Kal-El's more ideal trip. Writer Ana Nogueira has described the movie as a "road trip," while DCU head James Gunn has noted that Kara is more of an anti-hero than Superman.
The basic story, which involves Supergirl partying on planets without a yellow sun (thus, depriving her of her powers) will loosely follow the the 2021-2022 Tom King DC Comics miniseries Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, in which Supergirl will help a young girl Ruthye Marye Knoll (Eve Ridley) avenge her father's murder. Their primary enemy will be Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts) a space pirate guilty of human trafficking.
So, despite the rock-and-roll vibe from the trailers, Supergirl will be much darker than Superman.
Supergirl Trailers and Krypto the Superdog
As of February 2026, there are two major trailers for Supergirl. The first, which was release in December 2025, teases the entire plot of the movie, including the present tense with Supergirl on her quest, as well as a ton of flashbacks to how she survived the destruction of the planet Krypton.
The second major trailer was dropped during Super Bowl 2026, and this one sort of focused the super-powered dog, Krypto, who made his big screen, live-action debut in Superman. But, as that movie made clear, Krypto is Supergirl's dog; Superman just watches the dog while she's away. As this trailer states, "On June 26, power is unleashed." Clearly, we're talking about Krypto as well as Kara.
Supergirl Cast and Director
Despite being a follow-up to Superman, the new Supergirl film is directed by Craig Gillespie, probably best known for his work on I, Tonya and Cruella. In other words, he's done a few movies with female anti-heroes who audiences love. Here's who's in the cast:
- Milly Alcock as Supergirl/Kara Zor-El. (Of note, Kara generally goes by Kara Danvers on Earth, and doesn't have a third name like Superman going by "Clark Kent." That said, she is sometimes known as Linda Lee Danvers.)
- Matthias Schoenaerts as Krem of the Yellow Hills
- Eve Ridley as Ruthye Marye Knoll
- Emily Beecham as Alura In-Ze, Supergirl's mom
- David Krumholtz as Zor-El, Supergirl's dad
- Jason Momoa as Lobo, an alien bounty hunter and fan favorite from DC Comics. Momoa has been advocating to play Lobo for years and has called this his "dream role." On January 23, James Gunn and Momoa revealed a short teaser of Momoa in character as Lobo, riding a motorcycle.
First introduced in 1983, Lobo was later conceived as a kind of parody of badass 1990s anti-heroes, hence his over-the-top style. Of course, today, we generally just tend to think of him as a badass, rather than a satire of a badass.
Supergirl Release Date
Supergirl will hit theaters on June 26, 2026. No word yet if there will be earlier fan screenings, as was the case with Superman in 2025.