(Image Credit: DC Comics)
Supergirl will be one of the biggest releases of the year. When it releases, it’ll also be looking to learn from the mistakes of the DCEU.
Supergirl is set to release in theaters on June 26, 2026, and will be based on Tom King’s 2021-2022 comic book series illustrated Bilquis Evely. The film stars Milly Alcock, who will play the titular role of Kara Zor-El. It is written by Ana Nogueira and produced by DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran.
Ahead of Supergirl’s release, executive producer Lars P. Winther spoke about the movie, and more importantly, revealed some of the thinking behind DC Studios. In that talk, he also opened up on something that shows the DCU is doing something that the DCEU never did, and it might end up benefiting the universe in a big way in the long run.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Winther opened up about the upcoming movie. As for why they chose Supergirl as the next character to tackle after Superman, Winther’s answer was extremely revealing.
For the DCU to succeed, it must incorporate way more than just the well-known heroes
“We’re trying to build our DCU and that Superman family, that’s the main reason we went there. That comic is also based on the Woman of Tomorrow. We love that comic, and we haven’t seen a Supergirl movie in a long time,” Winther said. “We are not just trying to do what the previous regime did and dig in about the same characters. We are trying to get some of the newer characters in. So we want to base it with Superman and felt that [Kara] was the next best character to build that story. Also, that comic is intergalactic, which is where we wanted to go with it. Now you have an Earth story and an intergalactic story, so we’re starting to see what the larger DC universe looks like.”
Specifically, Winther’s comments on not “trying to do what the previous” regime did is important here. That is a not-so-subtle reference to the DCEU, and while it may come off to some as a shot, it’s more truthful than anything. The DCEU kicked off by introducing its Superman and Batman in big movies, and jumped right into other mainstays like Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and more. However, the biggest problem with the universe is it didn’t allow for any other heroes to shine.
Instead of showcasing some lesser-known heroes in the DC world, the DCEU instead chose to just go full into the biggest heroes. The problem with this, though, is that there was really nowhere left to go after all of their solo movies. This led to what was a fairly rushed Justice League movie that unfortunately never turned out the way director Zack Snyder wanted, as he was forced to leave the project midway through due to family matters.
What followed was essentially the end of the DCEU. Despite kicking off things off with some major heroes, the universe could never really find its footing, and had no other stories to lean back on when its bigger projects stumbled. On the flipside, DC Studios is looking to learn from that mistake.
The new cinematic universe kicked off in the movies with Superman, but has already had projects like Creature Commandos, Peacemaker, and now Supergirl to its name. These projects don’t feature super popular heroes, but do enough to give fans an idea of what to expect in the DCU, and highlight some of the more interesting and fun stories the world of DC Comics has to offer in the process. It’s still unknown as to whether or not the DC Universe will be a success, but it’s clear they are at least coming at it from an entirely different perspective, and it’s working so far.
