The new DC Universe is making it clear that just because someone wears a cape and flies doesn’t mean they have the same outlook on life. Milly Alcock, the 26-year-old Australian actress, is getting ready to play Kara Zor-El, also known as Supergirl, in the upcoming film Supergirl. And she wants everyone to know that her character is nothing like her famous cousin, Clark Kent (played by David Corenswet).
While Superman is often seen as the hopeful boy scout who believes in the good of humanity, Supergirl is arriving with a much rougher edge. In a recent interview with Empire magazine, Alcock broke down exactly why these two Kryptonians are so different.
Why Supergirl’s Past Makes Her Different From Superman
The main difference between the two heroes comes down to how they were raised. Superman was sent to Earth as a baby. He grew up in Smallville with loving parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent. He learned American values and was taught to see the best in people.
Supergirl did not have that same experience. Alcock explained that her character is “a survivor of trauma in the purest sense.”
“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.” – Milly Alcock on her role in Supergirl
Instead of landing on Earth as a baby, Kara Zor-El lived on Krypton. She watched her planet explode. She saw everyone she loved die. By the time she arrives on Earth, she is already a teenager carrying the weight of losing her entire world.
James Gunn, who runs DC Studios and directed Superman, previously explained that this backstory changes everything. Gunn said that Supergirl grew up on a “chip off Krypton” and watched everyone around her die in terrible ways for the first 14 years of her life. That kind of past does not produce a cheerful, optimistic hero.
A ‘Total Mess’ With Rough Edges
The Supergirl movie is based on the popular comic series Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King. In the film, we meet Kara on her 21st birthday. But this is not a fun party movie. Director Craig Gillespie, who previously made I, Tonya and Cruella, described her as “unapologetic” and full of “demons.”
Gillespie said he loves that Supergirl “has got a lot of trauma” and that she gets to be “punky and edgy” without sanding down those rough parts.
In fact, fans already got a small taste of this version of Supergirl at the end of the Superman movie. She showed up at the Fortress of Solitude drunk after bar-hopping across alien planets. She came to pick up her dog, Krypto, and left her cousin standing there without much of a goodbye. That moment was meant to show the audience right away: this is not your grandmother’s Supergirl.
Alcock admitted she was “scared” to take the role. But she decided to go for it anyway.
“I looked at myself in the mirror, and I was like, ‘Who am I to turn down this opportunity?’ I knew that it was what I needed to do, because it scared me.” – Milly Alcock
Release Date And What To Expect From The Film
The official title for the movie has been simplified to just Supergirl. James Gunn dropped the “Woman of Tomorrow” subtitle because he said he is tired of “colon and other-name thing.”
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The story follows Kara as she travels across the galaxy. She meets a young woman named Ruthye Marye Knoll who is hunting down the alien assassin Krem of the Yellow Hills, played by Matthias Schoenaerts. What starts as a birthday trip turns into a dark quest for revenge.
Alcock said that many women will connect with what Kara is going through. She described the character as someone who has been “at war with themselves,” adding that this is a universal feeling, especially for women.
The movie finished filming in 2025 and is currently in post-production. DC Studios has set the release date for June 26, 2026. The film will hit theaters in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, India, and worldwide on that date.
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