Pride Month and Supergirl‘s theatrical release on June 26 arrive around the same time, a fact that entertainment journalist Ana Paula Barbosa of @narrativafeminina was well aware of when she pointed out to Milly Alcock that fans have embraced the DC character as a queer icon over the years. “What do you think it is about Kara that inspires that kind of connection?” she asked the young star, who gave a carefully worded but thoughtful answer.
“I think because she doesn’t live inside the binary of what we think a woman should be,” Alcock told Barbosa. “That is what makes her so special and so exciting and so new.”
“I think I’ve played a few characters that might have a potential queer throughline. I have many queer friends. So, honestly, I’m kind of honored. I’m honored that that’s happening,” Alcock added with a smile in a warm response. “And, yeah, I kind of thought that as well. I was like, she wouldn’t do what she’d want to do in that regard anyway. But, yeah, thank you.”
Supergirl’s Story Has Always Been About Not Fitting In
Talk around Kara’s sexuality isn’t new at all. Her story has always been aligned with themes of displacement and belonging, both in the comics and even the shows and movies that have come before. In fact, many fans came to similar conclusions about The CW’s Supergirl show, with some even pointing out that the showrunners were “queerbaiting” fans — leaning into the subtext of Kara’s intensity with certain female characters without ever committing to it on screen.
But Supergirl’s story in the comics has always been complicated too – and far less easy than her cousin’s. She lived on Krypton, survived its destruction, arrived on Earth and spent her life caught between the two very distant worlds. Fitting in for her was much harder. Earth was all Superman ever knew. But Supergirl is a foreigner on the planet.
So, Supergirl struggling with her identity has become a strong theme that resonates with many. And comic book creators have leaned into that idea.
Barbosa, who attended the Rio de Janeiro fan event ahead of the film’s release, noted that even in footage shown there, Kara is positioned as the outsider – even to Superman. Despite sharing a Kryptonian origin, James Gunn’s DCU is clearly setting the two apart.
“Good, Not Nice”
Alcock’s casting sparked immediate controversy and backlash after Gunn announced her as Supergirl in January 2024. Some fans felt she was too young. Others felt she wasn’t what they imagined the character to look like. But the studio and director Craig Gillespie have consistently pushed back, explaining that this version of the character is “good, not nice.” Unlike the previous versions of the character, like Melissa Benoist’s peppy and slightly goofy take, Alcock’s version is morally complex and sometimes difficult. You’re not going to get a lot of smiles from this Supergirl.
And while that bugs a few traditionalists, when you understand the character’s background, it makes sense that she’s a little unhappy about the cards she’s been dealt. This film is meant to be about her journey to find her purpose. When Krypto is hurt, she goes out of her way to save him. And based on what we’ve seen in the trailers, she learns that she can’t stay mad at the universe forever.
The Box Office Question
Current projections place the domestic opening between $45 million and $58 million, with a midpoint around $51 million, which is significantly below the $122 million domestic opening for Superman (2025), and very close to the $55 million opening of The Flash (2023), which is widely considered one of the biggest failures of the previous DC franchise, the DCEU.
The film’s net production cost is reported at $175 million, with profitability reached at $315 million in global box office revenue.
Perhaps part of the real issue here isn’t the marketing or the casting or the film’s visual style. Perhaps it’s that fans don’t really understand this version of the character. But the writers didn’t pull any of this from thin air, of course. It’s well known that Supergirl drew inspiration from Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King and Bilquis Evely.
So, whether or not Supergirl flies at the box office, the conversation around Kara and who she is, who she’s for, and what she represents is already being talked about. And maybe that’s the only win the DCU needs right now, especially since we know that her character will become an important part of the franchise. She’s already been added to Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow for 2027.
Supergirl releases June 26.
