'Supergirl' Didn't Include The City Of Maypole - Here's Why That Matters
When it was announced in 2023 that there was going to be a movie based on Supergirl, many fans of the character were rightfully excited. Outside of Supergirl (1984) decades ago and a brief cameo in The Flash (2023), Kara Zor-El hasn’t really received the big-screen justice she deserves, and this was finally her opportunity to be recognized as her own hero and not just “Superman’s cousin.” But there was another reason for the anticipation for Supergirl (2026). It was slated to be an adaptation of the Eisner Award-nominated limited series Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.
That eight-issue series rejuvenated the character and delivered a thoughtful, poignant story of revenge, the nature of evil, and served as a powerful journey of self-discovery for both Kara and Ruthye. And Supergirl, to a point, has those themes more or less intact. They’ve definitely been truncated and simplified to fit the film’s hour and 48-minute runtime, but they’re there. That is, except for one of the most important segments in the comic, one that helps put into perspective just how hollow Ruthye’s quest for vengeance is. Supergirl didn’t include the city of Maypole.
What Happened at Maypole in ‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow’?
Each of the eight issues of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow focused on a new leg of Kara and Ruthye’s journey to find Krem of the Yellow Hills. While the film is set over the course of three days, the comic takes place over months, and one of the earlier stops on their trip is the city of Maypole.
Maypole, at first, seems like an ideal city. The citizens, a race of blue aliens who refer to themselves as the Blues, are warm and hospitable to Supergirl and Ruthye until they start asking about Krem of the Yellow Hills. Then, they instantly turn sour, refuse to give any information, and ask them to leave. Supergirl begins to investigate and discovers that there used to be a race of purple aliens, known as the Purples, who lived in the poorer areas surrounding Maypole. The Blues hated the Purples, and when the Brigands invaded their planet, intending to kill the planet’s population, the Blues paid the Brigands only to kill the Purples. They did, and Krem, whom the Blues imprisoned, assisted in the slaughter and then joined them shortly after.
The comic makes no qualms about the fact that the Brigands, Krem, and the residents of Maypole participated in a genocide. The Purples did nothing wrong and were killed due to how much the Blues hated them. Was it based primarily on their skin color? Wealth? The comic doesn’t explicitly say, but what it does say is that there’s nothing that Supergirl can do about it. Ruthye and the universe at large only discover what happened after the fact, and now it is too late.
Why Wasn’t Maypole Included in ‘Supergirl’?
It’s a shame that Maypole wasn’t included in Supergirl. Stories about the horrors of genocide are difficult to endure, and turning what was meant to be a fun summer blockbuster into Hotel Rwanda (2004) or Schindler’s List (1993) may have been a step too far for James Gunn and the DCEU.
Genocide, in general, is never an easy topic to discuss, and how it’s presented in Supergirl: Woman or Tomorrow is especially hard to stomach. It’s normalized in Maypole, accepted by the population, and life continues. The Blues seem almost happy about it, which is especially chilling. Seeing something like that onscreen would have been appalling, and general audiences would probably reject a complex interpretation of a heavy topic.
There’s also the argument that Maypole is irrelevant to the story at large. Its importance is more thematic than narrative. Supergirl and Ruthye don’t learn anything new about Krem of the Yellow Hills, other than that he teamed up with the Brigands. However, that could have been told to them in a myriad of ways. Maypole was a one-off story that connected to the larger themes about the nature of evil, and thanks to the wonderful narration from Ruthye reflecting on her journey, it made what could have been a meaningless side issue stand out.
Why Should Maypole Have Been Included?
It may not have been needed within the larger story of Supergirl, but for comic fans, it’s hard not to mourn the loss of Maypole in the film’s story. Supergirl already has an edge to it that Superman (2025) didn’t have, and not including Maypole leaves Supergirl tonally confused. It’s simultaneously dark but very simplistic in its depiction of evil.
The Brigands are shown as just a gang of thugs. Krem of the Yellow Hills is their leader and, as Lobo would put it, a Bastich, but that’s about it. They’re straightforward bad guys with little depth and some comedic and exaggerated reactions. However, the evils they commit are surprisingly dark. Sure, they murder and pillage, but they also kidnap children to make them into sex slaves, which is pretty heinous. But once Supergirl catches up to them, their defeat is almost too easy. She punches them, their ship blows up, and the good guys win. But sometimes, evil can’t be beaten with just punches.
The point of Maypole was that evil can be systemic and hard to meaningfully tackle. How do you even approach a situation like what happened in Maypole? Should the Blues be punished for what they did and potentially perpetrate another genocide? Is defeating the Brigands enough, given how the Blues sold out the Purples? Do you punish both the Blues and Brigands, the killers and those who enabled the killing? What would avenging the Purples even accomplish? Supergirl should be praised for introducing very serious themes and ideas, but they’re executed with as much sensitivity and simplicity as you would expect for a summer blockbuster. But as an adaptation of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, the absence of Maypole and its darker implications can be felt throughout the film.
