2026's Supergirl Breaks One Of Superman's Biggest Rules (& It Changes Her DCU Future)
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Supergirl
Supergirl (2026) is a big, messy addition to the expanding DC Universe, and it makes a name for itself by doing something almost no other Superman-adjacent movie has attempted. As the follow-up to her appearance at the climax of Superman (2025), the new film stars Kara Zor-El and gives House of the Dragon (2022) star Milly Alcock the spotlight to show off her messy and complicated take on the classic superhero. When her dog Krypto is poisoned during a run-in with the space pirate Krem, Kara goes to the ends of the galaxy to get the antidote.
Much of the film’s emotional throughline comes through in Kara’s efforts to convince the young Ruthye not to try to kill the pirate and give up vengeance to avoid the stain on her soul such an act would leave. However, it builds to an unexpected twist when Kara does the deed instead, which goes against Superman’s usual no-kill policy. Thus, it puts Supergirl in a far more interesting place going forward and sets her up as the unlikely heir to the last big cinematic version of the Kryptonians.
Why Supergirl Goes for the Kill
Supergirl is a largely straightforward sci-fi superhero riff on the True Grit (2010) archetypes up until the climax, when Kara Zor-El matter-of-factly kills the villainous Krem rather than follow genre convention and stick to her stated morals. The thematic heart of the film is Kara’s efforts to convince Ruthye not to follow her mission of vengeance against Krem, arguing with her that the shadow it will cast on her soul is something she’ll never escape. This builds to the movie’s big emotional beat, where Kara convinces Ruthye to spare the defeated space pirate. After Kara sends her away, Krem tries to intimidate Supergirl with a threat, prompting Kara to fatally stab Krem with the sword made by Ruthye’s father.
It makes sense on a pragmatic level, keeping him from ever attacking the pair or harming anyone else after an on-screen litany of monstrous actions. Thematically, it plays into Kara’s commitment to being “good” amidst the pain of her experiences as the last survivor of Argo City, following her parents’ dying wishes for her to be good, even at the cost of being “nice.” Kara’s arguments with Ruthye and discussion about the impact of killing someone suggest she may have more experience with it than the film reveals, and that Kara believes the “good” thing to do is to prevent Ruthye from doing the sort of thing she is perfectly capable of doing.
Notably, Supergirl never allows Kara to argue for the morality of sparing a life, just that she doesn’t want Ruthye to have to deal with it. This implies that she was potentially prepared to kill Krem the whole time, even as she’s trying to keep Ruthye from becoming a murderer. It’s a grim interpretation of the character, but it makes her an interesting contrast to Superman in this version of the DC Universe.
Supergirl’s Kill Makes Her the Heir to the DCEU Superman
Supergirl being willing to kill, not just in self-defense but in an act of pragmatic vengeance after Krem is defeated, is a stark contrast to the Superman of the DCU, as well as most iterations of these superheroes. Most versions of the character, especially in mass media, make protecting life a key aspect of their personality and motivation. The most notable exception to that is the Zack Snyder-led DC Extended Universe. Man of Steel (2013) was very much meant as a gritty reimaging of the character in a far harsher world, with a hardened Clark Kent to match.
This extends to the climax of that film, where Superman reluctantly kills Zod to save a family from the villain’s homicidal outburst. It introduced a trickier morality at the center of the DCEU that, unfortunately, never really paid off outside of heroes like Batman being far more brutal in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) or Aquaman (2018) than they are usually portrayed. While certain characters in the DCU are afraid of killing someone if they need to, Supergirl, doing so with a big red S on her chest, signifies a major aspect of how this universe operates. Kara gets to carry on the more complex moral contradictions of the DCEU that never really came to fruition, even as her cousin and his form of morality serve as the backbone for the larger superhero universe.
What Supergirl’s Kill Means For Her DCU Future
Krem was a minor character in the grand scheme of things, so there’s likely to be little direct consequence for Kara killing the Brigand leader. However, this act sets up a potentially big future for Kara going forward. For one thing, she’s now officially on the radar of Lobo, the cosmic bounty hunter. Although he was initially on Ruthye’s side during the climax and argued that she should get to kill Krem, Lobo departs the film nodding in approval at Kara’s willingness to do the deed instead. This could set up the pair to have an established dynamic if he appears again, especially in some sci-fi corner of the universe that will likely be expanded somewhat in Lanterns (2026).
In the aftermath of her adventure, Kara has decided to remain on Earth for a time, telling her cousin in the film’s final scene that she wants to try and make it a home for her, too. This sets up Kara to be around for more events on the planet and in the larger DCU, especially the upcoming Superman: Man of Tomorrow (2027). Her willingness to kill a villain doesn’t make her wholly unique in the setting, with Hawkgirl casually killing the Boravian President in Superman. However, it will definitely cause some conflict between her and her cousin, as well as potentially other heroes who take a more strict approach to heroics, such as the Bat-Family and the Flashes. It all sets up Supergirl to be a more complex figure in the DCU going forward.
