Milly Alcock’s ‘Supergirl’ Is Not the Hero You Think She Is, and That’s Exactly the Point
The DC Universe is still finding its footing after James Gunn and Peter Safran reshaped the entire franchise from the ground up, but one of the most intriguing pieces of that rebuild has never been in doubt. ‘Supergirl‘ is the second feature film in the DCU’s Chapter One, adapted from Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s celebrated comic book miniseries, and it carries a noticeably different energy than the sun-soaked optimism of its predecessor.
Milly Alcock, best known for playing young Rhaenyra Targaryen in ‘House of the Dragon’, steps into the role of Kara Zor-El for what marks her true breakout moment on the big screen. Her brief appearance at the end of ‘Superman’ already made waves, with Safran noting that despite Kara appearing on screen for barely twelve seconds, she became one of the things audiences most wanted to see more of coming out of the film.
A new image via USA Today has now given fans a more substantial look at what is on the way. The still depicts Alcock in what appears to be the interior of a spaceship, dressed in civilian clothes rather than her iconic suit, surrounded by the neon-lit clutter of interstellar travel. The first trailer had already established a grittier, science-fiction-leaning tone set largely away from Earth, and this image leans further into that direction, presenting a Kara who feels more like a wanderer than a guardian.
That tension between reluctant identity and eventual heroism is built into the DNA of the film. The story opens with Kara celebrating her birthday by travelling across planets with red suns, which suppress her Kryptonian powers, and she has no intention of stepping into a hero’s role when the narrative begins. Director Craig Gillespie has confirmed the film goes to genuinely dark places before Kara’s perspective shifts, with Alcock describing the end of the movie as the moment where her character finally decides she has to become who she is meant to be.
Alcock has been candid about what makes this version of the character distinct from what superhero cinema has offered before. Speaking with Screen Rant at CCXP Mexico, she said she believes Kara brings “a certain rawness and realness” not yet seen in prior depictions, approaching the role as “her own individual kind of being” rather than a variation on familiar archetypes. That rawness extends to the film’s intended message, with Alcock sharing that she hopes young girls leave the theatre knowing it is perfectly fine to be a little “bad, and messy.”
The film also notably marks the first major DCU release without Gunn directly in the director’s chair, with Craig Gillespie leading the project and the production carrying real weight as a test of whether the new universe can succeed beyond its architect’s hands-on involvement. Alongside Alcock, the ensemble includes Matthias Schoenaerts as the villain Krem of the Yellow Hills, Eve Ridley as Ruthye Marye Knoll, David Krumholtz and Emily Beecham as Kara’s parents, and Jason Momoa as the alien mercenary Lobo.
The cast and the cosmic scope of the story have drawn comparisons to the tone of Gunn’s own Guardians of the Galaxy work, although Kara’s particular brand of jaded toughness sets her apart from anything the DCU has introduced so far.
Now that Milly Alcock’s out-of-costume look aboard that neon-lit spacecraft has landed, do you think sidelining the iconic suit for much of the film is the right creative call for establishing a Supergirl this different from the heroes we already know?
