Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Great at being the responsible cousin to an intergalactic party girl? That last one sounds a bit off, but the DC universe that writer/directorJames Gunnis building following the debut ofSupermanis exciting, especially given the first appearance of acertain iconic DC superhero. Be warned that from here on out, we’re dealing with spoilers from the film.
As the film comes to a close, we find Clark (David Corenswet) back in the Fortress of Solitude, ready to recharge his powers using his special sun-soaking chair. Before then, though, his cousin Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock) stumbles into the room, wearing her Supergirl costume and a big baggy jacket over the top of it.
This is how we meet Supergirl. She’s hungover (or still drunk) after partying and getting wasted on planets with red suns, as the earth’s yellow sun keeps Kryptonians from feeling the effects of alcohol.
This Supergirl is, in short, a bit of a mess. And, like Superman in his film, that’s the kind of character we need right now, as the future of the DC Studios universe of movies is plotted out.
The Man Of Steel Is A Man Of Mush
For so long,Supermanhas been considered by many to be the ‘default’ superhero because he’s always shown as practically perfect in every way. The new movie’s take on the character portrays him as anything but perfect. He’s young, flawed, still fairly new to the world of being a public facing superhero, and doesn’t quite understand how everything works yet. He just knows he must save whoever he can at all times.
He’s a big softie who is not driven by anything but doing what he knows is right. And as we see in Superman, that leads to some seriously dangerous situations with different powerful forces around the world. This Superman learns his lessons throughout the movie, evolving to become a better human and a better superhero. And he’s still learning, something I hope future movies he’s in continue to show.
Beyond his inexperience and naivety, though, this is a Superman that simply cares so much. It’s what makes him human, even more so than some of the actual humans in the movie. It’s the kind of ideal you love to see, even if only with hopes that the message will find its intended audience.
What we’re left with is a Superman that is the most modern yet, but feels like a throwback. It feels more like a comic book Man of Steel than anything we’ve seen on the big screen in the last few decades, if ever. And now that’s my expectation for the rest of DC Studios’ new universe.
Super Party Girl To The Rescue
With those raised expectations in mind, I’m now ready for the Supergirl movie. The easiest reason I could give is that she’s Krypto’s actual person, so we should be getting another movie with our new favorite Superdog.
The bigger reason is bringing a true Gen Z superhero into frame. While generations of people have been born and become adults since the first Superman movie released, most superhero portrayals are pretty timeless – and often played by people a generation or two older than the primary audience. The kids love Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man and Doctor Doom andwhoever the Russos convince him to play next.
Even when younger people are cast as heroes, they never feel their age – on the big or small screen.The CW’s Arrow-versewas a big group of young and pretty people acting like angry middle-aged people. Superman, for the most part, has been a rather vanilla character. He’s the grown-up in the room. Or, at least, he was. Now he’s this imperfect being trying to figure out how to be human, like the rest of us.
When Arrow premiered, Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) was supposed to be 27 years old. Barry Allen is four years younger and somehow an established crime scene investigator at, like, 23 years old.
Then there’s Supergirl. She seems very sure of who she is and unwilling to take guff from anyone who doesn’t accept it. She’s young and free, loves having a good time, and enjoys the fleeting nature of her life. She’s also arealdog person, something Superman tried to convince us he was throughout that movie – how dare he?
In that quick scene at the end of Superman, I learned all I needed to know about next year’s Supergirl movie. It’s going to be fun, full of heart, very funny, and definitely include at least one flight of shame home from a distant planet after a night of partying.
In short, Supergirl is going to potentially be the most believable big screen superhero yet. Because, so far, she feels real and pulled out of the current generation of twenty-somethings ready to take the world by storm.
Sure, there will probably be villains and, like, world-ending stakes. But I don’t care about that nearly as much as getting to see more of Alcock’s Supergirl owning the screen.
