NFL
By Rick O’Donnell
Now that Superman has hit the box office and doing considerably well, it’s time to talk about the scope of the new DCU. While there’s still plenty to say about Superman, the “Justice Gang”, Mr. Terrific, or even some of the non-superheroes, such as Jimmy Olsen or Lex Luthor, it’s the film’s late cameo that stands out when it comes to the future of DC movies we have to be excited for. Yes, we mean (spoiler alert) Kara Zor-El.
Now, we didn’t get a whole lot of Milly Alcock’s Supergirl, but what we did get was pretty telling about the future of the franchise. Yes, Kara shows up at the end of Superman, drunk, and shouts an obscenity at Superman before she and Krypto exit the Fortress of Solitude. At best, it’s a fun little cameo that adds a bit of humor at the end of the film. However, in that moment, there’s something you might have missed.
It’s pretty obvious that Krypto didn’t belong to Clark; that’s not the reveal. No, this came much earlier in the movie. Earlier in the movie, Superman crashes into Lex’s office looking for Krypto in a very violent way. He’s that upset about a dog that isn’t even his. He’s ready to beat Lext to a pulp over her dog. Based on the entire tone of the movie, this is a very un-Superman-like moment. He’s calm, cool, and collected throughout the whole movie. Why is he so extreme about his cousin’s dog?
Well, the answer is simple. In that moment, when it seems very uncharacteristic of him to be that upset, he’s at peak Superman. You see, Clark isn’t just upset over Krypto; he’s losing his patience over the potential of letting Kara down. As he explains at the end of the movie, Supergirl has been off on planets with red suns drinking. If you’ve read the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic, you’ll know why; if not, you’ll see when the movie comes out. She’s in a very dark place, so in that moment that he’s willing to rip Lex apart, he’s protecting his cousin’s emotional support pup.
Given the backstory of Supergirl, there’s a very good chance that her solo film will be very much an emotional roller coaster. In that moment, Clark reacts based on the emotional state of his cousin and does everything he can to not let her down. The movie itself will be based on a comic written by Tom King, a writer whose Batman run was one of the best I’ve read, as it was filled with just as much emotion.
James Gunn has said that each movie will have its own tone. With that being said, I don’t think Supergirl will drive us back to the darker DCEU completely. With how Clark stepped into that moment and how sad her backstory is, there’s a good chance Supergirl might have audiences shedding a tear on her way to becoming a hero, but that’s what keeps these movies fresh. If they come in and copy and paste Supergirl into the same font as Superman, that’s when people start throwing out terms like “superhero fatigue”.
If Supergirl brings David Corenswet’s Superman into the mix, this movie will definitely hit its mark just the same, even with a shift in tone. Not only will he do all he can to protect those he cares about, but he’ll be who she looks up to as she pulls herself back up to her feet. There’s plenty of potential for these movies to pull off their planned shared universe in the new DCU if they can keep making them fun and feel fresh.
