How Supergirl & Superman Are Different in DCU Explained by James Gunn

James Gunn teased in a new interview how Milly Alcock’s Kara Zor-El / Supergirl is different from David Corenswet’s Clark Kent / Superman in the DC Universe (DCU). Superman premiered on July 11, 2025, and Supergirl is slated to come out as the second cinematic venture in the franchise. Both movies are part of DCU’s first chapter: Gods and Monsters.

James Gunn on differences between Superman and Supergirl

Milly Alcock makes a surprise cameo as Kara Zor-El / Supergirl toward the end of 2025’s Superman. She appears to be drunk when she arrives in the Fortress of Solitude to pick up Krypto, whom she temporarily left in her cousin’s care.

That brief scene highlights how different this version of Supergirl is from Corenswet’s Superman. While speaking to ScreenRant, James Gunn agreed that Supergirl is a “mess” in the DCU, and then made it clear that this is the version of the character that will appear in Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl.

“I mean, I think as we learn, she’s had a completely different background from Superman,” Gunn said. “A much more difficult background. He’s had this wonderful upbringing by these two parents that loved him and were very healthy. And her background was much different than that. And she’s ended up different than her cousin.”

This “different background” was potentially hinted at by the entirety of the message that Superman’s biological parents, Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van, left behind for him. Initially, Clark drew inspiration from the first part of the damaged message.

However, the rest of the message later reveals that he was sent to Earth to conquer the planet and restore the Kryptonian race by taking on multiple partners. Although Clark struggled with these revelations, he ultimately found inspiration in his upbringing as a Kansas farmer’s son. It makes sense that Kara, who only experienced Kryptonian life before she departed from her native planet, would have a different view of things from Clark.

DCU’s Supergirl debuts in US theaters on June 26, 2026.

Originally reported by Tamal Kundu on SuperHeroHype.

Source: Comingsoon.net