After the incredible slam-dunk that was 2025’s “Superman,” DC and Warner Bros. Pictures had the world’s superhero fandoms waiting with bated breath for the next installment of James Gunn’s DC Universe. However, after waves of unfavorable critical reception in response to 2026’s “Supergirl,” it looks like the DCU has already lost their footing — or did they?
Hello and welcome back to The Pull List, a biweekly column focusing on the evolving world of DC Comics and the superhero world. For the first issue of this academic year, we’ll be spending today talking about 2026’s “Supergirl,” the comic it’s based on and what both mean for the future of the DCU.
The “Supergirl” movie is inspired by (but not directly based on!) 2022’s “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow,” written by Tom King and illustrated by Bilquis Evely. I’ve already sung my praises for this book before, so I’ll spare you the lauding, but I would absolutely recommend this comic to anyone with any interest in getting into superhero stories.
Both the movie and the comic (spoilers ahead!) surround the story of Kara Zor-El, also known as Supergirl, and a young girl named Ruthye, who are traveling across the universe to find the man who killed Ruthye’s father (entire family, in the movie) and poisoned Kara’s dog Krypto: A man known as Krem of the Yellow Hills. As the two travel, Ruthye begins to learn more about not only Supergirl and her past, but also about morality, the ethics of murder and the importance of remaining true to oneself.
One of the clearest differences between the movie and the comic is Ruthye and Kara’s relationship. In the original story, Kara is like a mother figure to Ruthye, while her movie counterpart (portrayed by Milly Alcock) is closer to an older sister. The difference for this is obvious and highly mechanical in nature; the Supergirl of DC Comics has been around for decades and has had plenty of time to mature and change over time, while the Supergirl of the DCU has only just been born. A character can’t start out as mature, wise and fully formed, especially if she’s meant to be a recurring character.
As a result of this adjustment, the overall message of the story changes. Comic Kara, haunted by the slow death of Krypton, already understands the vengeance that corrupts Ruthye and hopes to protect her from it, but ultimately must come to grips with her people’s extinction by the end. Movie Kara still holds this darkness within her, but she seems to begrudgingly take Ruthye along and never entirely steps into this mentorship role, so her own arc feels diminished by the end.
There’s also a stark difference between the two depictions of Krem.: The movie version is clearly an evil, unforgivable man, whereas the comic version of Krem, while still clearly a bad person, feels more like a ruffian who simply hasn’t met the consequences of his own actions — in some sense, he’s kind of a loser. This change is even reflected in their designs.
Krem’s altered depiction ultimately flattens not only his character, but also the overall message of the movie. It’s much easier to justify Krem’s death in the movie, but not in the comic. Even then, the comic version is someone who anyone can find in their day-to-day. Some people in the world do just objectively suck, but is it the responsibility of you as an individual to fix or punish them? Is it acceptable if you do? We can all agree that “Movie Krem” deserves the violent end he received, but what about the regular awful people we find everywhere around us?
Despite all my complaints, I don’t think “Supergirl” was a bad movie. It certainly didn’t beat either “Superman” or “The Batman” (2022), but I think it deserves its place in the DCU. Milly Alcock is an incredible casting choice, and I cannot wait to see where she takes Kara next, and it is nice that the DCU isn’t ignoring her tragic past, especially in its comparison to Superman’s backstory.
As for the future of the DCU, I’m hoping “Supergirl” is a lesson in aesthetics. The public consciousness is still tired of the average run-of-the-mill superhero movie, and “Supergirl” doesn’t make much of an effort to depart from that old standard. However, if “The Batman” and the upcoming “Clayface” movie are anything to go by, it seems like James Gunn isn’t scared to start experimenting.
A better version (and a better marketed version) of “Supergirl,” in my eyes, is one that leans into the aesthetics. What happened to the rocker girl of the movie’s teasers, with “Call Me” by Blondie blasting in her headphones? If the DCU is hard-committing to horror in “Clayface,” I think they should have hard-committed to retro-futurism in “Supergirl,” but that’s just my opinion.
Speaking of my opinions, it’s now time to turn to the actual pull list of The Pull List — for today and next week, I’ll dive into my picks for what deserves to be on your shelves.
Today marks the release of “Absolute Green Arrow #5,” written by Pornsak Pichetshote and illustrated by Rafael Albuquerque. If you haven’t been following this series, it’s time to get moving because this is one of the most interesting books right now. Pichetshote has already made it clear that no character, no matter how beloved they are, is safe from the elusive Green Arrow Killer. Now that we’ve begun diving into some of the body horror elements, it looks like things are just getting started.
Next up we have a pick that will surprise no one: “Absolute Cassandra Cain: The Shadow’s Hand,” written by Che Grayson with illustrations by Matías Bergara and colors by Mike Spicer. This new version of Cassandra Cain made her debut in “Absolute Catwoman #1,” but we’ve yet to learn very much about her.
I’ve always loved Cassandra Cain (read “Batgirl” [2000]!) and I think she has the chance to pair very well with the Absolute Universe. Batman’s favorite daughter is known for her strong sense of morality and duty, which contrasts with her violent upbringing under the teachings of her father, assassin David Cain, and her connections with her mother, assassin and impeccable martial artist Lady Shiva.
The “Absolute Cassandra Cain” comic is just a one-shot meant to tie-in with “Absolute Catwoman,” but it’s set to expand the world of the Absolute Universe a little bit more by introducing the League of Assassins and Lady Shiva, with some possible hints at the Joker’s backstory. As the ultimate human weapon, it’ll be interesting to see how Grayson chooses to depict her.
I’m also very hopeful for Cass to tie in with the mainline “Absolute Batman” series. Cass is best known as Batgirl alongside her fellow Batgirls Barbara Gordon and Stephanie Brown, who are both reaching prominence in “Absolute Batman.” I wouldn’t be surprised if Scott Snyder plans to keep Cass separate, at least for now, but I hope we’ll be seeing some kind of crossover later down the line.
And finally, we’ll be seeing the main Batgirl herself, Barbara Gordon, embark upon her own character arc in “Absolute Batman #24” next week. Taking on the mantle of “The Bat,” Barbara will be wielding an actual shotgun (even if it’s non-lethal), so it feels pretty safe to say this version of Babs is a far cry from the Batgirl we all know and love.
All in all, it looks to be an exciting few weeks for the Batman fans of the world (as in, me), so make sure you drop by your local comic book shop when you can!