‘Supergirl’ And The Freedom Of Not Being Perfect

Illustration by Joanne Baranga

Superhero stories have always been a little more forgiving of their male leads. Their flaws are built into their character, becoming a part of their appeal and not often do they have to correct them before they can be considered heroic. 

Female superheroes, however, have not always had that same freedom. They can be powerful, but they are also expected to be kind; they are allowed to make mistakes, but only enough to remain likeable. Somewhere along the way, the expectation became that goodness and flawlessness are somehow the same thing. Supergirl pushes back against that idea. It understands that being good does not depend on softness or likeability, and women can be angry and imperfect without losing their heroism. 

Supergirl follows Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock) drifting through the galaxy, celebrating her twenty-third birthday on a red sun planet and avoiding the reality of life on Earth when her dog Krypto is poisoned by Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts), leader of the Brigands that she and a young girl named Ruthye (Eve Ridley) are forced to pursue across planets. What starts out as a revenge quest for the two leads becomes a story about grief and the choice to remain good, even when you are angry and exhausted.

Within the story, Kara is allowed to be far more complicated than the usual female superhero. Milly Alcock’s Supergirl carries enormous grief and struggles to connect with the people and places around her, but beneath all of that is still a clear desire to do the right thing. What makes her performance so effective is that she never feels like a female version of Clark Kent. Where Clark is hopeful because Earth is his home, Kara remembers Krypton, Argo and everything she lost – heroism does not come naturally to her in the same way. It has to be chosen, which makes the message all the more meaningful. As Alcock told Beyond Noise while promoting the film, “The beauty of Kara is that she's so bad, and that's what makes her good.”

Eve Ridley’s performance as Ruthye Marye Knoll is just as vital to the film’s success. Both Kara and Ruthye carry their own emotional weight and Ridley creates a character who never feels overshadowed, even while sharing the screen with a Kryptonian. She brings maturity to Ruthye without losing the vulnerability that makes her a compelling character. And most importantly, the bond between Kara and Ruthye is what ultimately allows the film’s central message to resonate so strongly.

That is why Supergirl works best when it keeps returning to the idea that goodness is defined by our choices rather than our personalities. One of the film’s clearest expressions of that comes from Kara’s mother, Alura In-Ze: “Be good. That does not mean you need to be kind, but you must be good.” It’s a mature line for a superhero blockbuster, and it captures what the film is reaching for, especially for younger viewers who rarely see female heroes written with the same care and complexity.

That is not to say the film is without flaws. 

Its pacing is one of its strengths, but also one of the reasons it sometimes feels like something is lacking. Even with its emotional themes, the writing never forgets that it is meant to be an exciting spacefaring adventure, and the momentum keeps it engaging, but also leaves little room for some of the more emotional arcs to develop. Kara and Ruthye are the centre of the story, but there are times where their relationship could have benefited from more screen time. Because the film is constantly moving from one destination to the next, some of the smaller moments of trust and vulnerability that made Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow so resonant are lost. By the end, you absolutely believe the two care deeply for each other, but some more time to sit with these characters would have made the emotional payoff stronger.

Krem is another example of an adaptation choice that works on one level while losing something on another. Making him a larger-than-life supervillain is an understandable creative decision for the screen, and Matthias Schoenaerts’ performance gives him the necessary menace. Still, the comic’s version of Krem is more unsettling because he is not designed to look dangerous. The redesign makes him more imposing, but it loses the message that evil does not always look monstrous.

Jason Momoa’s Lobo, meanwhile, is a compelling contrast to Kara, even if his role feels slightly inflated by the film’s marketing. He represents chaos where Kara is burdened by conscience, and his character is an effective foil to the film’s central argument about choosing goodness. But the story ultimately belongs to Kara and Ruthye, and while I agree that Lobo makes sense as part of the film, the promotional material occasionally gives the impression that Lobo occupies more of the film than he actually does. Readers familiar with the comics will likely recognise the parallels he shares with Kara, but the film itself does not rely on that knowledge and does not spend much time exploring those connections either.

Visually, Supergirl is stunning. Kara’s costume is fantastic, and the redesigned House of El crest has already become iconic. The film’s wider galaxy is full of creative alien designs, costumes and practical makeup effects that help build a believable and vibrant universe. 

Ruthye, though, feels like the one design choice that could have gone a little further. Surrounded by aliens with striking and memorable designs, Kara benefits from being read as recognisably human, but Ruthye is meant to come from another world too. Despite having a beautiful costume and a strong performance from Eve Ridley, visually she does not quite have the same distinctiveness as her comic counterpart. 

Even so, these are small criticisms when compared to what the film gets right. I came into it already familiar with the comics that inspired it, but no prior knowledge is needed to enjoy the film. More than anything, Supergirl succeeds first and foremost at being a good film with an important message.

In a strange way, the film not being perfect is entirely appropriate. Like Kara herself, it’s rough around the edges and may sometimes rush past moments that deserve more attention, but its core message never wavers. Alcock’s comment to Stylist captures that quality perfectly: “There's a relatability we can all feel with someone else who is messy, because it makes us feel less alone.” That feels like the right way to understand Kara, and in many ways, the right way to understand the film too.

Supergirl is an important addition to the DCU and, hopefully, a positive one for the future of female-led superhero films and for a generation of young girls who deserve heroes just as complicated and flawed as male counterparts have been.

If the film has made you want to spend a bit more time exploring Kara’s comic book origins, here are some of my recommendations to get you started:

• Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, written by Tom King, with art by Bilquis Evely and colours by Mat Lopes: The primary inspiration behind the film. Evely’s artwork is stunning, and the slower pace allows the emotional journey between Kara and Ruthye to unfold properly.

• Supergirl: Being Super, written by Mariko Tamaki, with art by Joëlle Jones and colours by Kelly Fitzpatrick: A standalone reimagining of Kara's origin that focuses on identity and adolescence, making it a great starting point for new Supergirl fans.

• Superman/Batman: Supergirl, written by Jeph Loeb, with art by Michael Turner and colours by Peter Steigerwald: The modern retelling of Kara Zor-El’s arrival on Earth. This is one of the defining interpretations of her beginnings and an interesting look at how differently her origin has been told over the years.

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Edited by Lara Walsh, Co-Film & TV Editor