The Supergirl (2026) blockbuster, starring Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, is dominating global box offices. Inspired by the hit comic Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King and Bilquis Evely, the latest DCU project has sparked heated debates among DC fans due to numerous changes from the original story.
Let’s dive into the 10 biggest differences between the film and the comic!
1. Family Tragedy and Ruthye Marye Knoll’s Sword
The film opens with 13-year-old Ruthye witnessing her entire family, father, mother, and brother, being slaughtered by Krem from Golden Hill. Her father, a master swordsmith, was targeted for his legendary weapon.
In the original comic, only Ruthye’s father is killed, her mother and brothers survive. Also, her family were poor farmers. The sword Krem used to commit the crime was his own weapon, left embedded in the victim’s chest and later picked up by Ruthye to seek revenge.
2. Krypto’s Poison Plot Made More Straightforward
While Kara Zor-El drunkenly refuses Ruthye’s pleas, Krem steals a spaceship and poisons Krypto, forcing Supergirl to find an antidote within three days.
However, the comic extends this journey much longer. In the original, Krypto was given the antidote early and recovered quickly, but Kara hid this from Ruthye to use the trip to persuade her to abandon her vendetta. The film ramps up the tension by making the poison a real, ticking time bomb.
3. Krem from Golden Hill Gets a Major Upgrade
Visually, DCU’s Krem looks rugged and wild, like a character straight out of Mad Max, unlike his more ordinary comic appearance.
In terms of power, the film’s Krem is boosted with “the strength of 1,000 men.” The comic version has no superpowers, he starts as a corrupt royal henchman and only joins the Barbond space pirates after stealing Kara’s ship and fleeing into space.
4. Kara Swallowing Red Kryptonite Scene Cut
In the film, Kara and Ruthye travel on a space bus and Kara regains her powers only when near a yellow sun.
In the comic, the bus is attacked by a metal-eating space dragon. Despite losing her powers, Kara swallows a Red Kryptonite shard. For humans, Red Kryptonite causes hallucinations, but for Kryptonians, it makes those illusions real. Kara sprouts powerful fiery wings to kill the dragon, a tribute to the 90s “Earth-Angel Supergirl” version. This scene was cut from the movie due to high special effects costs.
5. The Maypole City Arc Completely Removed
The film omits the storyline set in the alien city of Maypole. In the comic, Kara and Ruthye discover a blue-skinned race hired space pirates to massacre the purple-skinned race, considered inferior, as part of Krem’s scheme. This dark arc explains Krem’s induction into the space pirate gang but was left out of the movie.
6. Fiery Cameos from Lobo and Superman
Comic fans know that the space bounty hunter Lobo was cut from the original script. Jason Momoa’s return in this role ignited theaters everywhere.
Additionally, David Corenswet’s Superman appears physically in several scenes, rather than just being mentioned indirectly as in the comic.
7. The Space Pirates’ Brides
To replace the Maypole storyline, the script introduces a brutal new element: the space pirates are human traffickers who kidnap and abuse young girls across the galaxy to be their “brides.” This darker, more mature twist has sparked intense debates on film forums.
8. Barenton Planet Lacks Space Dinosaurs
Although the deadly Barenton planet with its green sun appears in the film, viewers don’t see Ruthye fighting alien dinosaurs to protect a weakened Kara.
The script also softens the story by giving Barenton a second yellow sun for Supergirl to recover and involving the space pirates in the battle.
This is a major change because, in the comic, Barenton is an isolated prison planet designed to hold Superman, who nearly dies until the Justice League rescues him after 45 minutes. Supergirl, however, proves tougher by enduring the green radiation for 10 hours straight.
9. Comet the Flying Horse Is Missing
The latter half of the comic features Comet, a man cursed to become a horse and a loyal fighter who secretly loves Supergirl. Comet heroically sacrifices himself to save Kara in the final chapter.
However, screenwriter Ana Nogueira confirmed that including a flying horse with such a strange backstory would dilute the film’s tone and feel too bizarre for general audiences.
10. Krem’s Death and Controversy Over the Core Message
Krem’s ending has deeply divided DC fans after leaving theaters. Unlike the comic, where a reformed Krem is spared to honor Kara’s ideals of peace, the film ends with Supergirl delivering a fatal stab to him.
This harsh rewrite has drawn heavy criticism from hardcore fans for discarding the original’s subtlety and humanistic message.