Supergirl Writer Reveals What Made The Hero’s Story Finally Click During Development

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Supergirl writer Ana Nogueira breaks down the moment the entire character fell into place for her.

Speaking to Variety, Nogueira discussed how her 2016 Off Broadway playwrighting debut, Empathitrax, led to her eventual meeting with executives from DC Studios to discuss a Supergirl feature film. Nogueira recalled being given a collection of Supergirl comics by fan-favorite writer Tom King, which she said helped her envision the character as a fully fleshed out figure. "She watched Krypton completely be destroyed. I was always like, 'I can't get my head around the version of the character that is so sunny," Nogueira explained. "When I read it, I was like, ‘There she is."

The DCU's Supergirl, portrayed by Milly Alcock, made her feature film debut earlier this year in Superman starring David Corenswet. Alcock's Supergirl, or Kara Zor-El, first appeared on-screen in a post-credits sequence, during which she stumbles into Superman's Fortress of Solitude while clearly hungover (or possibly still drunk). Rather than looking for any sort of help dealing with an emerging threat, Supergirl comes looking for Krytpo, who she had left in the care of her Kryptonian cousin and who played a major role throughout the events of Superman.

Back in July, Superman writer-director and DC Studios co-head James Gunn broke down the key differences between Supergirl and David Corenswet's Man of Steel, specifically when it comes to their respective attitudes and worldviews. "We will see the difference between Superman," Gunn said, "who was sent to Earth and raised by loving parents from the time he was an infant, versus Supergirl, raised on a rock, a chip off of Krypton, and who watched everyone around her die and be killed in terrible ways for the first 14 years of her life and then come to Earth. She is much more hard-core and not the Supergirl we’re used to."

What Can Fans Expect from Milly Alcock's Supergirl?

Set to be directed by Craig Gillespie, Supergirl is quickly shaping up to be a decidedly different film from Superman in nearly every single way. In September, the official synopsis for Supergirl made its way onto the internet, giving fans an idea of exactly what they can expect from the film when it arrives next year. The synopsis reads, "While celebrating her 21st birthday, Kara Zor-El travels across the galaxy with her dog Krypto, during which she meets the young Ruthye Marye Knoll and goes on a murderous quest for revenge," pulling straight from Tom King and Bilquis Evely's Supergirl: The Woman of Tomorrow miniseries from 2008. The role of Ruthye Marye Knoll is played by Eve Ridley, while the rest of the core cast of Supergirl is rounded out by David Krumholtz and Emily Beecham as Supergirl's parents and Matthias Schoenaerts as the dreaded Krem of the Yellow Hills.

Supergirl is slated to soar into theaters on June 26, 2026.