What the Hell Is Going On With Supergirl?
There's a scene at the end of Superman that either made you smirk… or snap your popcorn bucket in half.
Supergirl stumbles into the Fortress of Solitude—clearly hammered—grabs Krypto (a superdog with the energy of a caffeine-addicted toddler), and lets him yeet her across the frozen tundra like a chew toy. It's goofy. It's chaotic. It's… surprisingly layered?
Or maybe it's just dumb. That's up for debate.
But here's the thing: this moment wasn't just tossed in for kicks. According to director James Gunn, it's a weird little thesis statement—about responsibility, empathy, and what kind of guy this Superman really is.
And yeah, the cameo pissed off a chunk of fans. Let's talk about why.
The Drunk Cousin from Outer Space
In the new Superman, Kara Zor-El—soon to headline her own film (Supergirl, hitting theaters June 26, 2026)—shows up trashed. Like “bar on a red-sun planet” drunk. It's played for laughs, but it lands awkward. Especially for longtime readers of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, where Kara is more stoic sword-wielding wanderer than clumsy cosmic party girl.
So yeah, it rubbed some people the wrong way.
But for Gunn? It's all about Superman's reaction.
“The main reason for Kara showing up is to show that Superman not only risked his life to go save a dog… he was watching the dog for somebody else,” Gunn told Entertainment Weekly. “She's off being irresponsible.”
She ditches the dog. He saves the world and the dog. That's the math. Kara's recklessness isn't the joke—Superman's empathy is the point.
And listen, I get it. I rolled my eyes too. But the more I thought about it, the more it hit a weirdly sincere note.
Because let's be honest—we've all had that one family member who ghosts you with their responsibilities, leaves you with their mess, and still expects a hug when they breeze back into town.
Superman's that guy. He's exhausted. He's annoyed. But he still does the right thing.
Peacemaker's Loudmouth Cameo (Because Why Not)
Oh, and while we're stacking chaos—Peacemaker shows up too.
No punch, no explosion. Just him talking smack on a talk show, clowning Superman for not being “jacked enough.” It's John Cena doing what John Cena does best: being an unfiltered human protein shake.
Gunn's take?
“I like the idea that he's one of these assholes that would be on that show,” he said, shouting out Michael Ian Black's hilariously named Cleavis Thornwaite, the host who'll return in Peacemaker Season 2 (premiering August 21).
This, to me, is Gunn doing what he does best—worldbuilding through absurdity. It's dumb, but it's deliberate dumb. The kind of dumb that sneakily builds emotional texture.
Sort of like casting a dog that nobody likes, making Superman rescue him, and then revealing he wasn't even Superman's dog to begin with.
And honestly? That reveal hit harder than I expected.
The “Cameo Problem” and Gunn's Rules
There's this trend in superhero flicks where cameos feel like marketing checkpoints. Toss in six characters, one for each quadrant. Gunn's not about that life.
“I don't like cameos when it has nothing to do with the story… There seems to be, in some superhero movies, cramming other people in because people like seeing these characters together.”
And yet—he did include Hawkgirl, Mr. Terrific, and Guy Gardner. Why? Because, according to him, they all “represent something different” from Superman. They serve the plot. They're not just collectibles.
Which is, ironically, what makes Kara's messy entrance more effective than it initially seems. Her irresponsibility has weight. Her absence makes Superman's sacrifice feel heavier.
She's not here to sell T-shirts (yet). She's here to contrast the guy in the cape.
So… Was It Any Good?
Here's where I land:
It's weird. It's clunky. But it works—just barely—because of the emotional undercurrent.
And also, yeah, I kinda love that the DCU might open with Superman wrangling a destructive alien dog while his drunk cousin skids into the story like it's Spaceballs 2. It's risky. It's silly. But it's trying.
We're in a strange new era where superheroes are being rebooted for the fourth time in ten years, and frankly? I'd rather watch a flawed, funny, empathetic Clark Kent navigate cosmic dog-sitting than sit through another dead-eyed multiverse cameo party.
So yeah, maybe Supergirl's intro wasn't polished. Maybe she felt more “Galactic Hangover” than “Woman of Tomorrow.” But you know what?
At least she wasn't another CGI blur with no lines.
