3 Major Questions We Have About the DCU’s Supergirl After Superman & Justice League Retcons

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It’s fair to say Supergirl, also known as Kara Zor-El, had a pretty unforgettable introduction at the end of this summer’s Superman. She unexpectedly crashed into Superman’s Fortress of Solitude while intoxicated, grabbed Krypto, and then called her cousin (who avoids swearing) a “bitch.” Kara appears to be quite different from Superman in many ways, so we were a little surprised to see her, even just as a shadowy figure, included as part of the revised Justice Gang in Peacemaker’s Season 2 premiere. Her appearance raised a lot of questions that might not be answered until her first solo DCU appearance in next year’s Supergirl movie, but here are the three biggest ones.

3) Why Didn’t Supergirl Help Her Cousin During the Events of Superman?

Watching Superman was a real rollercoaster! The movie really threw our hero into the deep end – he actually lost a fight at the beginning, almost succumbed to Kryptonite poisoning in Lex Luthor’s incredibly elaborate prison, and barely managed to prevent a complete planetary catastrophe with that inter-dimensional rift. While it was great to see the Justice Gang show up to help, honestly, Superman could really have benefitted from having his Kryptonian cousin, Supergirl, fighting alongside him against Luthor’s all-out, multi-faceted attack. It felt like he was facing too much on his own, even for the Man of Steel!

The movie’s ending reveals that Kara was actually off-planet, which is why she couldn’t assist Superman. It also shows she enjoys traveling to planets with red suns for fun and to get intoxicated. While this clarifies why she was absent, it leaves us questioning the reasons behind her carefree and somewhat reckless behavior. Is she masking grief over the destruction of Krypton, or perhaps another loss? Getting as drunk as Kara was suggests someone is trying to escape or suppress emotional pain, and we’re now even more interested in understanding what that pain might be.

Also, considering the new Supergirl movie is based on Tom King’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic-a large-scale space adventure-why does Kara spend so much time on Earth? Is Superman responsible for protecting Earth, while Kara focuses on the rest of the universe? Or, more simply, is she actually defending or protecting anything at all?

2) How Does Supergirl Know the Justice Gang?

Following her appearance in Superman, Kara doesn’t seem like someone who enjoys being a team player. Even though she was only on screen briefly, Alcock’s excellent and funny performance as Kara suggested she often comes and goes as she wants. Because of this, it’s reasonable to think that being part of a team of metahumans, such as the Justice Gang, would be too demanding for her. However, she *did* appear in the “Previously on” segment of the Peacemaker Season 2 premiere alongside Superman, Mister Terrific, Green Lantern, and Hawkgirl, which proves Kara not only knows these other heroes, but has clearly worked with them before. This raises a key question: how did that happen? Was Kara recruited by Superman to join the Justice Gang, or did she recruit *him*?

The opening of Superman establishes that Clark Kent had only been active as Superman for three years. This suggests that Kara Zor-El (Supergirl) likely attracted the notice of Maxwell Lord and his team of heroes before Clark did. We need clarification from DC Studios co-chief James Gunn regarding the exact timeline of events. It would also be helpful to understand what initially motivated Kara to work with the Justice League.

1) Will Supergirl Continue to Work With the Justice Gang in the Future?

It’s unclear exactly how official Superman’s connection to the Justice Gang is. Within the DCU, the Justice Gang receives funding from LordTech, the company owned by billionaire Maxwell Lord, and the heroes involved likely receive payment from the company, potentially as specialized employees. This idea is reinforced by two events: Christopher Smith/Peacemaker’s awkward and failed attempt to join the Justice Gang in his own series, and Lois Lane’s visit to the Hall of Justice (which was still being built) in Superman, where she requested their assistance in rescuing Clark from Lex Luthor.

Even though Superman collaborates with the Justice Gang, his alter ego, Clark Kent, seems to be solely employed by The Daily Planet, not LordTech. This raises the question of whether he and Kara are truly full members of the Justice Gang, or simply associates and allies? We can expect to learn more about the Justice Gang’s structure (and its evolution into the Justice League) as Peacemaker and other DCU projects are released. However, this presents a significant challenge for Kara, considering her unpredictable nature and frequent absences from Earth as we approach Supergirl next summer.

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2025-10-01 20:18