Who Are the DCU’s New Supergirl Villains? DC Comics History, Powers & Origin Explained

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The new film Supergirl, directed by Craig Gillespie and starring Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, closely follows the story from a popular comic book series. This reimagining of the character, originally created by Tom King and Bilquis Evely in 2021, sends Kara on a journey through space where she must build her own heroic identity, battle huge threats, and come to terms with the tragedy of Krypton’s destruction.

Kara, also known as Supergirl, is on a mission to get revenge on a criminal named Krem of the Yellow Hills. She’s motivated by two things: Krem harmed Krypto, and she promised a young woman named Ruthye she’d help bring Krem to justice for killing her father. Matthias Schoenaerts, known for his role in The Old Guard, will play Krem in the DC Universe, and he’s a formidable opponent who nearly defeated Supergirl.

Krem of the Yellow Hills is a Pirate & Brigand

Krem is a dangerous figure – a pirate and assassin with a hidden past. In fact, the comics suggest even his name might be fake. He’s completely focused on himself, acting ruthlessly and without any moral compass. He’ll do anything to get what he wants, as shown when he cowardly attacked Supergirl and Krypto from afar with a bow and arrow, even injuring them. He was able to do so because they were on a planet with a red sun, which stripped them of their superpowers.

In the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comics, Krem escaped his home world by stealing Supergirl’s ship, still fearful of her. He then joined forces with Barbond’s Brigands – a ruthless group of space pirates known for causing destruction and profiting from the chaos. Alongside the Brigands, Krem committed terrible acts of genocide and worked on creating weapons designed to defeat Supergirl.

Krem is an Ordinary Being – But Ruthlessly Intelligent

Krem isn’t a physically dangerous opponent for Kara (unless she’s exposed to a red sun). What makes him truly frightening is his complete lack of compassion and his incredible skill. He cleverly uses advanced weapons and technology to target Supergirl and evade capture. The pursuit of Krem led Supergirl and Ruthye into incredibly dark corners of the galaxy, forcing them to confront terrible events – even genocide, in which Krem actively participated. Though he has no superpowers, Krem’s complete disregard for morality is what makes him such a captivating villain.

Honestly, we don’t know a ton about Barbond’s Brigands, even from the comics – they’re just as morally questionable as Krem! I’ve been thinking, with the new Supergirl series, they might bring in Jason Momoa as Lobo and make him part of the Brigands. It would make sense, since Lobo doesn’t exactly have a strong moral compass either. Or, maybe Krem will just hire Lobo as extra muscle now that Supergirl is after him. Either way, I’m guessing Lobo’s there to give our heroes a really tough physical fight, rather than a complicated moral dilemma.

Matthias Schoenaerts, a Belgian actor known for his work in films like The Old Guard, Red Sparrow, Django, and The Regime, will play Krem of the Yellow Hills in the DC Universe. The first trailer for Supergirl gave us a glimpse of Krem’s Brigands and their impressive fight scenes, and fans are eager to see more of Krem’s story unfold in the upcoming trailer.

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2026-03-31 17:44