Supergirl explores a new corner of the DCU by taking fans into outer space for a cosmic adventure with Kara Zor-El. While it's inspired by Tom King and Bilquis Evely's Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, the movie makes some significant changes to the source material.
The Vampire Diaries actress Ana Nogueira penned the screenplay, and the biggest alteration comes right at the end when the Maid of Might stabs and kills Krem of the Yellow Hills (much to the delight of a cigar-chomping Lobo).
On the page, Kara implores Ruthye not to become a killer and resists the urge to kill Krem herself. Later, he's sentenced to 300 years in the Phantom Zone, with the comic delivering a powerful message about why revenge solves nothing. Crucially for fans, like her cousin, Supergirl is not a killer.
In an interview with CBR, director Craig Gillespie explained Supergirl's divisive ending and confirmed that, not only was it part of the story from the start, but DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn pushed for Kara to have her Man of Steel moment.
"It was in the script from the get-go. I met with James, and we talked about it, and James was adamant about it," the filmmaker confirmed. "I think it's an amazing thing. To lean into – knowing the kind of movie that we're making, and where her character is heading, that she has to go through this emotional journey. There's no other logical conclusion to what she would do."
"And [the fact] that he doubled down on that, I loved. Even to the point of, you go through the whole system shooting, and there were whispers of like, 'Do we shoot a backup? Is there something else in case the testing goes south?'" Gillespie continued. "And James constantly was like, 'Nope, we don't need a backup. We’re good.' And I was like, 'You don’t have to tell me twice!'"
Is the director passing the buck or simply explaining his collaborative process with Nogueira and Gillespie? That will likely be debated, but most interestingly, Gunn was eager to make Supergirl a killer.
That could end up being a major plot point in next summer's Man of Tomorrow, especially if Supergirl and Superman disagree over how best to deal with the invading Brainiac. Krem deserved to die, but the decision to make Kara his executioner has divided opinions. That could change if it becomes a compelling part of hr journey moving forward.
Supergirl is now playing in theaters.