There have been rumours for months about David Corenswet's Superman appearing in Supergirl, and DC Studios confirmed his return in the latest trailer for the movie. That showed the Man of Steel speaking to his cousin over a video call, but there will be more to his role.
Talking to Entertainment Weekly, Supergirl director Craig Gillespie teased at least one more scene featuring Superman. That will come when she arrives on Earth to find that her baby cousin is now an adult and costumed do-gooder.
"It was actually our first day out the gate," the filmmaker said, confirming we'll get a full exploration of Kara Zor-El's origin story, including the moment she rockets away from the doomed Krypton. "She just landed, so she doesn't know English. So she's out of the gate speaking Kryptonian."
The closing moments of Superman hinted at some tension between Clark Kent and Kara, and Gillespie put that down to their "different upbringings."
He added, "Superman hasn't gone through trauma. He came from a very loving family and was almost groomed to be in this role, whereas Supergirl has been through trauma and the role's kind of being pushed upon her at a later age, and she's having to adjust to that."
"Even though they're cousins, you get this almost older-sibling dynamic, and that can be adversarial at times," Gillespie continued. "He's the gentle guy that wants to reach out and be patient, and she's having to find a way and find herself."
It seems likely that Supergirl will return in next summer's Man of Tomorrow, particularly as that's the next chapter of James Gunn's "Superman Saga." There's also a very good chance that the Woman of Tomorrow knows more about Brainiac than her cousin does, delivering some handy exposition.
The majority of Supergirl is expected to take place in the cosmos, meaning Superman's in-person appearance will likely be limited to that flashback of Kara's arrival. However, it was recently reported that Clark Kent has been added to the movie's ending in recent test screenings.
You can rewatch the new Supergirl trailer in the player below.
Supergirl, DC Studios' newest feature film to hit the big screen, arrives in theaters worldwide next summer from Warner Bros. Pictures, and stars Milly Alcock in the dual role of Supergirl/Kara Zor-El. Craig Gillespie directs the film from a screenplay by Ana Nogueira.
When an unexpected and ruthless adversary strikes too close to home, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, reluctantly joins forces with an unlikely companion on an epic, interstellar journey of vengeance and justice. Alcock stars alongside Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, and Jason Momoa.
The film is executive produced by Nigel Gostelow, Chantal Nong Vo and Lars P. Winther. Behind the camera, Gillespie is joined by director of photography Rob Hardy, production designer Neil Lamont, editor Tatiana S. Riegel, costume designer Anna B. Sheppard, Visual Effects Supervisor Geoffrey Baumann, and composer Ramin Djawadi Junkie XL Claudia Sarne.
Supergirl arrives in theaters on June 26, 2026.