Supergirl has finally arrived in theaters, and all signs point to the DC Studios movie being another divisive, perhaps even unpopular, effort from a brand that's struggled for years to deliver consistent quality on screen.
One of the biggest complaints from fans so far has been the fact that Supergirl doesn't exactly adhere to the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic book that James Gunn repeatedly said it would be based on. It's certainly inspired by it, but ultimately, the two projects have very little in common. That extends to a vastly different ending.
In the Supergirl movie, the final battle begins after Krem of the Yellow Hills and his Brigands capture Ruthye and Lobo. While they manage to work together and escape, young Ruthye's plan to kill the villain is quickly thwarted by her far more formidable foe.
Fortunately, it's then that the Maid of Might appears. Now fully decked out in her classic Supergirl outfit, she swoops into action, only to be stopped in her tracks by Krem's Kryptonite darts. Fortunately, Lobo lends a helping hand, and the ship crashes onto a beach below, where Ruthye is finally given the chance to kill Krem for what he did to her family.
After saving the women captured by the Brigands, Kara Zor-El implores Ruthye not to take revenge, because she'll have to live with being a killer for the rest of her life. The young girl walks away, and Supergirl kills Krem in cold blood (much to Lobo's delight). The hero then cures Krypto and takes Ruthye out for one last night of celebration before returning the girl to her aunt. She plans to become a swordsmith, like her father.
As for Kara, she returns to Earth and is met by Superman, who was waiting for her in her apartment. Having worked through the trauma of losing what remained of Krypton, she vows to stay for a while, making Earth her new home and embracing her role as a superhero.
It's a peculiar way to wrap up this story. While Kara takes the burden of killing Krem away from Ruthye, her actions don't feel overly heroic and contradict her insistence that the girl not take his life (even though he very much deserves to die). In the comic, Krem is banished to the Phantom Zone, and Supergirl reveals that Krypto was never dying; instead, she accompanied Ruthye on her quest for revenge to talk her out of becoming a killer. Instead, on the screen, it's the Woman of Tomorrow who kills with impunity.
The fact that this happens after she finally "suits up"—a trope in comic book adaptations we're all familiar with—is also odd, as is Kara's sudden return to Earth.
While that final scene is obviously meant to set the stage for Kara's role in next summer's Man of Tomorrow, it feels tacked on. Ultimately, it's meant to quickly establish Supergirl's place on Earth as a hero who is no longer the irresponsible drunk we first met in Superman. However, she's still a willing killer, and that could create a big conflict with her cousin when it comes time to deal with Brainiac.
Supergirl is now playing in theaters.