In the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic book by Tom King and Bilquis Evely, Kara Zor-El successfully teaches Ruthye that killing is not the answer. However, after Krem of the Yellow Hills murders her beloved horse, Comet, it's Ruthye who must impart the Kryptonian's own lesson about revenge upon the Maid of Might.
The story ends with Krem being sent to the Phantom Zone for 300 years. Later, an older Kara meets with an elderly Ruthye, and the villain, now repentant, pleads for forgiveness. Ruthye isn't interested and hits him with her cane before walking away.
There's perhaps a little ambiguity there, but Evely's artwork makes it clear that the blow doesn't kill him. In fact, in a March 2024 interview, King explained, "This is not supposed to be ambiguous; he's supposed to be alive at the end. That's why he grabs his head. Ruthye does not forgive him, still f***ing hates him, bops him on the head, and walks away."
However, Supergirl writer Ana Nogueira misinterpreted that ending and, as a result, the way things play out in the movie completely changed. While Ruthye doesn't kill Krem, Kara does after stabbing him in the chest and neck.
Talking to Variety, she explained, "The ending between Kara and Krem was always in it, from the pitch — truly from the very beginning. Because the comic ends with Ruthye killing him, but in the far, far future. We knew we weren’t gonna be able to do that kind of time jump, and I find it’s quite a dark ending of the comic."
"He essentially has changed, and she kills him anyway, because she still just has this anger, and you understand there’s this element of deserve, right?" Nogueira said of the comic's ending, despite that not being what happened on the page. "So, we wanted to craft a villain who would deserve this, but we also wanted Kara to really care about preserving Ruthye’s innocence, and to feel like she could take on [killing him], that she could be the one to bring justice to this man, and do it without burdening this child."
These comments have kicked open something of a hornet's nest on social media, but it seems Supergirl's actions will feed into where her story goes next in the DCU.
"I also find it really interesting because it means she has her own moral compass going forward," Nogueira teased. "One that is separate from what Superman’s famous moral compass is: that he never takes a life. It’s really exciting to see."
"I have no idea what happens between the two of them in 'Man of Tomorrow,' that’s above my pay grade," she continued. "But it’s really exciting to think about them going forward and having these different viewpoints on how you deal with villains."
Agree or disagree with Nogueira's take on Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow's ending, it's clear that had the writer perceived it as King intended, Supergirl would likely have played out very differently. However, we know from director Craig Gillespie that this was something James Gunn was also "adamant" about happening in the movie.
Tom King works at DC Studios, writing the animated Mister Miracle TV series and the upcoming Lanterns show on HBO. Why no one ever asked him about this isn't clear.
Supergirl is now playing in theaters.