The 2026 summer blockbuster season is already looking very impressive, with films like Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, and plenty of other exciting new titles making their way to the big screen. Among the heavy-hitters and highly anticipated sequels is the second film from DC Studios, Supergirl. Directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueira, the movie will continue building off the foundations established by James Gunn with his previous film Superman, along with the television projects he created, Peacemaker and Creature Commandos. Given that this is the first film in the DCU created by another filmmaker, expectations are high.
Now, a new first look image via USA Today has been released, giving fans a new look at Supergirl, played by Milly Alcock. The actor is best known for playing Rhaenyra Targaryen in the HBO series House of the Dragon Rhaenyra Targaryen, making Kara Zor-El her breakout role in a feature film. The first trailer for the movie, which released a month ago, already set a much different tone than Gunn’s Superman, promising a grittier and more science-fiction-leaning story that looks to be primarily set away from earth, exploring the cosmos of the new DC Universe.
This latest image reflects that new focus, depicting Supergirl in what looks to be a spaceship. Interestingly, much of the first trailer for the film depicted Supergirl outside of her costume, only briefly showing her in the blue and red suit towards the end of the trailer. Gunn has already established that Kara had a much different upbringing than David Corenswet’s Clark Kent, which would explain why the character is less inclined to wear a suit that symbolizes her past life on Krypton. Whatever the case is, this latest image exudes an exciting new tone for the film and reinforces that this is a different kind of story than what Gunn did with Superman.
‘Supergirl’ Is Just One of Three Big Projects for DC Studios in 2026
Milly Alcock in ‘Supergir’Warner Bros.
Milly Alcock has a bright future ahead of her as Supergirl in the DCU. The character has already made waves thanks to her brief cameo at the end of Superman, and the exploration of a Kryptonian with a darker side will undoubtedly be the highlight of Craig Gillespie’s upcoming movie. It’s already been confirmed that James Gunn’s next DCU movie, Man of Tomorrow, will feature the return of David Corenswet as Superman and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, presumably teaming up against Brainiac. So, there might be a chance that Alcock’s Supergirl also returns to take on the alien threat.
2026 is set to be a big year for DC Studios, which not only has Supergirl releasing in the summer, but also a new television show and another feature film. Lanterns is the next series set to be released on HBO in mid-2026, and James Watkins’ movie Clayface (from a script written by Mike Flanagan) will also be hitting theaters on September 11, 2026. With a movie featuring a Kryptonian superhero and another focusing on a grotesque Batman villain, the first chapter in Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU, Gods and Monsters, is certainly living up to its name.