Supergirl Is ‘Woman of Tomorrow Plus Lobo,’ and Will Further Clarify ‘What the House of El Is All About,’ Zor-El Actor Teases

We don’t know much about the next DC Universe movie, Supergirl, but one of its actors has discussed in vague terms what it’s aiming to achieve, and teased that it will clarify the House of El business this year’s Superman set up.

Warning! Spoilers for Superman follow:

DCU kickstarter Superman switches up the established Superman origin story to present his parents, Jor-El and Lara, as villains of a sort. As Superman learns over the course of the events of the movie, his parents had sent him to Earth not to protect humanity, but to rule over it — a revelation that sends Kal-El spiraling for a time.

Some Superman fans were so shocked by this twist on the characters’ motivations that they have speculated that DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn plans to either retcon this plot point, or eventually show the message upon which it is based to be fake or misleading. Gunn has denied this.

Supergirl, however, promises to continue the House of El subplot when it launches June 26, 2026. It will see Milly Alcock’s Kara Zor-El, fresh from her drunken cameo at the end of Superman, celebrate her 21st birthday by traveling across the galaxy with her dog, Krypto. We know Lobo is in the movie, played by Jason Momoa. But we know little else.

David Krumholtz (Bernard in The Santa Clause franchise), plays Zor-El, Supergirl’s father, and in a recent interview with Nerdtropolis he was of course asked if he could say anything about the movie. Responding, Krumholtz kept his cards close to his chest, but teased a couple of things: Supergirl will closely follow the Woman of Tomorrow comic book, and it will act as the “next piece of telling the story of Krypton, and sort of further clarifying what the House of El is all about.”

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“It’s very true to the graphic novel that it’s based on, Woman of Tomorrow,” Krumholtz said. “Very true, which is great. Plus Lobo, which I can say. Everybody knows that Jason Momoa is playing Lobo in it. So it’s that comic plus Lobo. What else can I say? I can’t say much, man.

“I’ll just say that I’m thrilled to be sort of the next piece of telling the story of Krypton, and sort of further clarifying what the House of El is all about.”

Supergirl Cast and Characters: Who’s Confirmed for the DCU Movie?

Let’s start with Woman of Tomorrow. Supergirl the movie is based on Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s comic, which features a very different Supergirl than audiences are perhaps accustomed to. In July, Gunn said the DC Universe version of Supergirl is “a total mess.

As revealed in Superman, Supergirl got drunk on a planet bathed in the light of a red sun (it’s impossible for Superman or any Kryptonian to get drunk on Earth due to the empowering effects of our yellow sun). But beyond this, clearly Supergirl is suffering from mental health issues that are driving her to drink, the result of a very different upbringing compared to her cousin’s.

“I mean, I think as we learn, she’s had a completely different background from Superman,” Gunn continued. “A much more difficult background. He’s had this wonderful upbringing by these two parents that loved him and were very healthy. And her background was much different than that. And she’s ended up different than her cousin.”

“In our story, we have Superman who was sent to Earth and raised by incredibly loving parents,” Gunn has explained. “Kara was on Krypton. She was on a piece of Krypton that drifted away from the planet and she lived there for the first 14 years of her life in a horrible situation where she watched everyone around her die. So, she’s a much harsher and more f*cked up Supergirl than you’ve been used to thus far.”

Recently, Gunn has called Supergirl a “space fantasy” — and said it will have a different tone than Superman. It’s more like Gunn’s own Guardians of the Galaxy, he’s said. For more, check out IGN’s article, Superman Introduces the Girl of Steel: Here’s Why This Version of Supergirl Is So Different.

But we should also talk about Krumholtz’s comments about the House of El. Perhaps we’ll get further insight into why Superman’s parents did what they did, or maybe even some revelations about the fate of Krypton itself. Will David Corenswet reprise his role as Superman for a cameo in Supergirl? Certainly a battle with Lobo sounds like a lot of fun.

Supergirl isn’t the only DCU movie out next year. Fans also have Clayface to look forward to, as well as HBO Max TV show Lanterns. Then, moving into 2027, we have Superman follow-up Man of Tomorrow.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.