Kara Zor-El stumbles into DC's new Supergirl film in a state of profound disrepair. She's drunk, traumatized, isolated with only a superpowered dog for company, and utterly unlike any female superhero audiences have encountered on the big screen. Milly Alcock plays her as a captivating wreck, and the performance is nothing short of exceptional.
The character works because she breaks the mold. Where Superman is the ultimate Boy Scout, his cousin Kara arrived on Earth broken by loss and spent years dissociating through alcohol, self-imposed exile, and abandonment. She's unconventional, messy, and deeply human beneath the superhuman strength. Alcock commits fully to this chaos, delivering what may be the edgiest, most relatable female superhero portrayal yet filmed.
The problem is that the film itself doesn't always deserve her. While Alcock commands attention whenever she's onscreen, the narrative pivots away from her internal struggle toward Ruthye, a revenge-driven girl played by Eve Ridley. That character's arc gets the screen time and development that Kara's fractured psyche desperately needs. The movie has plenty of explosions and CGI spectacle, but it sidesteps the meaningful exploration of why Kara became so self-destructive in the first place. Even Jason Momoa's Lobo feels wasted in the margins.
It's frustrating because the raw material is there. Alcock is bursting off the screen with a performance that commands a richer, grittier story. She carries the film on her shoulders and saves it from squandering what could have been one of DC's most original entries. In fleeting moments, glimpses of that potential shine through, but they're scattered among standard superhero fare.
Both Alcock and screenwriter Ana Nogueira spoke about their vision for the character. Nogueira drew inspiration from Tom King's comic run, which canonically established Kara's rougher edge. For her, the grittiness wasn't gratuitous. It was logical. Having endured catastrophic loss and then landing on a planet with the golden-boy ideal of heroism, instability follows. The approach felt true to character rather than grim for its own sake.
What surprised both creators was how much this version of Supergirl would resonate with young women. Alcock noted that she wanted to see a character like this when she was younger, disheveled and imperfect and still heroic. Nogueira was equally direct: the moment she saw the costume design featuring the worn trench and blonde hair, she imagined her 16-year-old self losing her mind over it. There are plenty of iconic female superheroes on screen now, but this one feels different. Where audiences might aspire to be Wonder Woman or Black Widow, this Supergirl reminds people of themselves.
Alcock's favorite aspect of playing Kara was the civilian wardrobe itself, particularly that battered trench coat, likely the only piece of clothing she owns. Putting it on gave Alcock clarity about who Kara was and how she wanted to move through the world: unseen, worn, disheveled, and deliberately neglected. Nogueira noted the coat probably smells bad too, given the state of Kara's ship. It's a small detail that speaks volumes about the character's state of mind.
Supergirl lands in theaters Friday. The movie stumbles when it takes its focus off the woman at its center, but Alcock's performance makes it worth your time regardless. In a crowded DC landscape, her take on a broken superhero trying to matter is the real draw.
Author Jessica Williams: "Alcock deserves a sequel that actually commits to her character's complexity instead of sidelining her for a revenge subplot."
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