Superman has saved the world as a symbol of hope, and Wonder Woman as a symbol of justice. But "Supergirl" takes a slightly different path. Rather than a heroic tale of toppling absolute evil, the film focuses on the belief that one can ultimately choose a good nature even in the face of vengeance, and on the growth leading up to that choice—completing a narrative that sets it apart from existing superhero films.
The film opens with Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock) repeatedly drinking, listening to music, falling asleep and waking again, like someone who has lost the will to live. Kara is the very girl who appeared staggering as if drunk in last year's "Superman," roughly expressing her gratitude to her cousin Superman (David Corenswet).
On the day the planet Krypton exploded, Kara was sent to Earth by her parents along with her dog Krypto. For Kara, who lost her parents, Krypto is the last remaining family and friend, the only being that connects her to her own world.
Then one day, Lucy (Eve Ridley), who lost her parents to Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts), the leader of a pirate band, comes to Kara asking for help with her revenge. Caught up in this unexpected event, Kara eventually sets out on a journey with Lucy.
In this way, Kara is not a righteous hero from the start. Even at Lucy's request to take revenge on Krem, who killed her parents, she cannot easily extend her hand. She is an utterly ordinary girl, burdened enough by her own wounds to take on all the injustice in the world.
But when Krem shoots Krypto with a poison dart, Kara moves. The time to find an antidote is just 72 hours—the span of the moon rising and setting three times. Not to save the world, but to protect a single precious being, she throws herself into danger. The film locates a hero's starting point not in a grand sense of mission, but in the desire to protect someone to the very end.
As they travel together, Kara and Lucy gradually influence each other. Lucy, who had made revenge her only reason to live, learns through Kara that another choice is possible, and Kara too, in the process of reaching out for others, finally grows into a true hero. Rather than the story of a single hero saving the world, the film casts a warm gaze on the process of two girls holding onto each other and growing together.
And the film leaves its most important question until the very end. After bringing down Krem, Lucy finally faces the killer of her parents. It is the moment she can end the revenge she has long harbored. But Kara stands in her way. She knows that revenge cannot bring back her parents, and that hatred only breeds more hatred.
Harder than toppling evil is not losing one's own goodness in the face of evil. It is precisely in this scene that "Supergirl" diverges from existing superhero films. Kara became a hero not because she defeated an enemy, but because she ultimately chose goodness.
That choice transforms Lucy as well. The girl for whom revenge was everything chooses her future life instead of hatred, and Kara, by protecting that Lucy, proves her own conviction. In the end, the heroism the film speaks of lies not in strong power, but in the heart that seeks to save others and not lose oneself either.
In particular, the process by which Kara and Lucy realize the goodness within themselves recalls the "good will" spoken of by the philosopher Immanuel Kant. It is the will to choose good not for results or rewards, but because it is right. "Supergirl" does not unpack this philosophy through grandiose explanation. It simply shows, with restraint, the two girls realizing and practicing good will through each other.
So after watching this film, one realizes that Supergirl is not simply a "female version of Superman." If Superman symbolized hope and Wonder Woman symbolized justice, Supergirl is a hero who symbolizes goodwill. The heart that seeks to save others, the courage to choose life over revenge, the conviction to choose solidarity over hatred. The film believes that such goodwill ultimately awakens the goodness in another person.
Above all, what makes "Supergirl" special is that it unravels this entire story through the eyes of a "girl." The process by which a girl who wavers, gets wounded, and feels fear—rather than a perfect hero—ultimately chooses not to lose her own goodness delivers a resonance not easily found in existing superhero films.
So "Supergirl" can be called a cheer for girls who choose goodness in the end. And that cheer is also directed at everyone who ultimately chooses goodness, even if they waver at every moment.
"Supergirl," the second DC Universe film presented by DC Studios—headed by director James Gunn, who directed "The Suicide Squad" (2021)—following "Superman," is rich in spectacle as well as a coming-of-age narrative.
The visuals, drawing on retro colors and an analog sensibility, evoke a warm atmosphere like a fantasy fairy tale even while set against the vast backdrop of space. Added to this, the distinctive creatures rarely seen in DC films so far capture the eye with their cute charm rather than as threatening beings. In particular, the heat vision bursting from Kara's eyes at the moment she realizes her goodwill and awakens to her true power, along with the dynamic action, deliver a thrilling catharsis, satisfying both the emotional coming-of-age narrative and the exhilaration of a superhero blockbuster.
