Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is one of the first movies announced for the new DC Universe from DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran, and it has a lot to gain from the comic book.
The first phase of DC’s movies, TV, and animated projects is called DC Universe Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, and will span roughly ten years. Supergirl’s entry on this list signifies that she’s going to play a significant role. Although there hasn’t been much information about the movie, it’s been described as having a different type of Supergirl and the story will be a big, sci-fi epic. Although the character has had success on The CW, this portrayal of Supergirl was a departure from her comic book incarnation. The Kara in the movie will have been raised on a chunk of Krypton and had to watch everyone around her perish. The event is impactful and shapes her view of life from that point onward.
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow has a lot of potential, but it will also need to avoid some things for the story to really take flight.
The comic book story
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow was nominated for the Best Limited Series Eisner Award, and the story is a very personal journey for the Woman of Steel. She meets an alien girl named Ruthye whose father was killed by Krem of the Yellow Hills, a kingsagent who committed the act on Ruthye’s father on his own land. Supergirl confronts the man, but without the power of the yellow sun, Krem gets away and injures Krypto the Superdog. Now it’s personal. Supergirl agrees to join Ruthye on the search for Krem, and the alien girl has to decide whether she will exact vengeance, or choose mercy. The plot itself is marvelous, and provides ample room to fully explore Supergirl’s personality and how she defines herself in this challenging adventure across the cosmos.
Supergirl with attitude
Supergirl shouldn’t be a Superman clone. Some people might be under the impression that Kara Zor-El is as clumsily dorky as Clark Kent, or as wholesome, and neither are the case. She’s from the Krypton City Argo, and unlike her cousin, she was much older by the time she went to Earth, meaning her personality was already formed. Kara was raised much differently than Clark, temperamentally-speaking, she’s much quicker to anger. She oftentimes struggles with going too far when it comes to dealing with bad guys and has to work to pull herself back, and this needs to be included in the movie.
Issue three is one of the best demonstrations of Supergirl’s unmitigated passion. Supergirl and Ruthye go to the planet Maypole, which was known for its modesty and quietude until its sins were uncovered. They speak to a lawman about looking into planetary records to find Klem, but they’re disregarded and sent away. But, Supergirl being Supergirl, will not give up so easily. As they travel around Maypole, Supergirl and Ruthye learn that the area is divided between blue and purple inhabitants, and Supergirl starts asking questions about where the missing purple beings are. Supergirl scans the perimeter of Maypole and the land outside of the city, and finds a big sign that reads “Purpletown,” and then finds their dead bodies. She returns to the lawman from before and brings what was hidden to light, and this perfectly sums up Supergirl.
No Superman
We all love Superman, but that doesn’t mean he should be included in Supergirl’s movie. It’s better to allow her to stand on her own and not so much in the shadow of her cousin — at least not in the more-obvious way. Supergirl shouldn’t be worried about living up to her incredibly popular super-cousin, though it would be interesting to see her a little more lost because she wasn’t able to complete her main objective, which was to be Kal-El’s protector. Superman can still have a presence, and they should follow the comic book when it comes to this. The symbol Supergirl proudly wears is a powerful emblem across various galaxies. To some, it inspires hope, but others have their own grudges against Superman. Supergirl can handle herself, though, and it never gets old watching her nonchalantly wipe the floor with people who think they can work out their anger on Kal-El on her, only to face embarrassment when she handily deals with them.
The sci-fi landscape
The best part of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is the absolutely stunning art from Evely. She brings so many different worlds to life, with fantastical landscapes that will have your eyes feasting with every turn of the page. The lively colors of Matheus Lopes make these scenes pop and further pulls you into these worlds of wonder. Overall the art is majestic and captures the mood of the story perfectly, and the emotionality of the characters is crystal clear.
The art merits being recreated as closely as possible for the live-action movie. This very well could be the most important aspect of it all. There’s a tendency to go darker for these superhero movies, to deviate from the tone too dramatically, but in this case, it’s crucial to keep the magic that makes this book such a beautiful read. Comic book artists are storytellers, with input just as important as the writers’, and it’s crucial that the work that Evely and Lopes have done is used for the movie.
All the different worlds and creatures
The limited series is a tried-and-true adventure story, and that’s what makes it so enthralling. It starts at Ruthye’s rock farm on the planet Parnatt, and the duo visits Escalm’s moon Incolm, the planet Tilluis, and many more all in their intergalactic search for Krem. Along the way, they encounter creatures like the Karapne Dragon, different alien species, and monsters who threaten their lives. There’s even a flying horse named Comet who’s actually a man that’s been cursed. All of this adds to the experience, and makes this story feel like a real science fiction adventure. There’s no real need to see the Earth all that much except for in flashbacks. The audience already knows what Earth is like and keeping everything so alien makes it all feel fresh and new.
It would be opportune to show Argo City, however. A short segment that shows Kara’s life on her home planet before she came to Earth would be ideal to flesh out her arc. This will help people understand why, exactly, she’s so different from Superman. Kal-El doesn’t have many memories from Krypton, since he left as a mere baby. He mostly uses the remaining records in his Fortress of Solitude to gain a connection to them. For Kara, Krypton feels like it existed just yesterday, and she needs to carry that burden throughout the story.
Supergirl needs the spotlight
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is a wonderful story, but in many ways, it’s more about Ruthye than Supergirl. It starts with the alien girl, and she narrates the story. The reader doesn’t get all that much from Supergirl’s perspective, and that creates some distance that can be easily rectified by placing Supergirl in the forefront. While Ruthye’s commentary on her is an interesting device and helps Ruthye grow as a character, Supergirl’s character arc isn’t as clear. Supergirl is somewhat of a mentor to Ruthye, showing her the right way (her right way) through example.
At the end, Supergirl reveals that she lied about needing Ruthye, and about having to keep Krem alive because he knows about the poison that will save her beloved dog; in truth, it’s because of Ruthye’s stubbornness, and her need to learn from Supergirl’s actions, because words wouldn’t work. In trying to teach her a lesson, Supergirl realizes she couldn’t teach her because she herself hasn’t moved on from Krypton. It’s a nice twist, but it’s retroactive. It’s better to know what Supergirl’s intentions are from the start so that growth can be charted throughout the story, not at the very end when it’s already over. This film iteration should be about the Maid of Might.
The villain should be Lobo
Krem is a fine villain for Ruthye, but the ante needs to be upped for Kara, and the bounty hunter known as Lobo should the main villain. Lobo can be brought in with minimal changes to the story; all that would be required is a reason for him to have killed Ruthye’s father. With Lobo sorted, the final confrontation can end in a more climactic fashion where Supergirl has to take him down. It can also set Lobo up for his own movie or series, since the fans are hankering for the Main Main to join this new DC Universe.
The movie should still include the Barbonds Brigands, though. They’re an unholy gathering of men who enjoy the slaughter of others with every breath they’re allowed. They go from planet to planet terrorizing everyone in their path, and they’re the ones who carried out the genocide of the purple population on Maypole. Lobo could be with them for extra protection (and canon fodder). Watching Supergirl bring down the spacefaring Bonnie Ship Charlie on the big screen would be exceptionally gratifying.