With Henry Cavill having apparently hung up his cape and departed the DCEU, all eyes have fallen on Warner Bros.’ Supergirl. Currently in the early stages of development (with Oren Uziel on script duties), the movie will feature Kara Zor-El who, in Superman’s absence, will be the Kryptonian standard-bearer on Earth for at least a couple of years. Now, we’re hearing an interesting tidbit that the film may be envisaged as a period piece, with Kara growing up as a teenager in the 1970s.
Obviously, this is a very early rumor, but if true, it’d neatly sidestep the pic’s glaring Man of Steel problem. The last Supergirl movie claimed that the Christopher Reeve Superman wasn’t around as he was on a peace keeping mission in another galaxy – very convenient, right? While traditionally portrayed as Kal-El’s younger and less experienced cousin, Kara has always been chronologically the older of the pair, having left Krypton prior to its destruction. However, due to wormholes and weird space stuff, her stories generally show her arriving on an Earth where Superman’s already established.
Of course, her coming to Earth and becoming a superhero (presumably in her classic costume) in the 1970s raises a whole load of other awkward questions. Man of Steel, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League are all predicated on how the Earth has changed in response to Superman’s arrival, with the films going out of their way to philosophize on the impact of invulnerable gods from the sky. It’d be a bit strange if there’d actually been another Kryptonian in an almost identical costume kicking around in the 70s that everyone just kind of forget about, don’t you think?
Still, if this were to pan out, Supergirl would sit nicely alongside Wonder Woman 1984 as a DCEU period piece, as well as complimenting what Marvel Studios are doing with the 1990s set Captain Marvel early next year. If you’re doing superhero period pieces, though, when can I expect my Fantastic Four movie set in the 1960s? Make it happen, Marvel!