Supergirl’s cameo in the last scenes of Superman is one of the more fun parts of the DC movie – but, in retrospect, I’ve realized Kara’s powers make her debut significantly sadder. Superman‘s ending contains a lot of fascinating moments, but the arrival of Clark’s cousin, Milly Alcock’s Kara Zor-El, is undeniably one of its most important.

Supergirl rocks up to the Fortress of Solitude to play-fight with Krypto, casually thanks Superman for looking after her dog – seemingly with no idea that Clark almost died to rescue him – and then waltzes off back to space after throwing an affectionate insult Kal-El’s way. However, the story behind Supergirl’s powers makes this far less casual than it seems.

Supergirl’s Backstory Adds A Sadder Reason For Her & Krypto’s Superman Scene

Supergirl appearing to carelessly wrestle with Krypto and demonstrate their super-powered strength is made into a comedic part of Superman‘s ending. Though there are more layers to it than that, it makes sense that this quick glimpse is how Supergirl debuts in the 2025 film and how the DCU sets up her own upcoming solo movie in 2026.

That said, it’s worth keeping in mind that, unlike her cousin, Kara has seemingly not spent her entire life with superpowers, and has thus not quite grown as accustomed to them. Conventionally, Kryptonians don’t have the range of impressive superpowers they display on Earth while on Krypton, being given a healthy boost to their skillset by Earth’s sun.

This appears to be the same for the DCU given that Superman mentions his cousin has been going to planets with red suns in order to party, since Kryptonians can’t get drunk on planets with the yellow suns that give them these powers. As such, it seems Kara spent her years on Krypton without the superhuman skills she has now.

As such, what Kal-El sees as reckless roughhousing is likely Kara enjoying playing with one of the few living beings that she can safely use her full powers around. Conceptually, the idea of Supergirl having to learn how to use her powers after spending her whole life as “normal” sounds potentially harrowing for her, and may explain a lot.

Superman’s Introduction Does A Great Job Of Subtly Setting Up Supergirl

Superman‘s Supergirl introduction works well to simultaneously show that Kara is a powerful character, an easily comedic character, and – if you look at the right angle – a deeply tragic character. While Clark spends Superman dealing with the realization he didn’t know his Kryptonian parents like he thought, Kara has to deal with leaving the entire of Krypton behind.

Though having superpowers sounds cool, the prospect of having to learn how to use them later in life lest you accidentally hurt or kill someone – or yourself – certainly sounds challenging, especially right after the destruction and death of almost everyone you ever loved. As such, it’s likely there’s more to Kara’s space adventures than just a thirst for partying.

Superman and Supergirl’s brief interaction also teases their current dynamic in the DC Universe timeline well. It’s clear they care for one another – as Kara trusts Clark with her beloved dog, and Superman risks his life for Krypto – but also that they don’t necessarily understand one another yet, especially since their lives have been so different.

It’s unclear if Superman will show up in 2026’s Supergirl. Given the comic the movie draws from is focused deep in space, it would make sense if Kal-El ends up being absent. However, whatever the case is, Superman‘s ending and its tease of Kara’s story does a great job of setting up the relationship between the two for further exploration.

Supergirl’s DCU Debut Is Likely To Look Very Different After Her 2026 Movie

If there’s one thing James Gunn’s superhero stories are good at doing, it’s having a joke or throwaway moment that is heart-wrenching on a repeat viewing down the line. While the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy is borderline famous for this type of story move, even The Suicide Squad‘s Weasel gets a tragic backstory in Creature Commandos.

Given this track record, it doesn’t seem all that surprising that Supergirl’s DCU story appears to be set up for the same trajectory. Supergirl‘s source material – Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow – is a deeply tragic look at Kara’s history, and one that makes her chaotic cameo look like perhaps a bit of a cry for help.

If Supergirl also includes the comic’s look at Kara’s experience of the last days of Krypton – and of her struggles dealing with the trauma of it – it’s basically a certain thing that her Superman cameo will look very different. Knowing what drives Supergirl to leave Earth – and leave Krypto with her cousin – seems to drastically change her motives.

Though only time will tell how far Supergirl chooses to go with adapting the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, it seems the hero’s story is set for some drastic developments in the next year. Hopefully, the DCU movie also adapts Kara beginning to overcome the demons of her past, and shows a different side of her compared to her Superman cameo.