Ahead Of Supergirl's Release, DC's New Superman Project Is Dominating HBO Max

With Milly Alcock's live-action Supergirl film just a week away, DC's newest Superman project has been dominating HBO Max's streaming charts. The second film in James Gunn's DCU, Supergirl, is set to premiere on June 26. As the release date quickly approaches and new trailers for Supergirl have been released, we've learned that the movie will send Kara Zor-El on an interstellar mission to save her dog, Krypto, and encounter Jason Momoa's Lobo.

There's a lot to be excited about with Supergirl, but Kara isn't the only Kryptonian in the spotlight right now. David Corenswet's Superman is set to appear in Supergirl, but he also has his own show that's doing exceptionally well on HBO Max: My Adventures with Superman. The animated series is a standalone story separate from the DCU that sees Clark Kent go on various family-friendly adventures around Metropolis with Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Kara Zor-El.

My Adventures with Superman season 3 premiered on Adult Swim on June 13, with episodes releasing the next day on HBO Max. This newest season is an adaptation of the comic series "Reign of the Supermen," which saw four new characters all with the same powers as Superman appear in Metropolis following his battle with Apocalypse. It's one of the most acclaimed Superman stories ever written, and while My Adventures with Superman has made some changes, its source material is clearly still a hit with viewers.

My Adventures With Superman Season 3 Has Been Trending On HBO Max For Weeks

According to FlixPatrol, My Adventures with Superman season 3 has been trending on HBO Max's streaming charts since it premiered on June 13. It's currently the ninth most popular show on the streaming service at the time of writing, sitting behind recently released shows like House of the Dragon season 3, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and Rick and Morty. It's also the only DC project currently in HBO Max's top 10 movies or shows.

My Adventures with Superman's streaming popularity is noteworthy for a few reasons. As previously mentioned, the show actually broadcasts on Adult Swim first, meaning all the traffic it has accumulated on HBO Max is coming at least a day after the episode premieres. Additionally, My Adventures with Superman is geared towards younger audiences, in stark contrast to other, more mature, top-performing HBO Max shows like A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and Euphoria.

My Adventures with Superman is also just one of three animated shows in HBO Max's top 10 list, alongside Rick and Morty and Regular Show: The Lost Tapes. On top of it all, My Adventures with Superman isn't actually part of the DCU, meaning it has gained a large audience base through Superman's individual appeal and the quality of its story alone. It's remarkable that My Adventures with Superman is doing as well as it is.

My Adventures With Superman Proves Superman & Supergirl Are Great Foundations For The DCU

While My Adventures with Superman isn't part of James Gunn's DCU, it is a great sign for the franchise. The fact that My Adventures with Superman, which has had Kara Zor-El as a character since season 2, is so popular is proof that Superman and Supergirl are great foundations for the DCU. They're the subjects of the first two DCU movies, and it appears that James Gunn chose correctly in letting them kickstart the franchise instead of other heroes.

As previously mentioned, My Adventures with Superman has gotten most of its popularity on its own merits. The story of Clark and Kara clearly still resonates with audiences even without the branding, budget, or promotion of mainline DCU stories. The show has half as many advantages as a summer blockbuster like Supergirl, yet it has found surprising success on streaming. It's a great sign for Supergirl just a week ahead of its release and the DCU's popularity as a whole.

My Adventures with Superman also somewhat justifies the decision to make Supergirl the second DCU movie. Superman was a natural choice for the franchise's first film, as he's the poster boy of DC and superheroes as a whole. James Gunn, however, could have made the second film about much more popular characters than Supergirl, such as Batman, Wonder Woman, or Green Lantern. It was a gamble to focus on Supergirl, but My Adventures with Superman is an early hint that this gamble will pay off.