Milly Alcock Will Officially Return To James Gunn's DCU Despite Supergirl's Box Office

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Supergirl.Though the Supergirl movie is underperforming at the box office, Milly Alcock's Kara Zor-El is already set to return for another movie in James Gunn's DCU. Despite being an adaptation of the renowned "Woman of Tomorrow" comic by Tom King and Bilquis Evely, Supergirl has been a disappointment so far. Reviews for Supergirl are very mixed, earning just 54% on Rotten Tomatoes, and the movie only earned just over $60 million in its opening weekend against a budget of $170 million.

It's early yet, but Supergirl is currently on track to lose $100 million after accounting for marketing costs. As the DCU's second film after 2025's Superman, it's a big misstep early on in the franchise's run. There are a number of reasons why Supergirl underperformed, from the character herself's relative lack of popularity to competition from Toy Story 5 and general superhero genre fatigue.

Even with Supergirl's box office and review woes, Milly Alcock's character isn't done yet. Kara Zor-El likely won't be getting another solo film anytime soon thanks to the film's subpar earnings and reviews. However, thanks to Superman's appearance at the end of Supergirl and the interconnected nature of the DCU, Supergirl will officially return in a different DCU movie.

Milly Alcock's Supergirl Is Set To Appear In 2027's Man of Tomorrow

Supergirl will officially appear in the next Superman movie, Man of Tomorrow, which is set for a July 2027 release date. Milly Alcock recently confirmed that she'll be in Man of Tomorrow, and executive producer Lars P. Winther even hinted that Supergirl would be returning for a third DCU movie after that. It's not clear exactly what kind of role Supergirl will play in Man of Tomorrow yet, as the film's details are sparse so far, but she'll certainly be helping Superman battle against Brainiac in some capacity.

That confirmation also coincides with the ending of Supergirl. The movie starts with Kara avoiding Clark and celebrating her birthday in the far reaches of outer space, with her even saying that Earth isn't her home. By the end of the film, however, Kara returns to Earth and tells Clark that she wants to stay around longer and start building a home there. Clearly, by Man of Tomorrow, she'll be an established presence on Earth.

Winthers' comments also suggest that Man of Tomorrow is far from the last time Supergirl will pop up in the DCU. By all accounts, Kara Zor-El is shaping up to be a fixture of the franchise and a core member of its roster of superheroes and, eventually, the Justice League. Supergirl's box office woes clearly haven't discouraged James Gunn from making her a figurehead of the DCU as a whole.

Supergirl's Return Is One Of The Biggest Advantages Of A Franchise Like The DCU

The confirmation that Milly Alcock will be returning as Supergirl in Man of Tomorrow and beyond is great news for the DCU. While Supergirl as a whole underperformed, Alcock was almost universally praised for her performance. She's a great Kara Zor-El and the growth and development she went through in the movie was one of its highlights. Her story deserved to continue; luckily, Man of Tomorrow is letting it continue.

Alcock's return is also an example of one of the biggest advantages of having a shared universe and franchise like the DCU. Even when a movie underperforms, its characters don't have to vanish. If Supergirl was a standalone movie, we'd likely never see Alcock play the role again. Since it's part of the DCU, however, characters that work and resonate with audiences like Supergirl don't have to be dictated by box office earnings.

This decision to keep Supergirl around also has a proven track record. Some of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's best characters, for example, started off in poorly performing movies only to become fixtures of the franchise. The Incredible Hulk was a major box office flop, yet the Hulk is a cornerstone of the MCU 18 years later. With any luck, Milly Alcock's character will have the same trajectory despite Supergirl's performance.