Pick of the Brown Bag
June 26, 2026
by
Ray Tate
by
Ray Tate
Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow is a good movie with moments of greatness, and Milly Alcock is a great Supergirl. Keep in mind. I'm not comparing her to Helen Slater, Laura Vandervoort, Melissa Benoist, nor Sasha Calle. The Powers That Be never picked a mediocre Supergirl. All these talented actresses did justice to the part. They all brought something interesting to the role and never betrayed Kara Zor-El. Milly is the latest actress to imbue Supergirl with dignity.
Woman of Tomorrow is loosely based upon Tom King's and Bilquis Evely's outstanding work of the same name.
Both projects are grounded in True Grit ; with Supergirl taking the place of Rooster Cogburn. Kara being a helluva lot more powerful not to mention much comelier.
Neither the book nor the movie are remakes. Rather, True Grit serves as a vault to launch original ideas. Furthermore, there's enough deviation in the Supergirl script to give honest credit to screenwriter: Ana Nogueira.
The film starts out faithfully. Supergirl bases herself on a red sun world to celebrate her birthday. She's twenty-three. Twenty-one in the book. However in the film there's a darker undercurrent to the celebration that her cousin Superman has intuited. Self-destruction. He even voices concern that he's afraid; someday Kara won't be coming back. Scenes in Argo City depict Kara wanting to die with her parents. She appears not to have lost that survivor's guilt. Trouble is. She's practically unkillable.
As with King's and Evely's work, Kara finds a bar and in that bar meets Ruthye. In the movie, Ruthye is the last survivor of her family. All murdered by the cowardly Krem. Krem only kills her father in the book.
Ruthye seeks a mercenary to hunt down the killer. She offers her father's finest crafted sword as payment. In the movie, Ruthye's father is a sword-smith.
Already the filmmakers create the streamlining you expect from an adaptation. Krem isn't just known to the Brigands, which Evely and King introduce later in the series. In the film, he's the leader of the Brigands.
It's a classic case of seeing things with fresh eyes. Why do the Brigands visit Ruthye's world. For weapons crafted by her father. He gives them all the weapons. Krem murders Ruthye's family anyway because the frog cannot trust the scorpion. Plain and simple, Krem likes to murder people.
Ruthye's loss parallels with Kara's loss, yet they do not become fast friends.
Kara as with King's/Evely's graphic collection interferes when an alien steals Ruthye's sword. In the book, it's an art nouveau Conan.
In the movie, it's an alien's alien. The film designers drop Bilquis Evely's belle époque style. They instead opt for a dystopian future depicted in many a European comic strip.
The shiny optimism of the Legion of Super-Heroes cannot be found in the backdrop. Sure there are wonders in our eyes, but they have fallen into the grime and soot of industrial commonplace.
Supergirl, a bright and shiny penny, drops into the deep inky well and creates unexpectedly violent ripples.
Krem very likely could not believe Kara chased him through the galaxy, found him and beat the snot out of him. Nor like Calvera from The Magnificent Seven could he possibly fathom why. Krem is not a complex villain, but he does possess raw cunning, a band of ugly followers and a multitude of weaponry. He also wields fear over the planets he and the Brigands sully.
For many comic book readers, reason is seldom explored. We don't ask why Supergirl interferes. She is Supergirl. That's enough of an answer for people who imbibed her adventures for a lifetime. The film nevertheless offers the root of Kara's rationale. Kara carries her dying mother's words with her. "You don't have to be nice. You do have to be good."
For these reasons Kara is less "light-hearted," a perfect description from the film, than her cousin Kal-El. It's rather surprising that the gravitas of the voice-over line prominent in the trailer "My cousin sees the good in everybody. I see the truth," is reduced to a blink and you may miss it conversation. I think the filmmakers made the right choice. Stylistically after building up that boom here is the difference between Kara and Kal-El, in context Supergirl really doesn't even think about it. She's not a speechmaker. If you're a villain, she's in your face.
Superman is so terrified of accidentally hurting someone, he instinctively holds back. Supergirl? Not so much.
All the way back to The Brave and the Bold #160
Despite being on a red sun planet, Supergirl is really tough. Her muscles evolved on a world with higher gravity. A yellow sun grants her godlike powers. A red sun reduces her strength, stamina, etc to original Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster levels of leaping over tall buildings in a single bound, and being able to deck aliens with only the consequence of a stinging hand. No invulnerability on a red sun world, but as I said. She's tough. She gets back up when getting knocked down.
In both book and movie, the girl knows how to fight and stubbornly survives everything thrown against her. She's furthermore confident she can win. This confidence vibrates from Milly Alcock's performance. She is confident she will win because of who she is, but she's not unmindful that she can lose.
Ruthye tries to convince Kara to hunt down Krem and help her dish out revenge. In the film and comic book series, Ruthye wants to kill Krem herself. She needs an experienced tracker and somebody that's capable of capturing Krem so she can deliver the coup-de-grace.
Kara tries to back out of being the hunter Ruthye needs. While eschewing the job, she receives unwanted visitors. Krem and the Brigands board Kara's boat. It's a simple scene but contains a lot of information. The Brigands approach Kara's vehicle from the opposite side. She can't hear them because the red sun reduces her senses to human level. Krypto catches sight of the Brigands and leaps to Supergirl's rescue. As with King's and Evely's terrific comic book series, a poisoned arrow fells the brave canine.
Supergirl still does not agree to Ruthye's demands. In the book Ruthye and Supergirl quickly join forces. Mostly because Kara doesn't want Ruthye to be killed.
In the movie, Kara instead hunts Krem for the antidote by herself. Rather that's her intent. Ruthye boards the train (bus) and there's nothing Kara can do to stop it.
Surprisingly James Gunn, notable for his humorous approach chucked the comic moments that occur on the train in King's and Evely's work. Ana Nogueira and Gunn instead evolve their own humor during that juicy train robbery updated for science fiction.
Supergirl complies with the bandits for the most part but then sees an opportunity. Once again brimming with confidence that she can win, Kara takes on the train robbers in a memorable fight. All the fights in Supergirl are quick, good and different. I hate it when a prolonged fight and fights that differ by a razor's edge pad out a film.
Supergirl overcomes overwhelming odds, and soon has a lead to Krem and the Brigands. This is a needed departure. Woman of Tomorrow was a limited series that was collected. It's not truly a graphic novel. In the third issue for example, Kara visits a city of racism, exacerbated by the Brigands. In the fourth issue, Kara sees some of the Brigands' handiwork. Another issue details a magical trap Krem sets for Kara.
The series was naturally episodic. The movie is the more cohesive medium continuing the space western that began with issues one and two. King and Evely didn't drop the theme entirely, but they also overlapped other genres including the Untouchables era of corruption and swashbuckling moments of Kara fighting space-pirates that behave like pirates. They brought in Comet the Super-Horse from out of Supergirl lore. These elements are not in the film. I didn't expect to see them. However, it's a pity Gunn and Nogueira couldn't fit one particular moment from Woman of Tomorrow into the story.
I really like this scene. It represents a complexity in Kara's persona. Supergirl is at home anywhere in the universe. She can adapt to any world, and doesn't mind at all losing her godly sun gifts. Still, she's from a civilization. Civilized people wash their hands. It's an unspoken contract that says you care enough about yourself to not carry germs on your person, spread germs to others, nor infect your fellow citizens. None of this polish prevents her from grinding somebody that can take it into the ground. Supergirl is a woman of many facets.
Following the lead, Kara finds that the Brigands count child slavery in their trade. They steal humanoid female children to be sold as "brides." Sex slavery is a crime designed for a superhero to destroy. It's been on the plate of many a seventies exploitation film, and slavery unfortunately has never gone away. It's also a subject indicative of something you might find in a Judge Dredd comic book not a superhero story. However if you accept that comic books to a certain extent mimic reality, then neither Superman nor Supergirl would turn away when confronted with such crime. It's therefore a valid concern and certainly can be used as a subject in a superhero film.
Pitting Supergirl against such evil is notable. It's like the filmmakers are saying. The world is dangerous. It's not nice. What you're seeing on screen. That happened in the past, that happens in the present, it will happen in the future if we don't band together and stop it, but what if there was an alien superhero? Supergirl is the wish fulfillment juxtaposed against a real world terror that's disguised in science fiction darkness.
While on route to snatch the antidote and maybe let Ruthye have Krem, Supergirl discovers something horrible. She must therefore confront the horror and defeat it. Sure. I get it. The brides may insult your delicate sensibilities. Grow up. Get over it. Watch a hero succeed.
On the planet, Kara encounters Lobo portrayed perfectly by Jason Mamoa. Lobo is more of a known quantity than Supergirl. Even Supergirl knows of him. Lobo agrees with the evil universe Krem and the Brigands inhabit. Supergirl does not and should not. She's a visitor from a science fiction pulp novel. She's the drifter who comes into town, sees injustice and takes out the trash. She may hope that she dies in the process but nevertheless fights to live.
Supergirl's revelation as the last daughter of Krypton occurs during the aforementioned conversation between Ruthye and Kara. James Gunn and Ana Nogueira present the classic origin of Supergirl. They skip over nothing. The sci-fi forcefield that "saves" the city of Argo. The kryptonite poisoning emitting from the ground. They mention the lead lining that temporarily protects the citizens. They also include a happy addition of Krypto the pup meeting his mistress for the first time. Krypto is the one living thing that gives Kara Zor-El a brightness in a life that seems haunted by death. The death of her parents and Argo City, which survived Krypton, is the tonic that wakes Kara up to the universe's unkindness. Allows her to see the truth.
I would have liked to have seen the inclusion of Kara hammering lead plates into Argo City to stave off the Kryptonite radiation.
That scene from Evely's and King's series gives Kara a physicality before she gained her superpowers. It also helps forge her indomitable will. I'm fairly certain the filmmakers would have included it in the film if they had decided to extend the running time. Perhaps it too much contrasted the theme of Kara's death wish.
After an impressive attempt to kill Kara fails, she faces the Brigands and what can be termed as round one. Supergirl succeeds in rescuing a lot of the brides from the Brigand cells, but she also clues the Brigands into something strange going on with the flying, blonde in the long, brown coat.
The Brigands finger her for a Kryptonian and test that theory by trapping Kara on a binary sunned world. One of those suns happens to be green, as in the graphic collection.
Here the comedy and terror from Evely's and King's work doesn't translate to the film. In the series it's an issue. In the movie, it's a scene. Ana Nogueira uses this moment to draw Kara into fully accepting her role as Supergirl. Evely's and King's Woman of Tomorrow is after all merely another thrilling, daring adventure of Supergirl. Supergirl is already comfortable being a champion.
Though the dying Kara half-chides Ruthye for bringing her uniform to her. She never the less puts it on and lives up to its meaning when the yellow sun rises.
Kara at the beginning of the movie is trying to either forget about responsibility or die in a fight. At the climax of the film, she wants to live as Supergirl and symbolize everything that name stands for.
The Brigands capture Ruthye and who should be in the adjoining cell but Lobo.
Lobo explains the differences between he and the Brigands. He hunts for money. His word is his bond, a new myth for the Main Man. I don't recall Lobo being remotely as honorable as Dr. Doom. Fine though. I'll hold you to that in future films.
The Brigands attempt to con Ruthye into giving up Supergirl's location for freedom. Ruthye doesn't buy any of it. Lobo keeps watching and keeps being impressed by Ruthye. I am as well. We can thank actress Eve Ridley for that. Ruthye is a child forced into adulthood. She can't be so easily tricked.
Lobo doesn't team up with Supergirl or Ruthye. Their needs simply align. Lobo isn't looking to destroy the Brigands. They just happen to be in his way. He's only being paid to execute one of them; in a refreshing twist, not Krem, nor Kara, which would have been mighty predictable. You can imagine a scene in a lesser movie or comic book where Supergirl won't let Lobo kill the Brigand he's after. Thus comes the inevitable slugfest. Not so in Supergirl. She doesn't care if Lobo kills the Brigands. The less of them the better. She just wants to make certain Ruthye doesn't get diced in the crossfire.
Supergirl returns to decimate the Brigand forces. At one point, Ruthye stands amidst a circle of mayhem that implies Supergirl's presence. You don't see her in the billowing dust clouds. You see flashes of heat vision. You see vehicles being tossed around like toys. One of my favorite ways to describe Supergirl is that she's the one who can bench press a tank. It's an impressive scene that unites effects and characterization.
I am happy to say that we get ample demonstrations throughout the movie of Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El and Supergirl punching, throwing and destroying evil tech as opposed to just CGI smears representing such. The choreography is all brilliantly done. It really looks like Milly Alcock's Supergirl is smacking around these stronger than normal thugs. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that a lot of these scenes resulted from old fashioned wire-work. They're that good.
The film ends with Supergirl finishing her celebration, now a little brighter with company and returning home to meet up with her super-cousin. They're awkward around each other, but you get the sense that Supergirl is now more accepting of her role as a superhero. She sees earth as her genuine home and that dark undercurrent of seeking death ebbs. By the end of the film, every audience member should see what makes Supergirl worthy of their time and energy. They should also see her as a distinctive hero who shouldn't be dismissed as Superman's little girl cousin.
Superman Family #182
