5 Biggest Changes Supergirl Movie Makes From the Woman of Tomorrow Comic

Supergirl was posited as an adaptation of Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s landmark Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic, but the movie instead appears to be a conversation with it. It preserves the comic’s bruised heart while making significant changes to the story. Your frequency might vary, and the critics are divided, with a 58% Tomatometer score after 196 reviews, as of June 26. 

The broad strokes remain intact: Kryptonian young woman Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock) escorts the grief-stricken Ruthye (Eve Ridley) in pursuit of Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts), the man who murdered her father and poisoned Kara’s dog Krypto. Yet the movie is a tighter revenge story rather than an episodic odyssey, its source material was. All this is not to criticize the movie, mind you. The movie is actually pretty good. FandomWire’s Joshua Ryan said it is messy, but it is also engaging and entertaining in his 7/10 review.

Quick reference:

Let’s dive into the 5 biggest changes the Supergirl movie makes from the source material:

1. Krypto’s Poisoning Is the Engine of the Plot, Not a Ruse

Credits: Warner Bros

Credits: Warner Bros

Credits: Warner Bros

In both the movie, which released on June 26, and the comic, Krypto, the unruly Kryptonian canine we first met in 2025’s Superman, is poisoned by Krem of the Yellow Hills. And this act in the movie is the catalyst that makes Kara team up with Ruthye. This is the emotional spine of the story. The Super-Dog’s survival is an ongoing concern in the movie. The only antidote is with Krem himself on his person, and if not administered within 3 days, the dog will die.  

In the comic, though, Krypto is never really in danger as he is already cured by veterinarians. But Kara keeps the ruse and does say that they need to catch up to Krem and get the antidote to him to teach a lesson about the futility of vengeance and the cyclical nature of violence. There is no 72-hour countdown. This is to build a sense of urgency, I suppose, in the narrative. A movie, with its limited runtime, cannot afford to ramble on about philosophical concepts. 

2. Lobo and Superman Are Added; Comet the Super-Horse Is Cut

Credits: Warner Bros

Credits: Warner Bros

Credits: Warner Bros

Both Lobo (Jason Momoa) and Superman (through multiple cameos) were not in Woman of Tomorrow. And both are welcome additions. It is always welcome to see David Corenswet as Superman. Truly peak casting. Clark and Kara’s scenes together also illustrate how different the two Kryptonians are. 

Momoa, too, is having the time of his life playing the Main Man. The portrayal (including the performance, makeup, and aesthetic) is on point. The casualty of these two’s presence is, of course, Comet the Super-Horse. The character is one of Woman of Tomorrow’s eccentric detours and a piece of Silver Age weirdness. All in all, his absence is understandable.

3. The Trip to Maypole Is Cut

In Woman of Tomorrow, Kara and Ruthye’s stop on the planet Maypole is one of the comic’s most memorable detours | Credits: DC Comics

A particularly unforgettable scene from Woman of Tomorrow occurs when Kara and Ruthye visit Maypole. It is a planet where revenge is institutionalized and ritualized. This scene expands the ethical context of the comic. It makes Kara realize the existence of traditions that are completely opposed to her ethics. The film, sadly, omits the visit altogether.

4. The Brigands Are Human Traffickers, Not Just Killers

Matthias Schoenaerts as Krem of the Yellow Hills, the leader of the Brigands | Credits: Warner Bros.

Krem and his Brigands are frightening as killers and plunderers in the comic, but in the movie, they are also human traffickers and, as a result, seem even more vicious. This is an insignificant addition, but it carries great weight. The Brigands are not just regular space outlaws, but they are representatives of evil and exploitation, which is why Ruthye hates them so much, and Kara has a clearer moral imperative to intervene.

5. Kara Kills Krem; the Comic Sends Him to the Phantom Zone

Supergirl’s final confrontation with Krem ends very differently from Woman of Tomorrow | Credits: Warner Bros

The film’s most consequential departure comes in its ending. In Woman of Tomorrow, Kara does not allow Ruthye to turn into a murderer but banishes Krem to the Phantom Zone to ensure that Ruthye still holds the belief that justice and revenge are two vastly different things. However, the ending is more bleak in Supergirl, as Kara kills Krem on her own after convincing Ruthye not to. This decision takes the responsibility for murder away from an angry child and places it squarely on the shoulders of a superhero.

The comic makes it clear that justice must stay separate from vengeance, regardless of how justified it might be. The film muddies that distinction. By making Kara kill Krem, the movie manages to relieve Ruthye of her original sin but instead makes its hero pay for it. This results in a far bleaker and darker ending, where Supergirl is no longer an ethical standard of perfection but a flawed being. Flawed, not evil. She is still a paragon of goodness, just not in the way Clark is. She would sully her soul rather than make a child do it.

Which change from Woman of Tomorrow did you like the most or wish Supergirl hadn’t made? Let us know in the comments below.

Supergirl hit US theaters on June 26.

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