Soon, the second live-action movie in James Gunn's DCU will fly onto the big screen. But just because Supergirl introduces a new version of the Man of Steel's cousin, doesn't mean you have to go in blind.
Starring Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, the movie follows the young supe as she reluctantly joins forces with Jason Momoa's Lobo and sets off on an interstellar journey to seek justice against those who destroyed her home planet. The movie marks the second time we have seen Alcock suit as the hero after making a small cameo in last year's Superman, but will introduce a whole stack of new characters, too.
So, with this being the new Supergirl's first solo movie, do you need to do any DCU Chapter One homework before sitting down to watch the new movie? Well, kind of. Below, we break down which movies and TV shows you need to have seen before the big day, and a few extra titles to catch up on if you have time.
The DC movies and shows to watch before Supergirl
Superman
This won't come as a huge surprise, but it will be helpful to have seen Superman before going into Supergirl. Judging by the trailers, there doesn't seem to be a lot of crossover between the two movies, but Superman gives us an idea of the type of relationship the straight-edged hero has with his boundary-pushing cousin. Right at the end of Superman, Kara crash-lands on Earth to pick up her dog, Krypto. The supe was partying on nearby planets, while her canine had been causing trouble on Earth.
Straight away, we can see that Kara doesn't share the same moral compass as her older kin. But we have a feeling she might buck up her ideas in her titular movie, as she is forced to step up and protect what she loves most. David Coresnwet's Superman will make an appearance in the new movie, as the Supergirl trailer shows him checking up on his cousin and giving her some stern advice.
Superman also gives us the chance to get to know Krypto before Supergirl. The new movie goes back to when the pup was first given to Kara, as well as giving us a deeper look at his relationship with his even more chaotic owner.
Optional viewing
Past Supergirl movies and TV shows
When James Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC Studios, they completely wiped the slate clean, starting afresh with new actors and storylines. So, you really don't have to have seen any DC project before 2025's Superman. But if you would like to get to know other versions of Supergirl and perhaps compare them to Alcock's take on the hero, you can start with the first solo Supergirl movie released in 1984, starring Helen Slater.
Before Alcock, the last star to take flight as the hero was Sasha Calle in the 2023 movie The Flash. Calle was supposed to take on her own solo movie after that, but the project was scrapped when Gunn arrived. However, Supergirl writer Ana Nogueira, who was also writing the DCEU Supergirl movie, says that the two movies are "completely different," and that "nothing carried over from the DCEU project to the DCU movie.
In terms of television, we have seen many iterations of the young supe over the years. However, the most notable is CBS's Supergirl series, which ran from 2015 to 2025 as part of the Arrowverse. The show follows Melissa Benoist's Supergirl as she flees the newly destroyed Krypton and lands on Earth to protect National City. However, we don't see the new film following the same premise. The DCU's Supergirl is mostly set in space, and Alcock's hero has vengeance on her mind, leaving being an Earthly hero to her cousin.
Supergirl hits cinemas on June 26 in the US and on June 25 in the UK. For more, check out our guide on how to watch DC movies in order, and keep up with upcoming DC movies and shows.
