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The news that DC Studios has announced a June 26, 2026 release date for Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow —a movie that already has a star, Milly Alcock, a director, Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya), and a screenwriter, Ana Nogueira — provides an interesting peek at what kind of cinematic universe might be emerging from new DC bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran.

Everything is Super

It’s impossible to miss that DC is keeping it in the family for its first two DC Studios movies. (Or, at least, the first two to get release dates; who knows if there’ll be a surprise drop when we least expect it somewhere?) Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow’s June 26 2026 date means that it’ll arrive almost a year after the July 11, 2025 date for Gunn’s own Superman, keeping a relatively tight focus on things as the new DCU establishes itself. Supergirl as the follow-up to Superman allows for audiences to have an easy passage from one movie to another, and allows for the earlier movie to directly lead into its follow-up. Rumors that Milly Alcock’s Kara Zor-El will actually appear in Superman continue to circulate, suggesting that the two might be more closely connected than simply sharing a costume design, as well.

(That said, having the first two DC Studios movies both be Superman-related does create a ready-made shared iconography that the movies can share, the studios can merchandise, and the fandom can utilize, which feels pretty useful on multiple levels. Maybe that shared costume design is more important than I was initially giving it credit for, after all…)

Everything is Familiar

The world already knows Superman — and, arguably, the world already knows Supergirl too, thanks to the CW series (or, for the older fans, the 1980s movie starring Helen Slater). There’s something to be said for leading the charge for the new DCU with two characters that the audience is already familiar with, and to some degree comfortable with… especially because it offers the opportunity to have a cake and eat it too: use the familiarity to bring the audience through the door, and then surprise them with a twist or several for that delicious “You only thought you knew what was happening!” appeal afterwards. There’s a reason that the “this isn’t your daddy’s [whatever]” appeal is one that appeared in advertising repeatedly for decades; it’s a very effective tactic in convincing customers that they’re getting a deal with their purchases.

Related: Superman: Everything we know about the 2025 start of the new DCU

Everything is Unfamiliar

Although it’s not officially confirmed that Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (the movie) will follow the plot of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (the comic), DC Studios co-chief James Gunn is on record as saying that the movie will reveal “the difference between Superman, who was sent to Earth and raised by loving parents from the time he was an infant, versus Supergirl, raised on a rock, a chip off of Krypton, and who watched everyone around her die and be killed in terrible ways for the first 14 years of her life and then come to Earth.” From that, it’s not the biggest jump to assume that at least part of Supergirl will be set off-Earth… allowing the movie to become the cosmic version of Gunn’s own Superman movie.

Here’s the thing: we know from casting announcements that Superman will, in part, feature a lot of world building for the larger DCU. Guy Gardner, Metamorphosis, the Engineer, Hawkgirl, and Mr. Terrific are all cast and showing up in the movie. What is Supergirl is going to be set up to do the same kind of thing, but for the DCU away from Earth? What if Supergirl’s travels to Earth will bring her into contact with space-bound characters like Adam Strange, Lobo, or the Green Lantern Corps? It would a slow easing in of the “new” in the new DCU for audiences, anchored in something they know and already love.

Everything is Mysterious

Of course, all of the above is supposition and speculation; we don’t know what’s truly upcoming in the DCU just yet, and likely won’t find out until the first teasers arrive for Superman next year. Or, perhaps, when Creature Commandos drops on Max before the end of the year. For now, we just need to keep our eye peeled and looking up, up, and… away…?

James Gunn's Superman is flying into theaters soon enough, and Popverse has all you need to prepare. Refreshing your cinematic memory with our Superman movie watch order, learn what we know about the upcoming Superman movie, and read about what DC is doing ahead of their flagship hero's triumphant return.