You've Never Heard Of Supergirl's Movie Villain - But He Should Scare The Hell Out Of You

We are fully in the era of the DC Universe. After the success of "Superman," DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran are expanding their world and exploring different sides it, like the gothic side we saw last year in "Creature Commandos" and the multiverse in "Peacemaker." DC is set to bring a wide variety of superheroes to the screen, from the expected like Batman to less-featured faces like the Teen Titans and Booster Gold.

Of course, a hero is only as good as their villain. Fortunately, DC has no shortage of menacing and diverse villains. Brainiac and Gorilla Grodd are both joining the DC Universe in the near future, and both are mighty, powerful baddies with long histories. But the beauty of DC is how quickly relatively minor villains can rise to be truly memorable characters. 

Such is the case of Krem of the Yellow Hills, set to be the main antagonist of next year's "Supergirl," (played by Matthias Schoenaerts, as seen briefly in the film's trailer). You may not recognize the name, as the character was just introduced a few years ago on the pages of the 2021 comic book miniseries "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow," by Tom King and Bilquis Evely. Still, if the comic is anything to go by, Krem is going to be a strong contender for the best and most evil comic book villain of 2026 — sorry, Doctor Doom.

If you haven't read the excellent comic miniseries and aren't familiar with the tale of the cheating kingsagent who slew a girl's father and left him in the dirt, let us be your guide to this terriying villain. 

(Slight spoilers for "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow" ahead.)

We don't see much of Krem in the comic, at least not at first, but we do know he is not a good guy. We know because the very first words written in the comic recount how he stabbed a humble farmer for no good reason. The more we learn of him, however, the worse it gets. Krem of the Yellow Hills is not a god like Darkseid, or a superpowered villain like Reverse Flash. Hell, he's not even a criminal mastermind like Joker. He's just a skilled swordsman and archer from a remote alien planet with enough authority to kill people without an iota of fear of retribution.

That is what makes Krem so effective as a villain. He is not threatening to blow up a hospital or inciting a war between two countries as a trap for Superman. He killed a girl's dad, then mocks her when she confronts him. Granted, his crimes and body count do increase significantly throughout the comic.

Since director Craig Gillespie's "Supergirl" (scripted by Ana Nogueira) is set to properly adapt the comic rather than just be loosely inspired by it, then chances are high we won't really see much of Krem. The plot is mostly Supergirl accompanying a young girl in chasing after Krem for revenge, encountering the aftermath of his other crimes along the way.

We have already written in the past about why "Supergirl" has the potential to be better than "Superman," and a big part of it is how the narrative treats its villain as more of an idea than an actual baddie. Krem is terrifying and absolutely despicable, sure, but by keeping him off screen most of the story, his legend grows larger than the man himself.

"Supergirl" soars into theaters on June 26, 2026.