The Supergirl Movie Adapts One Of The DC Hero's Best Stories - But Screws Up One Major Aspect

The first full-on trailer for the DCU's "Supergirl" has arrived, and it's suffused with the wounded yearning of Jimmy Ruffin's Motown classic "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted." If nothing else, James Gunn's needle-drop game remains on point.

The song's tone is oddly perfect for a race-against-time tale that finds Supergirl aka Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock) desperately seeking an antidote that will reverse the effects of a poison blasted into her dog Krypto by the vicious intergalactic pirate and human trafficker Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts). Kara has three days to save the only living thing that makes life on Earth, and life in general, worth living. She's joined on her quest by the young Ruthye Marye Knoll (Eve Ridley), who craves vengeance for her family's murder at the hands of Krem and his Brigand associates. And then there's Lobo (Jason Momoa), the hard-drinking, cigar-chomping bounty hunter who tags along with Kara and Ruthye because he just loves whupping heinies.

If you were expecting a scaled-down DCU adventure after last year's exceptional "Superman," forget it. "Supergirl" looks like a massively chaotic superhero romp with an angsty edge. Alcock already won us over with her cameo in "Superman," and Momoa is finally at home as the surly antihero he's always wanted to play. Everything feels right, save for one thing: Why does Schoenaerts' Krem look like an edgelord punk who got exiled from George Miller's post-apocalypse for being too generic? That character was deliciously evil as a bearded, swashbuckling redhead in Tom King and Bilquis Evely's celebrated "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow" comics. So why the big shift in character design for the movie?

To be fair, we're just now getting our first glimpse of Schoenaerts' Krem in action. Gunn has yet to slip up with comic book adaptations (including "The Suicide Squad"), so I'll happily give him the benefit of the doubt. If, however, this style choice was made by director Craig Gillespie, I'm afraid he's got a track record of mucking up perfection (a case I made painfully clear in my review of his "Fright Night" remake).

I've been a loud-and-proud Schoenaerts' fan since his brutally disturbing breakout performance in Michaël S. Roskam's "Bullhead," but he's odd casting for Krem. King and Evely portrayed the character as a sneeringly evil Errol Flynn type who enjoyed showing off his strapping physique, not a black leather-clad space punk with a studded-up face. Typically, I'm fine with filmmakers placing a bold new spin on their source material, but Gunn has thus far stuck with established designs (even with an oddball like Metamorpho). It's a strange departure.

That said, I don't think this is cause for concern at all. It just would've been a hoot to see King and Evely's Krem brought to despicable ginger life on the big screen. I don't think I've seen that guy before, whereas I'm overly familiar with motorcycle gang-looking baddies. In any event, we'll find out how Schoenaerts' Krem plays in the context of the film when "Supergirl" soars into theaters on June 26, 2026. Just don't break my heart with Krypto, and everything should be cool.