Superman was great but I’m still worried about the future of the DCU

Superhero film fans let out a collective exhale once they finally got to see Superman and witness that it doesn’t suck. Personally, I loved it. Your opinion may differ but overall the conventional wisdom in the greater culture conversation is at the very least it wasn’t an embarrassment and at the most it was pretty damn good. 

So why am I worried? Because the next DCU movie that will hit theaters in summer 2026 is Supergirl! While it’s alluded to in the final moments of Superman that Kara Zor El aka Supergirl is a planet-hopping party girl and not the boy scout her cousin is, I’m still worried that general audiences will think the characters are too similar. Similar powers, similar costumes, and certainly more Krypto antics since we now know he’s really Supergirl’s dog. 

My concern also has to do with the gross misogynistic streak certain corners of geek culture have toward female-led movies. Not that James Gunn and DC should kowtow to these cretins, but choosing Supergirl as the second big screen entry in your newly launched universe is risky. I’m excited for it. I also loved The Marvels, Wakanda Forever, and think Black Widow is probably the most underrated film in the MCU.

Hopefully the public will be ready to embrace anything Gunn has to offer. I can’t wait for the Lanterns series. I just think he’s unfortunately set himself up for a sophomore slump.