Just months after James Gunn’s Superman kickstarted the new DC Universe with critical and commercial success, the franchise’s second theatrical outing is already in trouble. Supergirl, starring Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, is on track to lose Warner Bros. Discovery between $100–120 million following a lackluster box office performance and middling reviews.

A Rocky Start for the New DCU

Loosely adapted from Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s acclaimed Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic miniseries, the film follows Superman’s cousin Kara as she embarks on an interstellar adventure alongside an orphaned girl (Eve Ridley). Despite a promising premise and direction from Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya), critics have been largely unimpressed. The Verge’s Charles Pulliam-Moore describes the film as “half-assed,” noting it struggles to differentiate its titular heroine from Superman beyond her relative brutality and moody outlook.

The project was fast-tracked after Alcock’s surprise appearance in Gunn’s Superman, but the expedited schedule may have worked against it. The two Kryptonian-centric films releasing in such close proximity only emphasizes their similarities, making it harder for Supergirl to carve out its own identity.

Signs of a Deeper Problem

For Gunn, who previously insisted DC Studios would “never put a half-assed script in production” simply because a project had already been announced, Supergirl’s reception represents more than just a single misfire. The entire point of rebooting Warner Bros. Discovery’s superhero slate was to position DC Studios to compete with Marvel — which is itself approaching a major reset with the X-Men and a new Spider-Man film.

Instead, the nascent DCU is already showing cracks. The film features Jason Momoa as Lobo — a distracting reminder of the failed DCEU — and its reliance on Guardians of the Galaxy-style needle drops and animal-in-distress plot points makes it feel more like a Gunn imitation than a distinct vision.

What Comes Next

In the wake of Supergirl’s underperformance, WBD is reportedly pivoting to prioritize a Bane / Deathstroke movie, while other planned projects — including a series about the Green Lanterns and a Clayface film — are moving forward. But the studio’s decision to fast-track lower-profile characters before establishing core heroes like Batman and Wonder Woman now looks increasingly questionable.

Compounding the uncertainty is WBD’s impending merger with Paramount Skydance, which could further disrupt Gunn’s original roadmap. While next year’s Man of Tomorrow could still steer things in a stronger direction, Supergirl’s failure raises a sobering question: is the DCU already falling apart before it truly began?

For a studio that has cycled through multiple cinematic universe attempts over the past decade, this might be the last chance to get it right. As Pulliam-Moore puts it, “It wouldn’t be the first time that WB found itself on the ropes with a comics-related crisis, but it might be the last chance the studio has to get this stuff right.”