After Supergirl, The DCU Has To Learn From Star Wars’ Biggest Mistake

While Supergirl actually ended up having a decent audience score, which currently sits at 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, both the critic score (55%, currently) and the online backlash and criticism reflect the fact that the new movie did not go over well with everyone. Part of this is absolutely by nature of the fact that women-led superhero movies generally get more hate, sometimes having hate campaigns begin even before the movie hits theaters, and that only intensifies if the depiction of the female hero avoids sexualizing her, as is the case with Kara/Supergirl in Supergirl.

However, outside of some of the gendered backlash to the movie, there are legitimate complaints having to do with the story, the character choices, and other issues such as visuals that overall hurt the project. While discussing these points would feel redundant at this point, as plenty has already been said on the topic, there is something that the larger DCU should take away from this experience with Supergirl—and it’s something that, surprisingly, the franchise should learn from Star Wars movies and TV shows.

Supergirl Is Receiving Significantly More Backlash Than Superman

As mentioned, part of the hate in response to Supergirl was gendered, so it therefore shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that Superman performed so much better than Supergirl when it was released last summer. In fact, the movie—which, as a point of comparison, currently has an 83% with critics and 90% with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes—had such an impact, that many online still refer to last summer as “Superman Summer.” Unfortunately for Supergirl, Superman really is a better movie, for various reasons.

The color scheme of the movie is vibrant and engaging, which is one of the major things lacking in Supergirl, especially considering its source material, the comic book miniseries Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. The narrative feels much more tidy, including how characters are depicted and how their story arcs move. And while both movies have deeper meanings and powerful messages, Superman’s message of love, hope, and acceptance lands much better than Supergirl’s, partly because the child sex trafficking plot first made things way too dark.

This really is a terrible shame for the DCU, which seemed to be getting such a strong start, especially after the massive success that was Superman (2025). Prior to this new era, DC had absolutely struggled; it’s actually somehow managed to feel like an even messier franchise than the Marvel Cinematic Universe or Star Wars over the last several years, which is really saying something. It’s that latter franchise in particular, though, that the DCU really needs to pay attention to moving forward.

Star Wars Has Proven That Franchises Can’t Bend To Backlash

Star Wars is no stranger to criticism, and that long predates the sale of the franchise to Disney. George Lucas’ time at the helm may now be looked at with rose colored glasses, but about a decade or so before this acquisition happened, Lucas himself was being absolutely blasted online and in the broader fanbase for the prequel trilogy. From the casting to the dialogue and the unexpected story elements (such as the introduction of midichlorians), Star Wars fans were raising a host of complaints about these new movies. For some, that hate continues.

There is little doubt that this backlash intensified under Disney’s direction, though, particularly when thinking about the sequel trilogy. Star Wars: The Force Awakens was actually met with a fair bit of fanfare, but Star Wars: The Last Jedi became hugely controversial. When the sequel trilogy was rounded out with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker—which is largely considered the worst installment in the franchise—things hit an all-time low.

Yet, a major part of the problem with The Rise of Skywalker was actually that it was trying to appeal to audiences and alleviate some of the backlash, instead of proceeding with a clear direction and an intentional narrative. There is a range of examples of that, from Palpatine’s resurrection (which, ironically, became the most heavily criticized choice in the entire sequel trilogy) to the return of Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford and countless other details. Worse still, The Rise of Skywalker made the entire trilogy feel like a tug-of-war.

Kylo Ren’s helmet was now fixed, Anakin Skywalker’s iconic lightsaber had been repaired after being ripped apart, and Rey was now a Palpatine rather than a nobody. At every turn, The Rise of Skywalker seemed to undo what The Last Jedi had done, and that made things so much worse. This is exactly what the DCU must now pay attention to: Instead of over-correcting after Supergirl, the franchise should be full steam ahead.

How The DCU Responds To This Reception Could Be Make Or Break

In all likelihood, it would be disastrous if the DCU took the backlash to Supergirl and made drastic changes to future projects in an effort to now appease audiences. For one, as Star Wars fans also know all too well, there will always be those who hate on a new project, especially in franchises like Star Wars, Marvel, and DC. Trying to please everyone will ultimately please no one, and especially considering how gendered some of the hate for Supergirl was, this is certainly not a sentiment that should be catered to.

It might sound dramatic, but the DCU also needs to stay focused and consistent after Supergirl if this new iteration of the larger DC franchise is really going to thrive in the way that it is meant to. After all, James Gunn has all but promised DC fans a thrilling new era that truly improves upon what has been done before. Becoming too bent on pleasing audiences would not help Gunn keep this promise, and Star Wars’ mistakes over the last several years should prove that.

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