How Supergirl Sets Up the Superman Sequel Man of Tomorrow

This article contains spoilers for Supergirl

One year after Superman launched the DC Universe’s film slate, the franchise is back in theaters this summer with Supergirl, which brings Milly Alcock’s Kara Zor-El into the spotlight. Supergirl‘s arrival is exciting — not just because it marks the first time in more than four decades the titular character headlines a live-action feature film but because it’s also the latest installment in a shared universe. Part of the fun of following those franchises is seeing how all the pieces come together. Each new release is a fresh opportunity for the creative team to tease future developments and give fans a taste of what’s in store. It’s how the Marvel Cinematic Universe transformed itself into a pop culture juggernaut during the 2010s.

Prior to the release of Supergirl, it was confirmed that Alcock would be reprising her role in next year’s Man of Tomorrow, James Gunn’s Superman follow-up that’s currently in production. That announcement, combined with the fact that DC Studios has big plans for Kara moving forward, made some people very curious to see Supergirl, wondering what breadcrumbs would be laid out. Now that the film is playing in theaters, those same people are likely going to be surprised by how it handles Man of Tomorrow setup.

Supergirl Doesn’t Set Up Man of Tomorrow

If you walk into Supergirl expecting it to set the table for Man of Tomorrow, you’re probably going to be disappointed. By the time the credits roll, there aren’t any lingering plot threads for Man of Tomorrow to run with and resolve. Rather than occupy itself with laying the groundwork for the DCU’s next summer tentpole, Supergirl is comfortable simply telling a self-contained narrative about Kara Zor-El and Ruthye Marye Knoll tracking down Krem of the Yellow Hills for their own personal reasons; the latter is on a quest to avenge her murdered family while the former is attempting to save Krypto’s life after Krem poisons the lovable dog.

There are a couple of elements in Supergirl that feel like they could be setup for Man of Tomorrow, but there ultimately isn’t much there. The first is the destruction of Krypton, which is detailed in flashbacks chronicling Kara’s traumatic past. In some DC stories, Brainiac (who will be the villain in Man of Tomorrow) is responsible for destroying Krypton. In the TV series Krypton, it’s revealed that the planet’s core became unstable after Brainiac removed the city of Kandor. It’s possible the DCU could run with a version of that, giving Clark and Kara an extra bit of personal motivation in Man of Tomorrow, but Supergirl makes no mention of Brainiac. The reasoning for Krypton’s destruction is mostly glossed over; Kara tells Ruthye the warnings from Zor-El and Jor-El were ignored, dooming the planet. With little information to go off of, it’s feasible the planet core became unstable without any interference from Brainiac.

The other potential Man of Tomorrow nugget in Supergirl is the relationship between Kara and Clark. The cousins share a touching scene at the film’s end where Kara states she’s going to stay on Earth for a while. One way to read that sequence is that it’s a tease for Kara’s return in Man of Tomorrow, but in the context of Supergirl, it functions more as emotional closure for one of the movie’s primary throughlines. Early on in Supergirl, Clark expresses concern for his cousin’s well being because she’s frequently going off planet, preventing her from settling in. After her journey with Ruthye, Kara decides it’s time to use her powers for good and help others in need. Whether Alcock was returning for another film or not, the scene wraps up Kara’s personal arc in Supergirl because she has found her people and her home in the universe.

The lack of concrete Man of Tomorrow setup in Supergirl could stem from one of James Gunn’s goals for the DCU. In the past, he’s mentioned that he wants each film and TV show to be able to stand on its own and be accessible to all viewers regardless of prior knowledge (limiting the amount of “homework” one has to do to understand the plot). The easiest way to accomplish that is to have each story in a movie or series work as a self-contained narrative with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Since the DCU is a shared universe, there’s an overarching plan and threads in one project will be picked up by others (Salvation in Peacemaker Season 2), but at least in the early going, DC Studios isn’t going overboard there. Supergirl can be enjoyed just as a standalone movie, but it’ll still be exciting to see Kara return next summer.

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