What Does James Gunn's Superman Reboot Mean For Sasha Calle's Supergirl?

Now that James Gunn and Peter Safran are officially co-CEOs of DC Studios, the world of movies and television shows inspired by the publisher's characters has not been quite the same. As Gunn and Safran have worked out their decade-long plan for the DC Universe, there's been the lingering question of which existing characters, franchises, and actors will factor into it. On Wednesday night, we began to get a hint of what's in store, with news that Gunn himself will be writing a reboot of Superman, which will not star previous Clark Kent actor Henry Cavill. Subsequent reports have teased that the film will not be an origin story, but will star a younger Superman as he arrives to Metropolis.

In the hours since the news broke, fans have mourned the apparent end of Cavill's take on the character, and have begun to fancast who could step into the role in Gunn's new reboot. But as we wait for those details to lock into place, one question still lingers — what does this mean for Sasha Calle's Supergirl, who will be debuting in The Flash next year?

Will Supergirl appear in the DC Universe?

Calle is confirmed to be playing Kara Zor-El / Supergirl in 2023's The Flash movie, and while we haven't prominently seen her in much of the film's marketing thus far, there is already a lot of hype surrounding her take on the character. That being said, the hype hasn't necessarily been met by the previous brass at DC, with reports of a spinoff surrounding Calle's character being cancelled.

Regardless of whether or not Calle's Supergirl gets her own spinoff, there's the question of whether or not her version of the character could possibly still stick around amid Gunn's reboot. Recent reports have indicated that Cavill filmed a cameo in The Flash, but that DC is unsure whether or not to include the scene in the finished film and potentially promise "something that the studio would have no plans on delivering." Now that it seems like Cavill is out as Superman for the time being, it seems less likely that that cameo will happen — but if it somehow did, and it established that Calle's Supergirl was his cousin, it could create somewhat of a narrative pickle, as Gunn's script works to reboot Superman going forward.

That being said, if The Flash ultimately doesn't establish that Calle's Supergirl is tied to Cavill's Superman going forward, there could still be a way to keep her around. After all, the cousins' age difference varies wildly from comic to comic, so it wouldn't be unheard of for the 27-year-old Calle to be a contemporary of a somewhat-fresh Superman. Plus, depending on whatever multiverse shenanigans The Flash pulls, there's a chance that the Superman reboot could pave the way for a Calle-led Supergirl spinoff after all — and one that takes a comic-accurate tone, at that.

The Flash is currently scheduled to be released in theaters on June 16, 2023.