“Supergirl,” a film by Warner Bros., is coming to theaters June 26, 2026. The official synopsis reads: “When an unexpected and ruthless adversary strikes too close to home, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, reluctantly joins forces with an unlikely companion on an epic, interstellar journey of vengeance and justice.”
Milly Alcock plays Supergirl. She’s a breakout star thanks to her role as Rhaenyra Targaryen in “House of the Dragon,” and has since been successful since the ending of that show. However, in a Vanity Fair interview, Alcock addresses that she is prepared for the backlash she will face for playing a female superhero.
She encountered demeaning comments against female actors while in the Game of Thrones universe, and it has opened her eyes to the fact that simply being a woman in the acting industry is something that people comment on. “We have become very comfortable having this weird ownership of women’s bodies. I can’t really stop them. I can only be myself,” Alcock said.
Female superheroes hold more importance than believed. It’s an easy way to show adolescents that women can be powerful, too, not just men. Having a female superhero be the main character in a movie is defying the stereotype that women are just love interests.
When I was young — about seven years old — my dad showed me “The Avengers” for the first time. I was entranced. I loved the action of it all, and I fell in love with Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow. I remember feeling so inspired by seeing a strong, brave woman helping save New York.
This trend of falling in love with female superheroes has continued since the first time I saw “The Avengers”: Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, Gamora, and now Supergirl to name a few.
A study by the BBC and the Women’s Media Center examined the impact female hero representation has on young girls. It was found that “over three-quarters of girls ages 10-19 said that their favorite female superheroes make them feel strong, brave, confident, positive, and inspired.” On top of that, 85% of that demographic wanted more female superheroes on screen.
For girls to feel strong, brave, confident, positive, and inspired, shows that these female superheroes are not damsels in distress. Instead, they endure hardships beyond what one can imagine, but still storm forward with determination and strength. Gal Gadot, the actress for Wonder Woman, said, “I wanted to show that women are empowered and strong, and don’t have to be saved by some male hero, but they can take care of themselves using their intelligence and their power.”
There needs to be more female-centric superhero movies. The more there are, the more likely young girls will find their confidence and feel inspired that no matter what they go through, they can brave the storm. That is a message that they need to hear and understand, and if that message is coming from a role model as prominent as a female superhero, that would be so inspirational.
I urge everyone to see “Supergirl” when it comes out in theaters. And let the meaning of what a female superhero means to the coming generation of wonderful women be.
