Despite revisions and changes in his origin story over the years, the idea that Superman is from a doomed planet called Krypton has been a near-constant in the mythology of the character. And although Supergirl joined Superman in the pantheon of Krypton survivors in 1959, a full 21 years after Superman first appeared in 1938, she’s always had a slightly darker version when it comes to the last days of Krypton. In a sense, most versions of Kara Zor-El are more knowledgeable about Krypton than Ka-El, simply because she didn’t show up on Earth as a baby.
In the first teaser trailer for the 2026 DCU Supergirl, Kara (Milly Alcock) makes it clear that her memories of the fall of Krypton run deep. And, this detail could suggest that Supergirl might finally nail one of the hardest DC origin stories to pull off: the rise and fall of the planet Krypton.
In the trailer, Kara is asked pointedly, “What was it like to lose everything in a day?” And her response suggests that, in this movie, we’ll get a lot more Krypton flashbacks than we got in Superman. “Krypton didn’t die in a day,” Kara says. “The gods are not that kind.”
Although the 1978 Superman created a very iconic design for Krypton, all flowing robes and crystal structures, live action adaptations of the Super-mythos often struggle to really depict the machinations of Kryptonian culture, and demonstrate how such an advanced planet could be destroyed by something that was, perhaps, avoidable. In 2013, with Man of Steel, Zack Snyder’s take on Krypton felt more like high fantasy, a magical kingdom, rather than an ethereal alien planet. Was this convincing? It depends on who you ask. But one thing is for sure, Krypton flashbacks in Superman movies are limited because they can’t actually feature Superman himself.
Starting in 1979, Superman comics released a title called World of Krypton, which told tales from the past of the doomed planet, and sometimes featured Superman time-traveling to actually participate in various events. We know that the upcoming Supergirl film takes much of its inspiration from Tom King’s series, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, but the Krypton flashbacks could indicate we’re getting an even deeper dive into the famous planet’s backstory.
Milly Alcock in 2025.
Perhaps these new flashbacks might even give us lore on par with John Byrne and Mike Mignola’s run of World of Krypton comics, which began in 1987, following a very popular relaunch of Superman. (This take on Clark and the employees of the Daily Planet was, in many ways, very similar to what we got in 2025’s Superman, complete with morally grey versions of Supe’s parents.)
It’s unclear how much time the new Supergirl will spend on Krypton or delving into its past. But, since the trailer gives off a very Guardians of the Galaxy vibe, it seems possible that this story won’t just be about the present tense of Kara Zor-El’s life, but her past, and the legacy of her very famous, extremely pivotal home planet.
