The Massive Image
- The Flash squanders the chance to totally introduce Supergirl into the DC Prolonged Universe, leaving her character underdeveloped and overshadowed by different heroes.
- Supergirl’s restricted display time and lack of character growth undermine her introduction, making her a glorified cameo moderately than a major a part of the movie.
- The Flash’s portrayal of Supergirl as a feminine model of Superman disregards the distinctive qualities and backstory that differentiate the 2 characters, doing a disservice to Supergirl’s historical past and potential impression.
Editor’s Word: The next accommodates The Flash spoilers.The Flash takes on an epic story of time journey, alternate universes, and private traumas, making it considered one of DC’s extra formidable movies. Alongside the best way, it introduces Supergirl (Sasha Calle) into the DC Prolonged Universe however squanders the chance by not making her the whole lot she might be. It is not as in the event that they ruined the character solely, however they did not give her the introduction to the universe she deserved. Since Supergirl is not as well-liked as a lot of DC’s heroes, she might be comparatively unknown to the final viewers, and The Flash would not do a lot to vary that.
The issue lies within the story Supergirl received in The Flash, not the actress. Calle’s portrayal is nice for what she needed to work with. However the reality is, Supergirl is not as massive a component as followers had been led to imagine. With the movie’s time journey shenanigans, and that is the one time the character will seem as this explicit model, it left one thing to be desired. The movie depicted her as a feminine model of Superman, borrowing his plot and ignoring the issues that make them totally different. Whereas it is thrilling to see a brand new hero on display moderately than a reboot of a well-known character, this wasn’t the right introduction for Supergirl.
‘The Flash’ Is not About Supergirl
Whereas it might appear apparent that Supergirl is not the principle character, she’s not in very a lot of the movie, apart from the climactic battle. With many heroes showing in The Flash, some get extra time than others, however in Supergirl’s case, the promoting was deceptive. From all of the trailers, she appeared to be a comparatively important half, whereas, within the movie, she had a couple of stellar motion sequences and a short look. She’s not launched till nicely into the story after Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) is trapped prior to now, which he modified, and discovers that it is vitally totally different from his universe. Barry will get his former self powers and finds Batman (Michael Keaton) earlier than they go to search out Supergirl.
As soon as she is saved, Supergirl exhibits off her unimaginable powers however rapidly leaves once more, not caring if people are destroyed as they had been by no means sort to her. Clearly, her imprisonment resulted in trauma, to not point out the destruction of her world and her whole household dying. But none of that’s addressed, and he or she has a speedy change of coronary heart, making her able to change into a hero for the folks of Earth. She flies Barry right into a storm to get his powers again earlier than they face Zod (Michael Shannon). Her battle towards the Kryptonian villain is her most spectacular scene, however in the end, it’s doomed to fail, and Kara Zor-El dies together with Batman. Supergirl will get little or no focus because the emotional beats observe Barry. That is comprehensible as he’s the lead, however it’s nonetheless a letdown as The Flash marks Supergirl’s first movie look in practically 40 years. Whereas she could also be vital to the ultimate battle, the character receives little growth and is simply not that large a component, which undermines her introduction.
This Supergirl Doubtless Is not Coming Again
The dearth of concentrate on Supergirl might be excused if her temporary look arrange greater issues for the character, however that is not the case. Because the franchise is making ready for a reboot, that is her solely likelihood to seem on this iteration. With James Gunn and Peter Safran taking management, DC is getting a brand new set of flicks referred to as the DCU. This franchise will function Supergirl, however not this model, as The Flash offers with an alternate the place Zod wins. It is unknown if Calle will return, however whoever performs her might be a distinct Kara, making the character in The Flash a one-off who was considerably underused.
Supergirl’s half within the story is small for it to be her solely look. The Flash permits for the reappearance of Keaton’s Batman, giving an finish to a long-standing character, however this Supergirl has no historical past outdoors of the film. Whereas the character’s look is notable in itself, as Supergirl is not in lots of movies, she is a glorified cameo who is not from different content material. With no hope of increasing the character, the inclusion of Supergirl left one thing to be desired.
Why Would not Supergirl Work in ‘The Flash’?
Maybe the worst a part of The Flash‘s Supergirl introduction is that she’s probably not Supergirl. The movie offers with an alternate timeline the place Kal-El was killed earlier than turning into Superman. Barry’s seek for the alternate model of his pal leads him to Kara. The plot basically replaces Man of Metal‘s Superman with Supergirl moderately than giving the character a extra conventional Supergirl story. And it would not even cease there. Not solely is Supergirl positioned in an alternate model of the Man of Metal battle, however her whole story is customized from a couple of of Superman’s, particularly Superman: Pink Son, the place Superman’s pod lands in Russia, and Flashpoint, which exhibits him locked away in a authorities facility.
The Flash makes Supergirl right into a rip-off of her cousin, the place their comedian variations are distinctly totally different. A part of what separates them is that Supergirl remembers Krypton, whereas her cousin would not. The movie by no means addresses this. Whereas Supergirl was seemingly nonetheless older than her cousin, as she was despatched to Earth to take care of him, she seems to have little reminiscence of it. Superman has been seen in a number of motion pictures since Supergirl’s final look, making this the right alternative to focus on their variations. However, regardless of the broad familiarity with Superman’s story, The Flash does little to distinguish the 2 Kryptonian heroes. Supergirl is not practically as recognizable as her cousin, and introducing her as basically a lady model of Superman does a disservice to the character and her historical past. This darkish model is attention-grabbing, however with a hero not as generally referred to as most, it is also an odd introduction to the character. The Flash fumbles what may have been a pivotal debut of Supergirl to a broader viewers.
