DCEU Theory: Flash Movie’s Supergirl ISN’T Kara Danvers

The Flash movie will introduce Supergirl into the DCEU, but is it possible that Sasha Calle is playing a different Girl of Steel instead of Kara Danvers? After years of being stuck in development hell, The Flash film is closer to hitting theaters more than ever as principal photography is underway. This won’t be Ezra Miller’s first time playing the fastest man alive, as he has appeared in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Miller even did a special cameo in the Arrowverse crossover, Crisis on Infinite Earths, making the Arrowverse and DCEU part of the same Multiverse.

Following his cameo, The Flash’s plot will go even deeper into exploring Multiverse while being loosely based on the Flashpoint comic. As Barry comes into contact with another reality, that will be how Michael Keaton’s Batman returns to the big screen for the first time since 1992. However, The Flash will also be paving the way for another beloved DC superhero as Supergirl will be joining the Scarlet Speedster on his adventure. In a surprise announcement to everyone, director Andy Muschietti revealed his call with Calle where he told her that she would play Supergirl.

So far, most of The Flash’s plot is being kept under wrap, which is not unusual for comic book films. However, set photos and videos are something that not even the fastest man alive can run from as new images and clips from the set have made their way online. While there is still a lot of secrecy surrounding the DCEU project, some evidence is pointing towards the possibility that Calle’s Supergirl in The Flash movie may not necessarily be Kara Zor-El.

Supergirl’s Casting Announcement Didn’t Mention Kara Danvers

Calle’s casting announcement was made on Friday, February 19, as Muschietti shared a recorded Zoom call between the two of them. While Muschetti pulled out a Man of Steel costume to symbolize her joining the DC Universe, he only stated that she had landed the role of Supergirl. In all the following reporting of the announcement, Calle was never mentioned to be playing Kara specifically in the DCEU film. Furthermore, no one involved with the film thus far has referred to Supergirl’s real name within the context of The Flash movie.

Usually, when casting news comes out for comic book movies, mainly based on major IPs, it is common to mention the full name of a character and their superhero moniker. If a character is they’re only listed or named by their superhero identity, often there’s a story reason for why the real name is being kept a mystery. In The Flash’s case with casting Calle, the production strictly using the Supergirl moniker suggests the creative team wants to keep her full identity secret until the DCEU film comes out.

The DCEU’s Supergirl Costume Influences Explained

A major component to why Calle’s Supergirl is not necessarily Kara is Calle’s costume in The Flash. Muschietti revealed a close-up of Supergirl’s costume, specifically the House of El chest emblem. Interestingly, it is heavily based on the same Kryptonian glyph designed for the DCEU’s Superman costume, with a few differences. However, it was when set photos emerged online that the costume’s comic influence became clearer. Through multiple set images, Calle’s Supergirl costume is drawing heavily from the Injustice universe, but it’s not Kara’s suit.

Calle’s uniform is almost identical to the one that Lara Lane-Kent wore throughout the Injustice series. Even though the Joker murdered Lois while she was pregnant, Superman meets her through his dreams. Through his interactions with Lara, Superman got to see what life could have been like had Lois not been killed. Even though there are a few slight differences between the comic and live-action versions, Lara’s costume is undoubtedly something that inspired the DCEU look. Before The Flash set photos came out, there were speculations that Calle was possibly playing Lara after revealing her new short haircut.

Why The DCEU May Use A Different Supergirl

Even though DC Comics has rebooted Supergirl multiple times throughout the decades, Kara is the original and most famous character to carry that title. After all, Kara is the Supergirl who is about to wrap her own TV show that lasted for six seasons. While some may feel it’s an odd choice for the DCEU to have The Flash star a Supergirl who isn’t Kara, there could be a few reasons behind the decision. Recent DC media have seen other iconic monikers be passed on to original characters. Arrowverse’s Batwoman is a prominent example as Javicia Leslie’s Ryan Wilder took over for Kate Kane after Ruby Rose exited the show.

DC Comics is currently taking it a step further with the Superman title about to be carried by Clark Kent’s son, Jonathan Kent, who has been Superboy for years. In Kara’s case, she has always been the Supergirl in every comic run and media adaptation for the last ten years. Even those who aren’t big comic readers think of Superman’s cousin when hearing Supergirl. Take into account that just because they’re using an alternative Supergirl costume belonging to someone who isn’t Kara, it doesn’t rule out Calle actually playing the traditional Girl of Steel. At the same time, Warner Bros. may want to defy people’s expectations by adding/creating a new Supergirl who doesn’t necessarily have a counterpart in the media.

Who The DCEU’s Supergirl Could Be Instead

Assuming Calle is not playing Kara in The Flash, who could her Supergirl in the DCEU be instead? It is fair to say The Flash would probably not introduce the exact same version of Lara since they would have to do it with the Injustice context. However, Calle playing a new take on Lara, who is still Superman’s daughter, could happen with a completely different origin story. Despite having the same House of El symbol as Henry Cavill’s Superman, it seems less and less likely Calle’s character will be tied to his. Whoever Calle is playing will probably not be from the main DCEU Earth as the other Justice League characters. Given the nature of The Flash’s Multiverse aspect, it would not be shocking if Calle’s Supergirl is either from Earth-89 (same world as Keaton’s Batman) or a different world altogether.

Maybe in Lara’s world, she was Krypton’s last survivor instead of Kal-El, or they may maintain her status as Superman’s daughter, without the Injustice background. The DCEU could always take a page out of Smallville‘s book where Crisis on Infinite Earths revealed Tom Welling’s Superman, at some point, gave up his powers to raise a family with Lois. Whatever Earth Calle’s Supergirl comes from, she may be keeping her father’s legacy alive by being her world’s protecting Kryptonian. Given that Warner Bros. is reportedly developing a Supergirl movie within the next few years, The Flash is setting Calle’s character up to lead her own franchise eventually.

Whatever version of Supergirl Calle will be portraying, it seems safe that it is somehow tied to the Superman legacy in one way or another. Even though Calle is wearing an Injustice-inspired Supergirl costume, it doesn’t mean by default that she is not playing Kara. They could simply be withholding that information to have people guess and leave some things as a surprise when Calle debuts as the DCEU’s Supergirl in The Flashmovie.

About The Author

Andy Behbakht
(1029 Articles Published)

Andy is a senior writer at Screen Rant as he has covered the world of entertainment journalism since 2010, including superhero/comic book media. In addition to his work as a reporter, Andy co-hosts The Flash Podcast while running and producing the entire DC TV Podcasts network. He is also the founder/editor-in-chief of The Marvel Report since Fall 2015. Andy has previously written for sites such as FanSided, KSiteTV, TV Fanatic, It’s Just Movies, Heroic Hollywood, TV Overmind, and more.

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