Fans of the acclaimed comic series Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King are excited to see how closely the film will follow the beloved tale, as anticipation grows for DCU’s ‘Supergirl’. However, star Milly Alcock and screenwriter Ana Nogueira indicated that it wasn’t meant to be a word-for-word remake.
Instead, the creative team maintained the essence of the comic and adapted sections of it for the larger DC Universe. It’s a balancing act every comic-book movie has to do, and ‘Supergirl’ seems intent on making her own.
‘Supergirl’ Balances Comic Accuracy With DCU World-Building
The most crucial thing for Nogueira when adapting Woman of Tomorrow wasn’t recreating every scene or plot point. It was Kara Zor-El that they were capturing. When she first read the comic, the writer said that the essence of the character of Supergirl really jumped out at her.
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“Her spirit, her journey, her coming into herself, that was the most important,” she told SR. Another important aspect was the emotional bond between Kara and Ruthye, the young girl whose quest for revenge is a major driving force of the story.
The connection between those two characters is the heart of the film, and some of the elements had to be tweaked for a feature-length script. Nogueira admitted that some of it is just the way to tell a story and adapting an eight-issue comic into a two-hour film.
Milly Alcock agreed with that praise of the source material. The actress admitted she was fascinated with the beautiful universe of the comic and Kara’s distinctive character. “Just her pure humility. I was so delighted when I read Tom King’s Woman of Tomorrow.”
What really struck her was the way that Supergirl was going to navigate the universe as a superhero, as opposed to others, which would give her a very unique voice and perspective. “And I just fell in love with Kara and the way that she moved in the world. It was like nothing I’d ever really read before.”
‘Supergirl’ Tells A Story That Fits The DC Universe
The emotional core is true to the comic, but the film is branching out from the comic as well. The biggest addition is Jason Momoa’s Lobo, who was never seen in Woman of Tomorrow. The presence of Superman is also a tie-in to the larger DCU that James Gunn and Peter Safran are developing.
In case you missed it: New ‘Supergirl’ Footage Teases The Next Major Chapter In DC’s Kryptonian Story
There are also some minor adjustments. Krypto is traditionally Superman’s dog in the comics. However, in the DCU, Krypto is Kara’s and has a much greater connection to her journey. The changes might come as a shock to comic fans, but they show the difficulty of any adaptation.
The purpose is not to simply duplicate what has already been done, but to adapt it to a new medium and serve a greater cinematic universe. Based on Alcock and Nogueira’s remarks, it seems as though Supergirl is looking to pay tribute to the legacy of Woman of Tomorrow and, at the same time, provide something new.
In case you missed it: New ‘Supergirl’ Footage Teases The Next Major Chapter In DC’s Kryptonian Story
