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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 reasonably 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 Be aware: The next comprises The Flash spoilers.The Flash takes on an epic story of time journey, alternate universes, and private traumas, making it one in all DC’s extra formidable movies. Alongside the way in which, it introduces Supergirl (Sasha Calle) into the DC Prolonged Universe however squanders the chance by not making her all the things she could possibly be. It is not as in the event that they ruined the character completely, however they did not give her the introduction to the universe she deserved. Since Supergirl is not as in style as a lot of DC’s heroes, she could possibly be comparatively unknown to the final viewers, and The Flash does not do a lot to vary that.
The issue lies within the story Supergirl obtained in The Flash, not the actress. Calle’s portrayal is sweet 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 specific 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 reasonably than a reboot of a well-known character, this wasn’t the right introduction for Supergirl.
‘The Flash’ Is not About Supergirl
Picture through Warner Bros.
Whereas it could appear apparent that Supergirl is not the primary character, she’s not in very a lot of the movie, other than 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 gave the impression to be a comparatively vital 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 rather totally different from his universe. Barry will get his former self powers and finds Batman (Michael Keaton) earlier than they go to seek out Supergirl.
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As soon as she is saved, Supergirl reveals off her unbelievable powers however rapidly leaves once more, not caring if people are destroyed as they had been by no means variety to her. Clearly, her imprisonment resulted in trauma, to not point out the destruction of her world and her complete household dying. But none of that’s addressed, and he or she has a fast change of coronary heart, making her able to turn into a hero for the individuals of Earth. She flies Barry right into a storm to get his powers again earlier than they face Zod (Michael Shannon). Her battle in opposition to 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 almost 40 years. Whereas she could also be necessary to the ultimate battle, the character receives little growth and is simply not that massive a component, which undermines her introduction.
This Supergirl Seemingly Is not Coming Again
Picture through Warner Bros.
The shortage of concentrate on Supergirl could possibly be excused if her transient look arrange larger issues for the character, however that is not the case. Because the franchise is getting ready for a reboot, that is her solely likelihood to look on this iteration. With James Gunn and Peter Safran taking management, DC is getting a brand new set of flicks known 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 will likely be a special 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 exterior 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 Does not Supergirl Work in ‘The Flash’?
Picture through Warner Bros.
Maybe the worst a part of The Flash’s Supergirl introduction is that she’s not likely Supergirl. The movie offers with an alternate timeline the place Kal-El was killed earlier than changing into Superman. Barry’s seek for the alternate model of his buddy leads him to Kara. The plot primarily replaces Man of Metal’s Superman with Supergirl reasonably than giving the character a extra conventional Supergirl story. And it does not even cease there. Not solely is Supergirl positioned in an alternate model of the Man of Metal battle, however her complete story is tailored from a couple of of Superman’s, particularly Superman: Crimson Son, the place Superman’s pod lands in Russia, and Flashpoint, which reveals 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 does 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 spotlight their variations. However, regardless of the huge familiarity with Superman’s story, The Flash does little to distinguish the 2 Kryptonian heroes. Supergirl is not almost as recognizable as her cousin, and introducing her as primarily a woman model of Superman does a disservice to the character and her historical past. This darkish model is fascinating, however with a hero not as generally referred to as most, it is also a wierd introduction to the character. The Flash fumbles what might have been a pivotal debut of Supergirl to a broader viewers.