Poor Krypto. Anyone who’s read Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, the inspiration behind June 26’s Supergirl, assumed it was coming, and the just-released trailer for the film confirms it: The story is driven by Supergirl’s quest to save her beloved dog’s life after the evil alien Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts) poisons him with a dart. “At least Krypto and I have each other,” says Supergirl, (Milly Alcock), a.k.a. Kara Zor-El, just before tragedy strikes.
In early test screenings of last year’s Superman, audiences recoiled when Ultraman merely punched Krypto, and that moment was ultimately cut. But that film’s director, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn, told Rolling Stone shortly after it came out that he was confident fans would be able to deal with the dog’s far greater peril in Supergirl. “Remember, this is a different movie than Supergirl,” he said. “Supergirl is a way more rock & roll film. It’s a little bit rougher, in certain ways. She’s a tougher character. She’s not Superman at all. And so it’s not the same. This movie really is for everybody. And so is Supergirl, but it’s a little bit edgier in some ways than this film.”
The Supergirl trailer, scored to Jimmy Ruffin’s 1966 Motown ballad “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted,” gives the most detailed glimpse yet of Jason Momoa‘s performance as the fan-favorite intergalactic bounty hunter Lobo, and his Beetlejuice-like growl and swagger feel straight out of the comics. “Aren’t you the ditz from that dive bar?” Lobo asks Supergirl during one action sequence.
“Funny, that’s what I’ve been calling you,” she says.
“Touché,” Lobo replies.
The trailer also gives the first glimpse of David Corenswet‘s appearance as Superman in Supergirl, via a sort of interplanetary Zoom call with Kara far from Earth. “I was just touching base to see when you’re coming back,” he says. We also see Supergirl’s dad, Zor-El (David Krumholtz), placing her in her escape spaceship as the remains of Krypton crumble around them.
The film’s director, Craig Gillespie, said early this year he was excited about the uniqueness of the film’s portrait of its lead character.. “She’s got a lot of baggage and a lot of demons coming into this, which is very different than where Superman is in his life,” he said. ”It’s really surprising, the head space that she’s in and the journey she goes on.”
Michaela Coel in ‘The Christophers.’Claudette Barius/NEON
