- Primary Subject: Milly Alcock and Craig Gillespie on Supergirl vs. Superman
- Key Update: During the press tour for Supergirl, lead star Milly Alcock and director Craig Gillespie revealed that Kara Zor-El's deep-seated trauma sets her up as a sharp philosophical adversary to her cousin, Superman.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: June 23, 2026
- Quick Answer: Supergirl would win due to her raw survivor instincts; unlike Superman, she vividly remembers Krypton's destruction, fueling a hardened anti-hero edge.
With Supergirl officially flying into theaters, the age-old debate has been reignited: if push came to shove, who wins in a battle between the Kryptonian cousins? While Superman might have more experience under Earth's yellow sun, lead star Milly Alcock believes Kara Zor-El holds the advantage everyone's overlooking.
Milly Alcock Sets the Record Straight on Who Would Win: Superman vs. Supergirl?
During the press tour for Supergirl, Milly Alcock was prompted to compare the strength between her character, Supergirl, aka Kara Zor-El, and David Corenswet's Superman, aka Kal-El, and decide who would win in the fight if they were to come up against one another.
The answer was clear: Alcock proudly declared Supergirl would come out on top of it. Alcock said that her hero is "objectively stronger" as she jokingly suggested that Superman would simply "let me win" in their one-on-one battle. Check out the interview below:
DC fans debated in the comments that Alcock's words are untrue. However, comic book purists pointed out that it is backed by the original material. Another fan added that Supergirl is objectively stronger "because she doesn't hold back", unlike Superman, whose upbringing would lead him to do the opposite to serve his purpose for humanity.
When Clark Kent was sent to Earth as a baby, he was raised in a loving, stable home, while his cousin, Kara, was old enough to witness the apocalyptic destruction of Krypton firsthand. In Alcock's own words (via Empire): "She's such a good contrast to Superman, because she's a survivor of trauma in the purest sense. I was excited to play someone so beautifully flawed and resilient."
Why Supergirl Director Craig Gillespie Believes Kara and Kal-El are More Adversaries Than Rivals
In a previous interview, Supergirl director Craig Gillespie shared his own unique perspective when it comes to classifying what type of relationship Kara and Kal-El really share, whether in the comic books or on the big screen.
"Even though they're cousins, you get this almost older-sibling dynamic and that can be adversarial at times," Gillespie told Entertainment Weekly, "He's the gentle guy that wants to reach out and be patient, and she's having to find a way and find herself."
As Supergirl herself declares in the trailer, she and Superman have radically different philosophies when it comes to heroism. Her solo film finds Kara arriving on Earth as an outsider, with David Corenswet's Superman welcoming his cousin to his adopted home planet. But what starts as a family reunion quickly fractures: who would've thought that two survivors of the same doomed world would end up on opposite sides of the same coin?
Audiences won't have to wait long to see this Kryptonian clash unfold. Supergirl officially lands in theaters on June 26, 2026. Stay tuned!
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