- Primary Subject: The Supergirl movie adaptation and its major story changes
- Key Update: Writer Ana Nogueira revealed why the Supergirl movie changed the comic's ending.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: June 29, 2026
- Quick Answer: The Supergirl movie changed the ending to avoid the comic's massive time jump and let Kara protect Ruthye's innocence by executing Krem herself.
Supergirl writer Ana Nogueira explained why she decided to change the ending of the movie from the Woman of Tomorrow storyline.
The new DCU installment is an adaptation of the award-winning Tom King-penned comic book series from a few years ago. Fans were looking forward to seeing how it would be translated to the big screen. While they kept the premise, characters, and themes, the ending was significantly changed, and it made fans wonder why it was altered.
SPOILER WARNING: This article includes spoilers for the Supergirl movie, so proceed with caution.
Why the Supergirl Movie Changed the Ending from Woman of Tomorrow Comics
In an interview with Variety, Nogueira explained why she decided to change the ending of the Supergirl movie from the source material, especially with Krem's fate.
To recap, in the Woman of Tomorrow storyline, Ruthye and Kara chose mercy over execution, sending Krem of the Yellow Hills to the Phantom Zone instead of killing him. Centuries later, an elderly Ruthye and an eternally young Supergirl released an emaciated Krem, who had spent 300 years in the Zone reflecting on his crimes and begging for forgiveness.
Rather than granting him an emotional absolution, an older Ruthye simply whacked the weeping, genuinely remorseful villain upside the head with her walking cane, leaving him alive to live out his days with his profound shame as she and Kara walked away together.
However, in the Supergirl movie, it was Kara who killed Krem by the end of the third-act battle after she persuaded Ruthye to walk away and told her that revenge would not erase her grief.
"The ending between Kara and Krem was always in it, from the pitch — truly from the very beginning. Because the comic ends with Ruthye killing him, but in the far, far future. We knew we weren’t gonna be able to do that kind of time jump, and I find it’s quite a dark ending of the comic," Nogueira explained.
"He essentially has changed, and she kills him anyway, because she still just has this anger, and you understand there’s this element of deserve, right? So, we wanted to craft a villain who would deserve this, but we also wanted Kara to really care about preserving Ruthye’s innocence, and to feel like she could take on [killing him], that she could be the one to bring justice to this man, and do it without burdening this child."
The writer added, "It’s different for Supergirl, and I think it will feel different for audiences."
What is DCU's Supergirl About?
In Supergirl, when an unexpected and ruthless adversary strikes too close to home, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, reluctantly joins forces with an unlikely companion on an epic, interstellar journey of vengeance and justice.
The main cast includes Milly Alcock, Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, David Corenswet, and Jason Momoa. DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran are producing the film while Craig Gillespie directs.
The film is now showing in theaters worldwide. As of this writing, it has grossed $68 million worldwide and received a mixed reception from critics and audiences.
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