By Chris Snellgrove | Published
For a long time, fans of comic book movies feared one thing: the origin story. Whenever we get a new movie featuring characters like Batman and Spider-Man, we have to spend a lot of time watching the origin of the character we are most familiar with. Like, how many times can we watch Peter Parker’s Uncle or Bruce Wayne’s parents get brutally murdered before we mentally tune the whole thing out? In the end, the heroic directors came to the same conclusion. That’s why the MCU has pulled back from showing Spider-Man’s origin story and, more recently, the DCU has pulled back from showing Superman’s origin story.
This is a philosophy that has been widely accepted Supergirlis the latest superhero film to hit the theaters. I say “mostly” because we get glimpses of the title character’s backstory in dribs and drabs, but woven throughout the movie. Unfortunately, since the audience is very familiar with this character, Supergirl one movie that could really benefit from a great origin story. Additionally, making his origin story front and center would help give this new tights-and-flights film the proper emotional arc it so desperately needs.
You are depressed and confused
Fair warning: this article will touch on some mild spoilers for Supergirl which is more about the origin of the character. With that out of the way, let’s get started! The film begins with our heroine taking a multi-day multi-planet ride to celebrate her 23rd birthday. Although he likes to party, he’s not really a people person: he’s sympathetic to everyone he meets, including the future child sidekick whose circumstances plague the entire plot. Heck, he’s even smirked at Superman, a sweet, sugary superhero who wants nothing more than for his cousin to come home. When you consider that you are young, beautiful, and have god-like strength, you may begin to ask, “What’s wrong with you, lady?”
The answer, yes, is trauma! Supergirl didn’t abandon Krypton before it exploded like Superman did. Instead, his father opened a defense meant to protect his city and its people. At first, it worked: Krypton exploded, but Argo City floated away safe and secure, an island among the stars. However, its inhabitants discovered years later that their escape had uncovered Krpytonite that had poisoned the soil. This killed many, including Supergirl’s mother, and she was sent to Earth to save her from the same slow and debilitating death.
The Key to a Compassionate Super Hero
Pretty dark, huh? At first glance, you can imagine why DC didn’t want this at the start of the movie they were marketing as a light hearted love child. Guardians of the Galaxy again Max is crazy. Why do I think Supergirl should have started with this, or at least moved it closer to the beginning of the movie? First, it quickly explains our heroine’s ennui. A good chunk of the original movie is wasted portraying Supergirl as someone who would rather drink and party than help anyone, even a teenager whose family has just been killed. To be honest, it makes him seem selfish.
As the origin progressed, however, Supergirl would quickly become sympathetic. We can understand that he has to say goodbye to the whole world in a way that Superman never did, and, as a result, he is afraid to communicate with others. Seeing scenes of Krypton in later flashbacks provides a momentary context, but by then, it’s too little and too late. Not only did the audience make up their own minds about the character at that point, but putting those events later in the film also created some major pacing issues that almost fell flat. Supergirl stop when the film should be moving, yes, faster than a speeding bullet.
Obviously, simply moving the origin story to the beginning of the film wouldn’t be enough to save it Supergirl being average. But it would have made a better introduction for the title character, making him more sympathetic as it clarified his character arc. Also, while your mileage may vary, I thought Krypton was the coolest planet in the movie; if we can’t see more of it, it would be nice to at least see it sooner. At this point, though, fans will have to do what they once did with the DCEU: wait for the fan editor to put together something really good.
