How Powerful Is Milly Alcock's Supergirl Compared To David Corenswet's Superman? - MCE Notices | California State Portal

After making her debut at the end of 2025’s Superman, Milly Alcock’s Kara Zor-El is set to take center stage in Supergirl, bringing one of DC’s most powerful heroes fully into the new DCU franchise. However, which of the Kryptonian cousins is the more powerful of the two?

Thanks to Earth’s yellow sun, Clark and Kara share the same baseline powers as all Kryptonians under the same conditions. As a result, this raises an interesting question about which hero might be stronger in the new DC Universe. However, the answer is less straightforward than one might think.

Trailers for the new Supergirl movie suggest a version of Kara who’s rougher around the edges compared to her cousin and is far less interested in directly following Superman’s example as a hero. Although Superman may currently have the advantage of experience, there are some good reasons to argue that Supergirl may possess even greater raw potential than her Kryptonian cousin.

Milly Alcock’s Supergirl Powers (And Kryptonian History) Explained

Like Superman, Kara Zor-El’s extraordinary abilities are derived from a yellow sun. This includes super strength, flight, invulnerability, enhanced senses, super speed, heat vision, freeze breath, and accelerated healing. These are the core powers fans have come to expect from Kryptonians, as seen in the original comics and on-screen.

Based on what we’ve seen so far from Kara in the DCU with her Superman cameo and trailers for the upcoming Supergirl movie, it’s been confirmed that Supergirl does possess the full repertoire of traditional Kryptonian powers. That said, the key difference between Kara and Clark’s strengths likely lies in their respective origins.

In light of Krypton’s destruction, Superman was sent to Earth as an infant by his parents, meaning his time on his homeworld was extremely limited. Conversely, Kara spent her entire childhood on Krypton before the planet was destroyed. Not only does this mean that she remembers far more than her cousin about Kryptonian society, language, and culture, given her firsthand experience, but it also means that the loss of Krypton and everyone she ever knew and loved undoubtedly weighs heavier.

Milly Alcock as Supergirl with guns pointed at her

The upcoming Supergirl film is drawing heavily from the iconic Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic series, so much so that the movie originally had the same name before the subtitle was dropped. Portraying Kara as someone struggling to manage their intense trauma and loss, Kara’s background as a survivor undoubtedly influences how she uses her power compared to Superman. Case in point, Supergirl’s trailers have already teased that Kara will be more impulsive than her cousin and will have far less restraint with her powers.

Likewise, there’s also an interesting biological argument to be made, as Kara spent more time under Krypton’s canonically heavier gravity before arriving on Earth. Since Superman arrived as a baby, his body adapted to Earth’s environment much earlier. Conversely, Kara spent years growing and developing under Krypton’s conditions before benefiting from Earth’s yellow sun like her cousin.

As a result, it’s been suggested in the comics that Kara’s physical potential may actually be higher than Superman’s, a concept that could easily be explored in the new DCU.

David Corenswet’s Superman Powers & Experience Explained

David Corenswet suited up as Superman in the Supergirl movie

As seen in James Gunn’s first DCU movie, David Corenswet’s Superman has already demonstrated why he’s considered one of the most powerful heroes in the DCU. Possessing the full range of Kryptonian abilities, audiences have already witnessed Clark Kent’s incredible strength, flight, heat vision, super speed, and more impressive powers.

While Kara has those same powers, what separates Superman and gives him the advantage is undoubtedly his experience. Clark has spent nearly his entire life on Earth learning how to live with his abilities. He grew up understanding their limitations, ceilings, and how to use them responsibly with careful restraint. For a Kryptonian, that matters quite a bit.

Superman’s greatest strength isn’t necessarily that he can punch harder than everyone else. It’s that he understands exactly how much force to use, calibrating his actions to avoid unnecessary harm or damage. Keeping that in mind, Superman’s best advantage over Supergirl likely isn’t physical strength, but skill and mastery.

While Kara Zor-El Supergirl is still fairly new to Earth and is figuring out exactly who she wants to be, Clark has already spent years refining what it means to be Superman.

Superman May Have More Experience, But Supergirl Has Higher Potential

While there may not be a fully definitive answer one way or the other, you can certainly argue that Superman has the upper hand over Supergirl, given his greater experience and skill with their shared powersets. He knows how to maximize his power and ability. That said, overall potential power output feels like it would be a win for Supergirl.

Historically, Supergirl has often been portrayed as someone with fewer psychological barriers than Superman, meaning she operates quite differently from her cousin when it comes to using their powers. Hopefully, the new Supergirl movie will depict this key distinction well, portraying Kara in a season of her life where she’s indeed more aggressive/impulsive, and less concerned with limiting herself as she travels the galaxy.

Seeing how Kara will be searching for an antidote to save Krypto the Super Dog in the new Supergirl movie (mirroring the Woman of Tomorrow comic), one can imagine that Kara won’t be demonstrating very much restraint once she gets her hands on the one who poisoned her dog: Krem of the Yellow Hills and his Brigands.

To that end, it seems like the DCU is leaning into this distinction if Supergirl’s trailers are any indication: “My cousin and I have very different ideas about what it means to be a hero.” Combined with the possibility that Kara’s Kryptonian upbringing gives her a higher physical ceiling, there’s a strong argument that Supergirl could ultimately be the more powerful of the two, at least in theory.

Regardless of who’s stronger/more powerful, it’s that distinction of character that makes Kara and Clark so uniquely compelling. Despite having the same Kryptonian abilities, Superman and Supergirl have typically wielded their powers very differently based on their respective origins and backgrounds.

Supergirl releases in theaters on June 26th from DC Studios.