Supergirl ugly discourse is happening again, and I need everyone involved to touch grass immediately. The internet has decided that Milly Alcock doesn’t look right for the role of Kara Zor-El, and the takes are ranging from “she’s not pretty enough” to full-blown conspiracy theories about Hollywood trying to destroy feminine beauty. It’s exhausting, it’s misogynistic, and it’s the same tired nonsense we’ve seen with every female-led superhero project since forever.
Supergirl ugly comments started circulating after the first trailer dropped, because apparently some people think Supergirl should look like a Victoria’s Secret model who also happens to have super strength. They point to Melissa Benoist’s CW version or Laura Vandervoort’s Smallville take as the “correct” look, as if there’s only one way to be a Kryptonian. Never mind that the comic version of Supergirl has been drawn dozens of different ways over the decades. Never mind that the character is an alien who crash-landed on Earth and grew up isolated from human society. Never mind that maybe, just maybe, an actress should be cast for her ability to portray trauma and resilience rather than her ability to fit a narrow beauty standard.
What’s particularly annoying about this Supergirl ugly backlash is that it ignores what the movie is actually doing. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is based on Tom King’s comic run, which deliberately deconstructed the character’s traditional portrayal. This isn’t the bright, cheerful Supergirl from the Silver Age. This is a Kara Zor-El who watched her planet die, who grew up on a fragment of Krypton where everyone she loved turned to dust, who arrives on Earth already broken and angry. She’s not supposed to look like a pageant queen. She’s supposed to look like someone who has survived hell.
Milly Alcock has the intensity for this role. If you watched House of the Dragon, you know she can play complicated, damaged young women with layers of rage and vulnerability. Her Rhaenyra Targaryen was messy, impulsive, and deeply human—exactly the energy this Supergirl needs. The fact that she doesn’t look like previous versions of the character is a feature, not a bug.
The “ugly” comments are also deeply hypocritical. Nobody said Ben Affleck was too ugly for Batman. Nobody complained that Robert Pattinson wasn’t handsome enough. Male actors are allowed to be interesting-looking, to have character in their faces, to be cast for their talent rather than their cheekbones. But female actors still have to pass a public beauty pageant before they’re allowed to play heroes.
Supergirl ugly discourse needs to die. It’s 2026. We’ve had Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, Black Widow, and dozens of other female heroes prove that audiences show up for great characters regardless of whether the actress matches some random internet user’s fantasy. The movie comes out June 26. Judge it then. Until then, maybe log off and examine why you feel so entitled to police women’s appearances.
See Supergirl ugly comments debunked in theaters June 26—watch Milly Alcock prove that heroism has nothing to do with fitting outdated beauty standards.
Also Read: Masters of the Universe Poster Is Pure 80s Nostalgia