The second DCU movie, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow could stand to learn an important lesson from David Corenswet's Superman suit reveal. After Superman's release in July 2025, the DCU's cinematic offerings will continue with the first live-action solo Supergirl movie since 1984's ill-fated Supergirl. Sasha Calle's version of Supergirl was the latest to feature on the big screen, appearing as a secondary character in 2023's The Flash, while Milly Alcock will take up the mantle in 2026's Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.
Before Alcock's solo outing, Superman will be the first movie to kick off the DCU with David Corenswet in the titular role. While the release date is just under a year away, details about Superman have been steadily emerging - with Corenswet's Superman costume reveal being among the earliest of these. As yet, Supergirl's supersuit has not been revealed, but before DC Studios decides to do so, it should learn an important lesson from how Corenswet's reveal was handled.
DC's Supergirl Costume Reveal Should Be Better Executed Than Superman's
Superman's Costume Reveal Was Unusual
This felt like a particularly unusual and risky way to debut the appearance of the DCU's flagship character - something which was compounded by the fact that Henry Cavill's costume was so widely praised.
Costume reveals have become an important tradition within the superhero genre. As soon as Superman was announced, anticipation for Corenswet's costume reveal built over several months before it finally emerged in a promotional image in May. Unfortunately, approval for the look was far from widespread, which was not helped by the image's composition. The image shows Corenswet's Superman hunched over as he dons the suit, while the shadows and color palette make it difficult to see the suit - particularly his iconic cape - in all of its glory.
This felt like a particularly unusual and risky way to debut the appearance of the DCU's flagship character - something which was compounded by the fact that Henry Cavill's costume was so widely praised. It is also something that DC should avoid replicating with Supergirl when it is time for her to take center stage ahead of her solo movie in 2026. Thankfully, DC does have a pretty good track record when it comes to costume reveals, suggesting the studio can still pull it off.
DC Has Had Some Great Costume Reveals In The Past
The Batman And Birds Of Prey Stuck The Landing
DC Studios is certainly capable of pulling off some captivating costume reveals with examples dating back to its earliest cinematic offerings. Michael Keaton's Batman remains one of the most iconic superhero costume reveals of all time, which was no doubt aided by the fact that Batman had yet to be adapted into live-action. This reveal preceded modern practices of making a bigger fuss around revealing superhero costumes, however, with two stand-out examples coming within the last five years.
The costume reveal for one of Keaton's successors, Robert Pattinson, showed how revealing a costume as part of a video works particularly well. A minute-long promotional clip for The Batman depicts Pattinson stepping out from the shadows in his unique Batman costume as the movie's theme plays in the background. This helped to establish both the tone and the imagery audiences could expect from The Batman.
Two years prior, the DCEU achieved something similar with the costume reveals for 2020's Birds of Prey. This production showcased the outfits donned by the titular team by cycling through them in action as though part of a photo shoot. In both this case and The Batman's, the reveals allowed a far more detailed and exhaustive showcase of their costumes in motion instead of confining them to a still image with a more questionable composition.
When Will DC Reveal Their New Supergirl Costume?
Supergirl Might Appear In Superman
It remains unclear where Milly Alcock's Kara Zor-El will debut in the DCU. Rumors have suggested that she will debut in the franchise ahead of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow - specifically in Superman, which wrapped filming recently. While James Gunn debunked rumors that Alcock was part of the production when principal photography was underway, he has stopped short of denying that Supergirl will appear in Superman. If Kara is, in fact, due to debut in Superman, then this could be where audiences get an initial look at her costume, perhaps as part of a post-credits scene.
A more likely scenario, however, is that DC Studios will reveal the costume for Supergirl as part of a promotional image (or video) similar to Corenswet's Superman. This is because principal photography for Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is likely to begin ahead of Superman's release in July. DC is likely to reveal Alcock's costume, therefore, to get ahead of set photo leaks during the filming process. When exactly that will be, though, remains to be seen.
