Supergirl's final battle twist has DCU fans divided — genius move or major misfire?

So, the DC Universe is having another bash at the big screen, this time wheeling out 'Supergirl' for its global cinema run. After last year's 'Superman', it's the second real swing at rebooting this whole shared universe thing. If you care about spoilers, minor ones ahead – but nothing world-ending.

The Brass Tacks

'Supergirl' lands in cinemas on 25 June 2026, with the keen types getting their first look at Thursday night previews. This marks Milly Alcock's proper debut as Kara Zor-El, though she did pop up briefly in 'Superman'. Alongside her you've got Eve Ridley stepping into Ruthye Marye Knoll's shoes, and, for a bit of box office gravitas, Jason Momoa back in heavy makeup as Lobo.

Craig Gillespie is in the director's chair, and Ana Noguiera’s the one wielding the pen on this script. The story nicks a big chunk of inspiration from Tom King's 'Woman of Tomorrow' Superman run – so yes, we're looking at Kara and Ruthye off on a wild, spacier-than-usual road trip, all in the name of revenge. Classic comic stuff, but with a bit more intergalactic bus replacement appeal.

How's It Going Down?

Here comes the awkward bit. First reactions have rolled in and things are, let’s say, divided. On Rotten Tomatoes, critics have given it a 62% Tomatometer – not a disaster, but not really popping champagne, either. The audience seem a bit warmer, with a 75% Popcornmeter score. (If anyone is actually tracking these numbers for anything other than bragging rights, I’ll eat my hat.)

Milly Alcock and Jason Momoa, to be fair, have mostly escaped the doghouse and come in for solid praise. On the other hand, the script’s taken a pasting, and the visual effects haven’t got off lightly either.

The Scene Everyone's Moaning About

Now, here’s where things get a bit odd. Even before most people have seen the film, the final battle scene has already kicked off a row online. Basically, someone leaked a clip (yanked almost immediately) that revealed the climactic punch-up is set to 'The Middle' by Kelty Greye and KidMotel. If you haven’t heard it, it came out back in November 2023 and, well, let’s just say it’s not 'Highway to the Danger Zone'.

• @Columned_ on X: "Supergirl is instant WOAT [worst of all time] material" because of the song choice.
• Maxance Vincent (freelance journalist): Claimed the scene was so cringe, he 'disintegrated' in his seat. (That’s a specific emotional reaction if nothing else.)
• @VashKohmie: Thinks it’s possibly the worst use of a song in a film for at least 15 years.
• Emmett McMahon (The Direct Podcast): Swears this is 'genuinely the worst needle drop ever,' which, for superhero movie standards, is a big call.
• Then, finally, @MadisonRaeGun on the upside, reckons it's 'the best needle drop I’ve seen in ages.' So, divisive is putting it mildly.

Granted, superhero movies chucking in random pop songs during key fights is nothing new, but for whatever reason, this particular musical move has touched a nerve with the DCU lot.

What's Next?

So with all the griping over one minute of music, the real question is whether Alcock, Momoa and the rest of this lot can make something memorable out of the rest of the film. A handful of reviews have gone so far as to say it's a genuinely strong romp and DC Studios is clearly hoping it's got something big on its hands for the summer tentpole slot.