u/Obadaya

First, I saw the 1st Lanterns episode late last night, and I immediately watched the replay again at 2:00am because it was SO good.

But I'm struck that Hal Jordan in this show seems like a drunk, burnt out version of the heroic superhero he once was, exceedingly competent, but jaded and just sort of going through the motions - exactly the kind of character Supergirl was in the 2026 movie, and yet I keep seeing repeated comments of how unlikeable a drunk, rude, Kara is, but people are falling all over themselves over Hal.

This is just hilarious to me how forgiving the audience is to one, but not the other. 😆

[SPOILER]

Is it just me, or does this sequence with Lobo and Supergirl on the Brigand deck hit WAY harder without the original party music in the background? I've said before this movie feels like an R rated film edited to PG-13, but this, even with the lack if blood, feels pretty up there. 🤔

[SPOILER]

So, with the Digital Release there's a new extended shopping scene between Kara and Ruthie at the space bus stop where Kara describes her initial plan to >!defeat Krem, let Ruthie yell at him, them call in The Vanguard and have Krem imprisoned in the Phantom Zone for life.!< So her original journey in this movie is from that to >!execution!< which seems like a REALLY big grim deal to me for a member of the Super fam.

We are WAY past exigent circumstances in this story. 👀

First, I like the movie. So far I've seen it 4 times (I've got AMC+ so it didn't cost $100), and I enjoyed it every time I watched it for the acting, VFX effects, story arc (even though it's a lil sus), jokes, and fight scenes - especially the one on Bilquis in the house. The movie works because the scenes generally follow a pattern you expect in a superhero movie, but they don't really make sense as a story if you spend too much time thinking about them.

This plot has always seemed off. If you've seen any of my other posts you'll know why, but I'll consolidate the major issues I have here:

• >!Why does there appear to be no local law enforcement going after the Brigands after they invade planets Holzherr and Bilquis?!<
• >!If the Brigands stole all Ruthye's family's weapons, where did she get the family sword?!<
• >!Ruthye says Kara is always drunk, but she only saw her drunk in the first bar scene.!<
• >!Why does Kara talk to Ruthye like she knows what it's like to kill someone?!<
• >!If the Brigands are kidnapping women to continue their all male race, where are their kids on that ship?!<
• >!How does Krem know Kara is Kryptonian, and what her weaknesses are?!<
• >!Why does the movie seem to shy away from all the killing Kara does, EXCEPT for Krem?!<

SPECULATION on my part: I think this used to be an R-Rated story that got chopped up to make it simpler and PG-13. This is my reconstruction of what this story used to be:

• >!Lack of a law enforcement response is pretty easy to answer: the story takes place in frontiers and failed states, where locals have to decide on their own how to handle criminals like this, and they've basically chosen to try to reinforce their own homes rather than risk an attack. I think Ruthye was there when the decision was made and that's where she acquired the sword from her Aunt. Scenes cut for time.!<
• >!I think Kara is much more into self-medication than the story lets on. I think she was still drinking while she was under the lingering effects of the red sun on the space bus when the pirates attacked. Scene cut because it makes the story/character too dark and self destructive.!<
• >!Kara actually killed someone, probably a villain, on Earth, it did mess her up, and that's part of why she is drunk and partying, because that memory haunts her. She feels like she is not living up to her parents' ideals spoken in the flashbacks. Scene cut because it makes the story too dark.!<
• >!People describe Krem as basically a Temu Mad Max villain, but Mad Max is the story of what happens after the collapse of society. What if Krem's backstory is that he and his band of Brigands are the last survivors of their society, but instead of being refugees on a planet they became the antithesis of Kara and Kal, and turned in vicious, misogynists raiders? This makes them a very elegant, dark contrast to to the Kryptonians. Scenes cut to simplify villains.!<
• >!Krem being a survivor means that he is resourceful, and is able to quickly piece together what Kara is based on her abilities displayed on Bilquis. Scenes cut to reduce runtime.!<
• >!Finally, there is Supergirl's violence. If you watch Superman, it takes greats pains to show that most of the people Superman fights are still alive after the fight. This movie does not do that with Supergirl. She punches, kicks, and stabs a bunch of Brigands on Bilquis and on Barenton, and the movie never shows them again at all. Doesn't show them dead, doesn't show them groaning and unconscious. I think they're dead, and all that was cut so the movie would seem less violent and get a PG-13 rating. I think that was originally why Kara screamed on Bilquis, not because of her confrontation with Ruthye or the one dead family, but because of all the destruction and death that she is once again caused and been made a part of.!<

If you put all that together, Supergirl's story seems much more logical, but much darker. >!She's not only grieving for her lost civilization, she's grieving because she can't live up to her parents' vision of her, while Kal somehow can. Ruthye's speech on Bilquis makes her realise that she is, and the final scene with Krem means she has come to terms with that, and can spare Ruthye the burden that she is going through. !<

>!Kara also just killed what she could have turned in to.!<