Original Supergirl actress Helen Slater has celebrated Milly Alcock’s ‘astonishing’ portrayal of the character in Supergirl (2026).
Many decades ago, Helen Slater made the cinematic debut of Kora Zor-El in Supergirl (1984). Of course, that film was very different to what we saw most recently with Milly Alcock, and it was critically panned, but has maintained cult classic status among geeks.
Ever since she appeared in her solo movie, Slater never really continued her adventures as Supergirl. She went onto other adjacent roles, however, starring as Clark Kent’s biological mother, Lara, in the TV series Smallville, and as the adoptive mother Eliza Danvers in the CW’s Supergirl. She also notably made a cameo as her classic Supergirl in the 2023 movie The Flash.
All things considered, it feels like Milly Alcock’s character will have more staying power; mainly because superhero movies are a bigger business now than they’ve ever been. And, of course, James Gunn and Peter Safran have big ideas for the future of the DC Universe. At this point, we all know about the poor reception of Supergirl (2026). It has bombed at the box office — garnering $38 million domestically in its opening weekend, less than a third of Superman. Ratings have been mixed, but if there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that headline star Millie Alcock was phenomenal in the role, bringing copious amounts of charm and wisdom. She leads the film with style.
After seeing the movie, original Supergirl, Helen Slater, has celebrated Alcock’s electric performance. “I loved the new ‘Supergirl’ film,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “I thought Milly Alcock was astonishing – fierce, strong and great comic timing!”
In addition, the release of the new movie has prompted Slater to look back on her journey as Supergirl. “I was very scrawny when I got the part,” she recalled. “The trampolining was wild. I learned to do backflips on the trampoline, and then there’s an aerial ballet in the Supergirl film, which we practiced quite a lot.”
The ’80s Supergirl movie bombed at the box office too. “I know it didn’t do well because we didn’t make the second and third film,” Slater admitted. But at the time, she was way to busy working on other projects to be overly concerned with the movie’s performance. “As long as I was working, that seemed like the good news.”
Supergirl is now showing in theatres. Have you seen it? Give us all your thoughts in the comments down below!