With Milly Alcock as the new Supergirl, the DC Comics superheroine is getting a fresh start on the screens, beginning with Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl. The movie scheduled for release in June 2026 is based on Tom King’s comic miniseries, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (2021 – 2022). It will revolve around Kara Zor-El’s space adventure with Krypto the Superdog, her encounter with Ruthye Marye Knoll (Eve Ridley), and will serve as the second film in James Gunn’s DCU.
Alcock’s lively cameo in the 2025 Superman movie teased what’s to come. Her brief appearance promises a delightful portrayal of Superman’s cousin. Be that as it may, the jury is still out, and it’s left for the upcoming movie to determine Milly Alcock’s ranking among other performers who have embodied the character. Before Alcock, Helen Slater, Laura Vandervoort, Melissa Benoist, and Sasha Calle played the superheroine in live-action movies and TV shows. Where are they now?
1. Helen Slater, Supergirl (1984)
American actress Helen Slater was the first performer to portray the superheroine in a live-action film. She embodied a cheery Supergirl in Jeannot Szwarc’s eponymous 1984 superhero film. The movie pits Supergirl against an evil witch after visiting Earth in search of the Omegahedron, a powerful orb that powers her city. Although Slater’s performance earned her a Saturn Award nomination for Best Actress, the movie was panned, with her costars maligned for their performances.
Peter O’Toole and Faye Dunaway were nominated for Razzie Awards’ Worst Actor and Worst Actress, respectively. The film was also a commercial failure. It managed only $14.3 million against its $35 million production budget, compelling the Salkinds to dump their Superman film rights. Helen Slater played the role at the beginning of her career and went on to build a robust acting resume. Her recent television roles include Eliza Danvers, Kara’s foster mother in The CW’s Supergirl (2015 – 2021).
2. Laura Vandervoort, Smallville (2001 – 2011)
Laura Vandervoort was the first actress to portray the superheroine in a live-action television show. The Canadian actress played the coveted role in Smallville Season 7. While her time on the show was brief, being TV’s first Supergirl had a huge impact on Vandervoort’s career. It “was the beginning of a lot of growth for me,” she told Kryptonsite.
“Smallville was somewhat of a training ground for me as an actor and an individual… It allowed me to develop this fanbase that has been so great and loyal to me. This genre has also led the way for other character choices I have made,” added the actress. Since her time on the superhero series, Laura Vandervoort has starred in numerous small and big-screen projects, including Bitten (2014 – 2016), The Handmaid’s Tale (2021), and Kill Victoria (2024). She also played Indigo in three 2016 episodes of Supergirl (2015 – 2021).
3. Melissa Benoist, Supergirl (2015 – 2021)
As Supergirl in The CW’s eponymous series, Melissa Benoist attained a new height in her career. The American actress rose to television stardom during the six seasons Supergirl aired. Pulling in nearly 13 million viewers in its premiere, the show cemented Benoist’s Hollywood legacy, winning her Saturn’s Breakthrough Performance Award and Best Actress on a Television Series, among other coveted accolades.
Melissa Benoist has reprised the character in multiple shows since Supergirl. Between 2016 and 2020, she played the character in Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, and Caroline Dries’ Batwoman. Benoist has moved on from the role that preoccupied her career for six years. She played the lead in Max’s 2024 political drama The Girls on the Bus, and starred alongside Holt McCallany in Netflix’s The Waterfront (2025).
4. Sasha Calle, The Flash (2023)
Sasha Calle’s short-lived run as Supergirl was a disappointing outcome for her and fans who celebrated having a Latina actress as Kara Zor-El. She played the heroine in Andy Muschietti’s The Flash, as part of her multi-film contract with DC Studios. While her performance was well-received, the movie received mixed reviews and bombed at the box office. The Flash’s disappointing performance, alongside the decision to reboot the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), left Calle’s future as Supergirl hanging in the Balance.
Unfortunately, Gunn and Peter Safran decided to recast the role for DCU, and it went to Milly Alcock. It was a hard pill for Sasha, who admitted she was frustrated with the outcome. “I was so deeply in love with that role. I had a conversation about her future many times,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “When I signed onto that, it was for a multiple-picture deal. That’s a common thing when you sign onto a franchise. So it was very heartbreaking for me, and it was very confusing,” added the actress.
Sasha Calle has moved on from the disappointment, which was also her feature film debut. Since then, she has starred in Alessandra Lacorazza’s coming-of-age drama, In the Summers, and Daniel Minahan’s romance drama On Swift Horses. The latter won her the Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actress. Calle is billed to star alongside Matt Damon, Kyle Chandler, and Ben Affleck in Joe Carnahan’s The RIP, a drug crime action thriller scheduled for release in 2026. Check out what to expect from The Old Guard 3.
