The new DC Universe franchise kicks off this year with Superman, followed by Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow next year, and appropriately, Warner Bros. just made its classic 1984 Supergirl movie available to stream on Max. Supergirl starring Helen Slater as Kara Zor-El was added to the Max catalog on January 1st and is there for subscribers now. Whether you’re a nostalgic long-time fan or a student of superhero history, now is the time to revisit this one.

Supergirl is a part of the continuity established by the 1978 Superman movie starring Christopher Reeve. It takes place after the events of Superman III and is the penultimate movie in this series before Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Supergirl was a critical and commercial flop in its time, even earning two Golden Raspberry Award (Razzie) nominations. These days, DC fans are used to this kind of disappointment and may find something to like in this quirky movie.

These four Superman films and Supergirl were produced by Ilya Salkind, who persuaded his father and co-producer Alexander to purchase the film rights to Superman in 1974. There are many reports that the Salkinds had contentious relationships with other creatives on these projects — particularly director Richard Donner. Ilya wrote a treatment for Superman III that would have introduced Supergirl in a very convoluted manner, but his ideas were reined in by studio intervention.

Instead, Supergirl was introduced in her own film the following year. The movie was written by David Odell and directed by Jeannot Szwarc – neither of whom had worked on the previous three films. It finds Kara living in Argon City — a Kryptonian community that survived the planet’s destruction by transporting itself into an alternate dimension. When that city’s power source is accidentally launched toward Earth, Kara takes a ship to go after it. In the process, she becomes Supergirl, taking after her long-lost cousin.

Superman does not appear in this movie, though Marc McClure reprises his role as Jimmy Olsen. We also meet Lois Lane’s younger sister, Lucy, played by Maureen Teefy. Beyond that, connections to the Superman films are tenuous at best. The story is mostly about Kara’s battle with a witch named Selena (Faye Dunaway) for control of Argo’s power source and for the affection of a young man named Ethan (Hart Bochner). In the end, Kara returns to Argo, leaving her future involvement in the series questionable.

What Went Wrong With Supergirl?

DC’s “The Flash” movie paid (CGI) Homage to Christopher Reeve & Helen Slater
The original plan was for Christopher Reeve to make a cameo appearance in this movie as Superman, but the actor bowed out of the project early on. Instead, we see a news broadcast explaining that Superman is currently off the planet on an unspecified “peace-seeking mission.” Meanwhile, Supergirl did not make an appearance in Superman IV, leaving this spinoff generally disconnected from the rest of the franchise.

Supergirl earned a total of $14.3 million at the global box office against a $35 million production budget. Critics tore into Dunaway’s performance as the villain Selena, as well as Peter O’Toole’s portrayal of the Argonian wizard Zaltar. At the time of this writing, the movie has a dismal 8% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average score of 3.4 out of 10. The audience score is a little more generous at 26% fresh, and retrospective critics have been kinder to the movie in recent years, which has actually driven its average score up.

Revisiting Supergirl now could be a fun way for many fans to prepare for the DCU to take off this summer. Even if you’re not tempted to watch it on its own, a completionist must include it in a binge-watch — all four Superman movies starring Reeve are on Max as well, along with the belated sequel Superman Returns.

However you prepare, Superman hits theaters on July 11th, followed by Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow on June 26, 2026.