Milly Alcock addressed Supergirl’s long-running status as a queer icon during the film’s promotional stop in Brazil, telling an interviewer she’s “honored” that fans connect with Kara Zor-El that way.
Speaking at the Rio de Janeiro press event for the DC Studios movie, Alcock was asked what it is about Kara that has inspired so many fans to embrace the character as a queer icon over the years.
Her answer leaned into the character’s refusal to be boxed in.
What Milly Alcock Said
“I’ve played a few characters that might have a potential queer through line. I have many queer friends. So honestly, I’m kind of honored,” Alcock said.
She continued, “I’m honored that that’s happening, but I think because she doesn’t live inside the binary of what we think a woman should be, that is what makes it so special and so exciting and so new.”
Asked further about the idea, the actress agreed it tracked with her own read on the character: “And yeah, I kind of thought that as well. I was like, she wouldn’t. She’d do what she’d want to do in that regard anyway.”
In another interview, responding to similar questioning, Alcock adds that what makes Supergirl “beautiful” is that it’s not “centered around a man, it’s not centered around love at all.”
Supergirl’s History With Queer And Female Fans
The question didn’t come out of nowhere.
Supergirl has long carried significance for women, queer fans, and gender-diverse readers who see in Kara’s story a narrative about self-definition and carving out an identity separate from Superman.
This version, adapted from Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, leans hard into Kara as a messy, independent character who does things her own way.
A Closely Watched Press Tour
The comments land in the middle of a press tour that has drawn a wide range of reactions.
Alcock’s earlier remarks about women existing in franchise spaces and her other interview answers have been picked apart from multiple directions online. DC Studios’ Peter Safran has publicly backed the actress through the noise.
The Brazil stop itself has been a busy one, generating red-carpet coverage, a World Cup jersey moment, a Gorilla Grodd reveal, Justice League and DCU Batman talk, and an exchange.
Supergirl Opens June 26
How any of it translates at the box office is the open question. Supergirl opens June 26, where it’s currently tracking behind Toy Story 5‘s second weekend, with projections that have come in under The Flash in some models.
The film hits theaters in Brazil on June 25 and in the U.S. on June 26. For everything we know, head on over to our Supergirl 2026 guide.
