Supergirl Can Finally Answer This 5-Year-Old DCU Canon Mystery

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The newest trailer for the Supergirl movie begins with Kara Zor-El watching a message from her cousin, Superman, confirming he’ll appear in the film, though his role will be small. Because the movie mostly takes place in space, it won’t be heavily connected to previous DC Universe stories set on Earth. However, it could reveal some interesting details about Superman’s past within the DC Universe.

The DC Universe (DCU) began as a fresh start after the previous DC Extended Universe didn’t quite succeed. However, it wasn’t a total reset. Some projects from the old universe, particularly those James Gunn was already working on, were kept as part of the new continuity. For example, the 2021 film The Suicide Squad still fits into the DCU, and introduced characters like Weasel and Peacemaker who will reappear. While most of The Suicide Squad works well within the DCU’s timeline, there’s still one detail about Superman that needs to be clarified.

Superman Was Wounded Off-Screen in The Suicide Squad

In The Suicide Squad, Idris Elba played Robert DuBois, a skilled assassin who goes by the name Bloodsport. He was brought into Task Force X after being jailed for seriously injuring Superman with a kryptonite bullet. When the movie came out, this referenced Henry Cavill’s Superman. Now that The Suicide Squad is part of the new DC Universe, fans are debating whether this event still applies to the new Superman, played by David Corenswet.

As a huge Superman fan, I’ve been following the debate about whether Bloodsport actually shot him. While it definitely looked bad, there’s a good argument to be made that it didn’t really count as Superman losing a fight. The new movie starts by saying Kal-El has never been defeated, but maybe the Bloodsport incident wasn’t a proper fight. It’s possible Bloodsport just caught him off guard, getting a shot in before Superman could even react – a surprise attack, not a loss in battle.

Kryptonite appears to be incredibly scarce in the DC Universe. In fact, Rick Flag Sr. stated in Superman that all known kryptonite on Earth had been eliminated. This rarity might be the reason for certain events. We see a similar situation in the Superman/Batman comics, where a storyline called “K (The Search for Kryptonite)” focused on Superman and his allies trying to remove all kryptonite from the world. Bloodsport’s recent attack could have motivated Superman to undertake a similar effort, possibly working with Supergirl.

Supergirl Can Tie the Canon of the DCU Together

Kryptonite likely still exists within the DC Universe, and the upcoming Supergirl movie, based on the Woman of Tomorrow comics, may show Kara encountering it. In the comics, Kara and her companion were stuck on a planet with a sun that emitted kryptonite radiation. This situation could allow Kara to recall a past incident where her cousin was seriously harmed by kryptonite—if that event happened within the established DC Universe timeline.

Whether Bloodsport actually shot Superman in the DC Universe isn’t really important on its own. Future movies or shows could easily change the story of why Bloodsport was arrested, or just avoid the topic altogether. But the fact that this one line from The Suicide Squad caused so much fan confusion highlights the risk of only doing a soft reboot of a cinematic universe. When you’re trying to create a connected franchise, it’s crucial for everything to stay consistent.

So far, the new DC Universe (DCU) has clearly explained which parts of the previous DC Extended Universe (DCEU) still apply to the current storylines, like with certain characters. However, some things are still unclear. The upcoming Supergirl movie has a chance to connect the two universes by explaining Superman’s past experiences with kryptonite. This would help audiences understand Bloodsport when he joins the DCU, and set the stage for future stories involving the Kryptonians’ biggest weakness.

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Supergirl’s DCU Secrets: Krypto, Kryptonite, and Canon Ties
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2026-04-09 16:09