‘Supergirl’ Stinks. Why Does Hollywood Keep Failing Female Superheroes?

By Marlow Stern

Marlow Stern

Chief Correspondent

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There’s a scene toward the end of “Supergirl” that perfectly encapsulates how tonally inept it is. After what feels like an eternity, our Kryptonian hero, Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock), has quit drinking away her sorrows, embraced her superpowers, thrown on her cape and decided to whoop some evil ass. It’s a moment of triumph for the 23-year-old, whose planet-hopping party-girl persona had masked a deep pain stemming from the loss of her parents and home planet, and demands a rousing tune to mark the milestone. All of a sudden, the sound drops; the action slows to a crawl; and the deafening silence is broken by the strumming of an acoustic guitar, followed by a woman’s voice softly crooning the lyrics to “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World. It’s not only remarkably deflating but also one of the worst needle drops ever. And the man responsible is none other than James Gunn, the new steward of DC Studios.

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