Supergirl: Over 50 Easter Eggs And DC References

James Gunn's DC Universe continues to expand with Supergirl, the second movie in the brand-new cinematic universe starring Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El and Eve Ridley as young Ruthye Marye Knoll. Building upon the foundations of 2025's Superman, Supergirl is packed with a large collection of Easter eggs, references, callbacks to the critically acclaimed Woman of Tomorrow series, and ties to the greater DCU at large.

While some of the references and connections in Supergirl are easier to spot than others, some are pretty well hidden and are more subtle. Largely inspired by Tom King and Bilquis Evely's 8-issue Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow series, several key characters and moments from the beloved comic were adapted for this new DCU movie. Keeping that in mind, here's our breakdown of all the biggest Easter eggs, references, cameos, and DCU connections we spotted during our first watch of 2026's Supergirl from director Craig Gillespie.

The Biggest Easter Eggs, References, Cameos, and DCU Connections In Supergirl

Superman Newspaper — The newspaper Kara has laid out for Krypto to do his business features headlines about her cousin's superheroics (and a smaller side column covering her own).

Holzzher — One of the planets featured in Supergirl is named Holzzher, named after DC editor Brittany Holzherr, who worked on the original Woman of Tomorrow comic.

Krem & The Brigands — While the DCU's Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts) is a large visual departure from the Krem of the Yellow Hills seen in the comics, it's also revealed that he's a key leader of the Brigands. In Woman of Tomorrow, Krem joined the Brigands after he poisoned Krypto and stole Kara's ship.

Ruthye Marie Knoll's Murdered Family — In Woman of Tomorrow, it was only Ruthye's father who was slain by Krem, while her mother and multiple brothers lived.

Red Sun People — While drunk on her 23rd birthday, Kara wonders if she and Krypto should just become "Red Sun People", a reference to her lack of powers and ability to get drunk on planets orbiting red suns, something that was first confirmed in the DCU during her cameo in 2025's Superman.

A Valuable Sword — Armed with the sword Krem used to kill her father, it's revealed that Ruthye's blade is quite strong and valuable, just like in Woman of Tomorrow. However, the sword originally belonged to Krem in the comic series, with Ruthye's father and entire family being simple rock farmers. Elias Knoll being a gifted and renowned swordsmith is brand-new for the DCU canon.

"I'm Just Worried You Won't Find Your Stride In Metropolis" — Clark's concern for her cousin ties to his worries at the end of 2025's Superman, while also implying that Kara has a place to live somewhere in the Man of Steel's city.

“Hey, look, I’m bleeding.” — Despite being on a red sun world (and very drunk), Kara still manages to be surprised when the brute who tried stealing Ruthye's sword hits her and causes her to bleed, mirroring a very similar opening scene in Woman of Tomorrow.

Krypto Poisoned — Mirroring Woman of Tomorrow, Krem shoots Krypto the Super Dog with a uniquely poisoned arrow, causing Kara's loyal dog to be critically wounded thanks to the red sun.

Zor-El & Alura — Supergirl debuts the DCU's Zor-El and Alura, Kara's parents, played by David Krumholtz and Emily Beecham. Zor-El was the brother of Superman's father, Jor-El.

Haulferry — Needing a new ride off the red sun planet after Krem and his Brigands steal Kara's ship, Kara and Ruthye hitch a ride on a haulferry, bearing a pretty close resemblance to the one seen in Woman of Tomorrow.

Seth Rogen Cameos As An Alien Co-Pilot — The short alien co-pilot driving the haulferry is voiced by none other than Seth Rogen, an incredibly funny surprise addition to Supergirl's cast (though it would have been nice to have seen Rogen in a more significant DCU role).

Sleeping Passenger — Alien passengers nodding off and sleeping on Ruthye and Kara's shoulders was an ongoing issue in Woman of Tomorrow as well.

Sklarian Raiders — The all-female band of tech-pirates known as the Sklarian Raiders hail from the original comics, first appearing in 1977's Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #233

Robot Spiders — What's new for the Sklarians in the DCU is their use of a robotic spider horde, leading me to see their inclusion as a likely nod to Tim Burton and Nicolas Cage's unfinished and unreleased movie Superman Lives, which would have featured giant robotic spiders. This also connects to the controversial Nicolas Cage Superman homage in 2023's The Flash.

“I Have A Plan…Kind Of” — Supergirl's half-baked plan line feels very reminiscent of Star-Lord's "I have part of a plan" and "12%" lines from James Gunn's first Guardians of the Galaxy movie in the MCU.

Planet Bilquis & Evely — Another named planet in Supergirl is named Bilquis, with its capital city of Evely, collectively referencing Woman of Tomorrow artist Bilquis Evely.

Supergirl vs Superwoman — While Kara doesn't have a proper answer for Ruthye as to why she's "Supergirl" and Clark is "Superman" when her cousin is only 10 years older than she is, it does help confirm that Kara is actually younger than Clark in the DCU, flipping the typical dynamic seen in the comics.

“Anyone Want To Leave?” — Before the bar fight scene after the arm wrestling match, Kara asks if anyone wants to leave before the brawl actually starts, which should bring to mind the same question asked by Steve Rogers' Captain America during The Winter Soldier's iconic elevator scene.

The Titanic — Telling the bar's performers to keep singing and playing like it's the Titanic, which did see a group of violinists continuing to play even as the ship was sinking.

Lobo Killed His Entire Planet — Jason Momoa's DCU debut as the intergalactic bounty hunter Lobo sees Kara confirming that the Czarnian killed his entire planet, just like his classic comic origins and horrific act of global genocide.

“Gotcha, Bastich!” — Lobo's classic expletive from the comics is said multiple times in 2026's Supergirl.

“Clark Sees The Good, I See The Truth” — Kara's comments about Clark's unwavering optimism track incredibly well with Lois Lane's comments about Kal-El in 2025's Superman, saying that Clark trusts everyone and thinks everyone he's ever met is beautiful. ("Maybe that's the real punk rock"). Likewise, the line from Supergirl perfectly shows the key distinction between the Kryptonian cousins.

“Krypton Didn’t Die In A Day. The Gods Are Not That Kind” — A brutally tragic line, Kara's comment about the gods not being kind enough to end Krypton quickly comes straight from writer Tom King and Woman of Tomorrow.

Red Leaves of Krypton — Alura is shown watching red leaves fall from the trees on Krypton before its destruction. Later, her casket is filled with the same leaves, a key tie to Woman of Tomorrow when Kara remembers her childhood watching the planet's red-and-blue leaves.

Kal-El, “Conqueror Of Worlds” — Alura says she can't believe that little Kal-El will become a "conqueror of worlds", connecting to the Kryptonian message twist in 2025's Superman that Jor-El and Lara sent their son to rule Earth as a New Krypton.

Great Rao — "Great Rao" is heard during the chaos of Krypton's destruction, the sun god worshiped by Kryptonians in the original comics.

Argo City — Sealed away under a massive domed force field created by Kara's father, Argo City breaks free from Krypton, surviving for years after the primary planet's destruction (just like in the original comics).

Kryptonite Soil — Tragically, the Kryptonians of Argo City suffer the same fate as they do in the comics, with Kryptonite-infected soil gradually killing the population in the years following Krypton's destruction.

“I Am One Tiny Life” — Kara's line to her father evokes a similar line said by both Kara and Ruthye at different points in Woman of Tomorrow: "It's too big. We're too small." It also connects to young Clark Kent's line to his mother in 2013's Man of Steel: "The world's too big, Mom."

“Just Be Good” — Alura's final poignant words to her daughter before her death are the same as those she shares in Woman of Tomorrow. However, the sentiments are expanded in the DCU, with Alura telling Kara that she doesn't always have to be nice, kind, or perfect, but that she should always be good no matter what.

Spacehog — Lobo's live-action "Spacehog" is pretty impressive, a flying hover bike that serves as his classic mode of transport in the comics.

Gutting Hook — During the first major fight with the Brigands, Lobo wields a massive gutting hook on a chain, his signature weapon from the comics.

Lobo’s Cigars — While Jason Momoa confirmed he used fake cigars to be healthy while still honoring Lobo's accurate habits on screen, the actor notably had a real cigar in the video he posted on social media when he was first given a copy of Supergirl's script.

Supergirl’s Scream — After Krem kills an entire family that Kara and Ruthye tried to save before escaping with his Brigands, Supergirl flies up into space for a massive (yet silent) scream, mirroring a similar moment of frustration and grief from Supergirl in Woman of Tomorrow after similarly witnessing the horrors of the Brigands she was unable to prevent.

Squidward — Kara calls one of the aliens working for the Brigands "Squidward", an apt name given the alien's appearance, while also bringing to mind the MCU's past use of the Squidward name from SpongeBob when Iron Man first faced the Ebony Maw in Infinity War.

Barenton — A planet that first appeared in Woman of Tomorrow, Barenton orbited a kryptonite-infected green sun, severely weakening Kara and nearly killing her. In the comic, Barenton was an artificially created world specifically meant to trap and kill Superman. The Man of Steel claimed it was his "closest brush with death" post-Doomsday after spending 45 minutes on the world before he was rescued by the Justice League. Kara had to spend 10 hours, with the same seemingly being true for the DCU's version, before the green sun set and a yellow sun rose to restore Supergirl.

Fortress of Solitude — Flashbacks to Kara's first arrival on Earth see her meeting and being welcomed by her cousin as he leads her to the Fortress of Solitude, looking as impressive as it did in 2025's Superman.

The Daily Planet — The flashback continues to see Kara living in Metropolis with Krypto, having a perfect view of the city and The Daily Planet building in particular, large golden globe and all.

Kara’s Black & Orange Headphones — Seeking to block out the noise of the city in the flashback, Kara puts on a pair of black headphones with orange earpads, looking suspiciously like the headphones the MCU's Star-Lord had with his Walkman in the first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies.

Ruthye Protecting Kara — While there are sadly no alien dinosaurs, a key shot of Ruthye watching over Kara on Barenton is ripped straight out of the pages of Woman of Tomorrow.

"I’m The B**** Whose Dog You Shot" — Kara introducing herself to Krem in the DCU aligns very well with her introduction in the comics: "Hello, I'm Supergirl. And you're Krem of the Yellow Hills. You shot my f***ing dog."

Kryptonite Arrows — Krem uses Kryptonite arrows to attack Kara with no real explanation as to where he got the deadly mineral. This is not unlike in the CW's Arrowverse when Oliver Queen suddenly had a kryptonite arrow to shoot a Nazi version of Supergirl, even though the good Supergirl originally came from another Earth as well.

Kara Ragdolling Krem — During the major final action sequence, there's a moment where Supergirl absolutely rag-dolls Krem, swinging and slamming him repeatedly into the ground, not unlike when Kal-El fought The Engineer in the baseball stadium in 2025's Superman.

“The Middle” — While a softer rendition of "The Middle" plays during Supergirl's epic slo-mo sequence, it's a fun piece of trivia that James Gunn included the original version of "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World as part of his official Clark Kent character playlist on Spotify.

Supergirl Echoes Superman (Dust) — There's a great shot near the end of the final battle where Kara rises out of the dust, mirroring a similar iconic shot of Clark after he saved a woman in her car in 2025's Superman.

Killing Krem — At the end of Supergirl, Kara surprisingly kills the DCU's Krem by driving Ruthye's sword into his chest. While this is what an elderly Ruthye says happened in the book she wrote at the end of Woman of Tomorrow, this was simply to prevent The Brigands from seeking their code-bound revenge. In truth, Krem's life was spared, given a centuries-long sentence in The Phantom Zone before he was eventually let out, begging for forgiveness and showing complete remorse for the monster he'd once been.

Krypto Tackles — Krypto immediately tackles Kara after receiving the antidote, creating a perfect parallel to Superman's ending when the superpowered pup similarly tackled Supergirl with equal amounts of immense force and affection.

Reuniting With Clark — Returning to Earth and visiting Clark's apartment at the end of Supergirl, the Kryptonian cousins sit down and talk in the same chairs where he and Lois talked before the Man of Steel turned himself in to save Krypto in 2025's Superman.

“This Last Guy” — Seeing as how nearly a year has passed since the events of Superman, it's fun to imagine which "guy" it was that Clark could have used Kara's help with. Was it Parasite? Metallo? Mister Mxyzptlk? Perhaps one day we'll be told the specifics.

Supergirl is now playing in theaters from DC Studios.