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The official Supergirl trailer begins with Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock) receiving a video message from her Kryptonian cousin, who says he misses her and wants to hear back from her. This suggests a decent amount of time passes between Superman and Supergirl (though we know the latter is still set before Man of Tomorrow), but it also gives a clear indication of Clark Kent’s role in the movie, and that it won’t be an outsized one.
The DCU Is Getting Its Shared Universe Right With Superman
It’s difficult to imagine that Superman’s entire role in the movie would be shown in a trailer, so I assume there’ll be a little more to it, but not by much. The logical outcome here would be for the character to effectively bookend the story: it begins with him calling Kara, and then it ends with him appearing again, either once more trying to get in touch with her, or her finally returning his call (but either way, it’ll likely be played for laughs).
It makes sense to have Corenswet’s Big Blue Boy Scout involved, and not just from a marketing perspective (though it should help there). As with Supergirl appearing at the end of Superman, this is a very organic way of having the characters crossover. It makes the DC Universe feel more like a lived-in world where these characters’ stories continue off-screen, even after the credits have rolled. They’re cousins, they should be interacting, and this is a sensible way of doing it that’s in keeping with the characterization of both in the DCU thus far.
At the same time, it also ensures that one never overshadows the other. If Superman were involved in the main plot of Supergirl, it’d inevitably mean he dominated proceedings and took some of the spotlight away from her in her own movie. By keeping him to the margins, it’s able to have the fun of his cameo, without doing too much and distracting from the most important character in the film. It also cleverly avoids any “where was Superman?” questions, which could potentially arise as the narrative progresses.
