Supergirl season 7 isn't happening, but Kara Zor-el is returning to the DCU - just not in her own Arrowverse show starring Melissa Benoist.
With Sasha Calle's Kara Zor-el set to make her DCU debut in The Flash, many are looking back at Melissa Benoist's Kara Danvers and wondering whySupergirl season 7 never happened. Supergirl ended after season 6, and delayed final season suffered from many problems out of the production's control. Beginning its first season on CBS before moving over to CW, Melissa Benoist's Kara Danvers was not only the star of Supergirl but appeared in multiple CW events too, including Elseworlds, Crisis on Earth-X, Invasion!, and Crisis on Infinite Earths. However, despite Supergirl's popularity, The CW canceled it — along with many other Arrowverse shows — in the wake of the WB Discovery merger.
Like many Arrowverse shows, Supergirl had a loyal following, but the viewership wasn't large enough to keep network execs happy. Other than the low ratings, star Melissa Benoist's pregnancy delayed production on Supergirl season 6. When the 2020 pandemic hit these delays were exacerbated considerably. This caused the studio, cast, and crew to come to the decision to end with a longer finale. While that closed the door on Supergirl's solo show, the character is about to return in two different movies in the DCU. This is huge news for fans of Supergirl, but definitely isn't the Supergirl season 7 Arrowverse viewers hoped for.
Low Ratings Killed Supergirl
The main reason for the Supergirl season 7 cancelation was low ratings, which peaked at three million viewers in season 2 and was down to half of that for season 5. Things got worse at the end of season 5 for the DC hero, with another massive drop with only 700,000 live viewers. With waning viewership at an all-time low at the end of Supergirl season 5, it's difficult for the studio to justify going beyond the sixth season. With a year and a half gap between seasons, audiences still clinging to the return of the show were already stretched thin. Ending the show on a high note and getting a complete finale was ultimately a gift for Supergirl.
Benoist expressed she loved working with her Arrowverse co-stars and exited the show with amicable relationships with all involved. However, it marked the end of the road for the actress and her role as Supergirl, and the door closing on Supergirl season 7. Benoist failing to appear Superman & Lois proved to be especially discouraging for fans of the DC Comics superhero, since that particular version of Superman was introduced on her show. However, the DC Universe at The CW is dwindling to almost nothing, and with the new movies and streaming series James Gunn and Peter Safran have set up, it is time for a new Woman of Tomorrow.
Supergirl Is Returning In Two DCU Movies
While there won't be a Supergirl season 7, a new DCU version of Supergirl is coming in two different movies. The first, played by Sasha Calle, arrives in 2023 in The Flash. This movie is part of the prior regime at Warner Bros. and will feature Sasha Calle as Supergirl in the movie where Ezra Miller's Flash sets up a Flashpoint event and changes time. Some fans expect this to be how Warner Bros. resets the DCEU and starts the new DCU that will arrive in 2024 and beyond.
There is no word yet on whether Calle will return as Supergirl for the character's next appearance, which will be her own stand-alone movie. This movie has the title Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and it is expected to arrive possibly in 2025. Woman of Tomorrow was revealed as part of James Gunn and Peter Safran's new slate of DCU movies and shows, revealed alongside Superman: Legacy, a Batman and Robin movie based on the comics of Grant Morrison, and an Amazon movie set in Wonder Woman's homeland of Themyscira.
The movie will also be a very different Supergirl. While Melissa Benoist played an idyllic Supergirl who was a light in the world, the new Supergirl could be closer to darker iterations of the comic-book Kara — a more hardened character perhaps better suited to a DCU chapter titled Gods & Monsters. While Superman was raised by a loving family, Supergirl lived alone on a rock after Krypton exploded. She watched all her loved ones die, and in many stories, she subsequently arrives on Earth with a lot of baggage. James Gunn has not revealed if Calle will play this Supergirl, and it's likely a decision hasn't yet been made. Either way, one thing that is certain is that the new DCU Supergirl won't be Melissa Benoist, nor will Supergirl season 7 appear on the slate of upcoming DCU shows.
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