Helen Slater Just Gave Milly Alcock the Ultimate Supergirl Seal of Approval
Helen Slater Just Gave Milly Alcock the Ultimate Supergirl Seal of Approval — Here’s Why It Matters
When the original Supergirl tells you the new one nailed it, people listen.Helen Slater, who first put on the cape as Kara Zor-El back in 1984, has publicly backed Milly Alcock’s take on the character in Craig Gillespie’s 2026 Supergirl — and her words are landing at exactly the moment Alcock needs them most.
What Helen Slater Actually Said
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Slater didn’t hold back. “I loved the new Supergirl film,” she said, adding that she found Alcock “astonishing,” and praising her for being fierce, strong, and bringing genuine comic timing to the role.She also made a broader point about why these reboots matter in the first place: superhero myths, in her view, are supposed to keep changing. New interpretations, she argued, are what keep a character like Kara Zor-El alive across generations instead of freezing her in one era.It’s not the first time Slater has shown up for Alcock, either. When Alcock’s casting as the new Kara was announced back in 2024, Slater was quick to post a warm, supportive message congratulating the Australian actress — well before a single frame of the movie had been shot.
Why the Timing Matters
Slater’s comments didn’t arrive in a vacuum. The 2026 Supergirl opened domestically to roughly $37–38 million — noticeably below what Warner Bros. and DC Studios were hoping for, especially against a reported production budget north of $170 million before marketing costs. Worldwide, the film has taken in around $74 million so far, leaving a real gap to close before it turns a profit.Critical reception has been split as well. Some reviewers tore into the script and pacing, while others called the film uneven or forgettable. But there’s one thing almost everyone — critics, fans, and now the original Supergirl herself — seems to agree on: Alcock’s performance is a genuine highlight, even when the movie around her isn’t landing for everyone.Alcock has also been dealing with an ugly wave of online criticism that’s had little to do with her acting. Some of it has targeted her appearance and comments she’s made about being a woman in the industry, drawing pushback from other public figures who’ve called the harassment out directly. Against that backdrop, an on-record endorsement from Helen Slater — someone who lived through her own version of box office disappointment and franchise fallout in the 1980s — carries a different kind of weight than typical studio-generated buzz.
A Full-Circle Moment for the Supergirl Legacy
Slater’s own Supergirl made about $14 million domestically in 1984, and Warner Bros. ultimately shelved the sequels she’d signed on for. She’s stayed connected to the DC universe ever since, playing Clark Kent’s mother in Smallville, appearing as Melissa Benoist’s adoptive mom on the CW’s Supergirl series, and popping up in a cameo in 2023’s The Flash.That history is exactly why her endorsement of Alcock feels earned rather than obligatory. She knows firsthand what it’s like to carry this character through a rocky box office moment — and her message is essentially: don’t judge Kara Zor-El by one opening weekend. Reinterpretation is the whole point.For now, DC Studios has said it remains committed to Alcock’s future in the DC Universe, including her role in James Gunn’s upcoming Man of Tomorrow. Whatever happens with a Supergirl sequel, Slater’s public support suggests Alcock has already won over the one person whose opinion might matter most.
