James Gunn Explains How Supergirl’s Ears Are Pierced Despite Being a Kryptonian

James Gunn has finally explained why Milly Alcock’s Kara Zor-El / Supergirl has her ears pierced in the promotional materials for the eponymous DCU movie despite being a Kryptonian. This comes after fans noticed the piercings, leading to a big debate as Supergirl gets closer to its release date. The said debate spanned multiple social media platforms, including X (formerly, Twitter) and Threads.

What James Gunn said about Supergirl’s ear piercings in the DCU movie

While answering a fan’s post, the DC Studios co-head addressed Kara Zor-El’s piercings.

James Gunn wrote on Threads, “As explained in Superman, the same way she gets drunk – she goes to a planet with a red sun.” He reminded that Kara grew up “on a chunk of Krypton so didn’t even experience super powers until her teens.”

Gunn basically provided two possible explanations for the piercings without providing any spoilers from the movie. As he mentions, 2025’s Superman establishes that Kara goes to planets orbiting red suns to drink and feel its effects.

In Superman lore, both in the DCU and in DC comics, Kryptonians lose their incredible durability and powers upon exposure to red suns. It’s possible that Kara got her piercings during one of those visits. Alternatively, again, as Gunn states, she grew up on “a chunk of Krypton” without her powers and everything that came with them, and probably got her piercings then.

Currently, it is unclear if Supergirl or some future DCU project will provide an in-canon explanation. However, for now, Gunn’s post does set the record straight on the subject.

Craig Gillespie directed Supergirl from a script by Ana Nogueira, who developed it as an adaptation of DC characters. Besides Milly Alcock, the cast includes Matthias Schoenaerts as Krem of the Yellow Hills, Eve Ridley as Ruthye Marye Knoll, David Krumholtz as Zor-El, Emily Beecham as Alura In-Ze, David Corenswet as Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman, and Jason Momoa as Lobo.

The movie’s log line reads, “When an unexpected and ruthless adversary strikes too close to home, Kara Zor-El, AKA Supergirl, reluctantly joins forces with an unlikely companion on an epic, interstellar journey of vengeance and justice.”

Supergirl premieres in US theaters on June 26, 2026.

Originally reported by Tamal Kundu on SuperHeroHype.

Source: Comingsoon.net