According to an insider who attended one of the test screenings, DC Studios made significant changes to the film "Supergirl" after its release. The new DCEU film follows Superman's cousin, Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock), and her journey, based on the iconic comic book "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow." Like most major films, "Supergirl" underwent a test screening process before its release, which led to some changes in the version currently playing in theaters.
While it's not always clear exactly what changes are made after test screenings, writer Dan Marcus shared some of the changes he noticed after watching both the final and test versions of Supergirl. Marcus noted that he attended a test screening in February 2026 and that «"the version wasn't much different"» from the one that was released in theaters, although he pointed out several key changes.
Marcus noted that one of the immediate changes was the opening of the film, with the test screening showing «alternative screensaver» , which «"began with the destruction of Krypton.". The destruction of Superman and Supergirl's homeworld is a pivotal moment in their story, and Supergirl was chosen to portray it, especially important given its impact on Kara's character. Unlike Kal-El, Kara grew up on Krypton, and only years later, after Argo City began poisoning its inhabitants with radiation, did her father send her to Earth.
According to Marcus, the opening of the Supergirl series with the destruction of Krypton was «"definitely better", than a new beginning, which begins with Supergirl and Krypto's drunken antics, followed by the scene where Cream of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts) murders Ruthie Marie Knoll's (Eve Ridley) family.
Apparently, there were test screenings More scenes on Krypton in general. In the final version of the Supergirl series« Flashbacks to Kara's time on Krypton appear periodically. These episodes reveal how she adopted Krypto, what happened to her parents, and how her father played a vital role in preserving Argo City after the explosion of Krypton's core. This Kryptonian backstory is key to Kara's trauma, but it appears some elements were cut from the final version.
After Krypton's destruction, Kara's only support on Earth is her cousin Kal-El, who grew up on Earth and is now known as Superman.
David Corenswet ended up appearing quite frequently on Supergirl, which, as Marcus noted, changed from the test screenings: the final version included «"about two additional scenes with David Corenswet"» . Superman appears both in flashbacks showing Kara's arrival on Earth and her integration into the show's world, and in the present, when he checks on his cousin's whereabouts and tries to convince her to return home.
Corenswet may have gotten more scenes, but one character that was reportedly at risk of being dropped after test screenings of "Supergirl" was the villainous Cream. Marcus said: «"Much of Cream's backstory was cut from the final version of the film.". He explained that the original scenes showed Cream «"was abused as a child", and what, in his opinion, is this «"Upbringing made him stronger.". Cream apparently had plans too. «"do the same with Ruthie,", and he threatened «"make her my wife.".
Cream is the infamous leader of the Rogues, a gang of space pirates who commit murder and robbery across the galaxy, and in the film, they capture and enslave women to become their wives. Cream's controversial new design and its two-dimensionality have been among the criticisms leveled at Supergirl in reviews.
Marcus noted that overall, after watching both versions, he felt that "a lot of stuff was cut out of the final version of Supergirl."« 10-15 minutes"» footage. It appears that a significant portion of this reduction consisted of excised portions of Cream's backstory and additional scenes set on Krypton. He added that «"The finished film wasn't much different from the version I saw in February,", so everything else that was cut clearly didn't have much plot significance.
Supergirl officially opened in theaters on June 26. It is the second feature film in DC Studios' new cinematic universe, starring Millie Alcock, Eve Ridley, David Corenswet, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Jason Momoa. It is directed by Craig Gillespie and produced by James Gunn and Peter Safran.
Did test screenings improve Supergirl?
Details about Supergirl's test screenings offer interesting insights into the film and what it could have been. Now that the film has been released, it quickly became clear which elements resonated with audiences. Test screenings are typically used to evaluate which elements of a film work, but in the case of Supergirl, the cuts could have been detrimental.
As mentioned, Cream's lack of depth as a villain was one of the main complaints about Supergirl, but it seems there was once a version of the film that gave him more depth. Information from test screenings of Supergirl before the film's release already hinted that Cream was unconvincing, so it's possible that the extra moments didn't benefit the villain anyway and were therefore cut.
The removal of the Krypton scenes also seems surprising, given how central they are to Kara's character in the film. It seems the altered opening scene Marcus mentioned, which began on Krypton, may have been one of the scenes cut in favor of beginning the story with Kara in the present day and the death of Ruthie's family.
One positive was the addition of more scenes between Superman and Supergirl, which helped the film fit more seamlessly into the overall DC universe and set the stage for the relationship between the two cousins, which will likely be very important in their next film, Man of Tomorrow.