Milly Alcock has revealed that part of her Supergirl cape was made with material from the original Superman cape, tying her first turn as Kara Zor-El to one of the most recognizable costumes in superhero film history. Alcock said the cape in her film was remade using that material, and added that about 16 meters of it ended up in the back of her own cape.
That detail matters now because Alcock is making her standalone debut as Supergirl later this month, with the film set to swoop into theaters on June 26, 2026. For a character entering the DCU in a fresh costume, the choice turns the cape into more than wardrobe. It becomes a direct link to the screen legacy of Superman, the character that helped define the modern blockbuster version of the hero.
Alcock’s phrasing leaves one part of the story slightly open. The material was used to make the cape Christopher Reeve wore in Superman, the 1978 film directed by Richard Donner, but it is not entirely clear whether the fabric in Alcock’s cape was specifically worn by Reeve or came from the same costume material. That distinction may sound small, but it matters to collectors and to fans who treat the original suit as a piece of film history, not just a design reference.
Reeve’s Superman remains the foundational big-screen portrayal for many viewers, and the new DCU has already nodded to that era in other ways. The 2025 Superman movie is backed by a score inspired by the original main theme composed by John Williams, and it includes a cameo from Will Reeve as a reporter. In that context, Alcock’s cape looks less like an isolated costume choice and more like part of a broader effort to fold the franchise’s past into its next chapter.
The result is a Supergirl costume built with a relic of Superman history stitched into it, even if the exact path of the fabric is still a little blurred. What Alcock confirmed is enough to make the cape a deliberate tribute, and enough to give the film a ready-made story before audiences see her wear it on screen.
