Supergirl's Most Impressive Practical Set Is A Staggering Dc Comics Easter Egg [set Visit]

Warner Bros.

It's April 2025, and I'm standing on one of the biggest film sets I've ever seen.

I've been invited to the set of "Supergirl," which is filming at Warner Bros. Studio Leavesden, just outside of London, England. Like with any major superhero movie set in any sprawling cinematic universe, a great deal of director Craig Gillespie's movie will be brought to life digitally in post-production from an array of talented artists and technicians. However, a significant portion of the day-long set visit is dedicated to showing off just how much of the movie exists in a physical, tangible manner. We see a gallery of costumes belonging to heroes and villains, a room full of props showcasing weapons and tools from across the galaxy, and an animatronic alien creature that literally poops delicious alien popcorn. We're allowed to spy the filming of an elaborate Kryptonian funeral in the crumbling city of Argo, a community spared from the catastrophe that took the rest of Kara Zor-El's home world.

But the highlight of the day, and the clear pride and joy of the crew we speak to during the visit, is the massive, war-torn town square where I'm now standing. The ground is rubble beneath my feet. The buildings loom to the ceiling of the soundstage, towering over all. Various neon signs suggesting businesses and restaurants (or what's left of them) indicate that this was once a thriving social space that has been brought to turn. We linger near a burnt-out alien military vehicle of some kind.

DC Comics fans may wonder what this place is, but it's a new location created for "Supergirl." But DC Comics fans may also perk up when they hear its name. This is the city of Evely on the planet Bilquis. And if that means something to you, you'll understand another key takeaway from the set visit.

Warner Bros.

Various folks on the set visit make it very clear that "Supergirl" isn't just another superhero movie, but one directly based on the acclaimed "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow" comic book miniseries first published between 2021 and 2022. That series redefined the character for modern readers, and was the work of writer Tom King and artist ... Bilquis Evely.

So, that giant, impressive set, so full of detail and with enough space to stage elaborate action sequences? It's an active tribute to the artist behind the source material. In an era in which comic book creators are so often forgotten as their work takes the cultural spotlight, and artists are often treated as secondary to writers by far too many people, it certainly says something that James Gunn's new DC Universe is fore-fronting creators like this.

In addition to the continuous name-dropping of "Woman of Tomorrow" as the direct source material for the movie, the set visit also reiterates time and time again that Craig Gillespie is the director of "Supergirl." The interest in Gunn is only natural — he's one of the most popular living filmmakers working today, and it's no secret the new DCU is his baby. But Gunn, who is a producer on the movie, isn't even on the set (and at the time of the set visit, his "Superman" hasn't even premiered yet), and any mention of him is politely deflected. This is Craig Gillespie's movie, everyone tells us. It's his vision and his set.

James Gunn may be the more "popular" name, but this is clearly a set very interested in sharing all kinds of credit.

Warner Bros.

And that brings me back to the crumbling Evely town square on the planet Bilquis. The set has recently wrapped (the stunt rigs and wires used for a giant battle scene have been removed), but it remains standing for the time being, a testament to set decorator Lee Sandales (who had just won an Oscar for "Wicked" shortly before our visit) and his team. To stand on one end of the set is to stare down a truly convincing approximation of an alien place, a set so big that it literally fills an entire soundstage.

We do learn more about this city: It's a dying world, and one that has attracted the attention of the villainous Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts) and his space viking brigands, who see an ideal place to rampage and pillage. And since "Supergirl" follows orphaned Kryptonian Kara (Milly Alcock) and her new ally Ruthye (Eve Ridley) on a mission of justice (revenge?) against Krem and his cronies, it makes sense their paths will cross in these ruined streets.

The practicality goes beyond what we can see on this particular set. "Often you go to a set and you see digital screens, although you see lots of blue screens on some of these stages," unit publicist Sophie Scott tells us. "We've gone really old school. We've got hand-painted backdrops." She specifically recalls a pub set, which utilizes hand-panted scene extensions to give the set its depth. "It's very old fashioned traditional filmmaking," she says.

Since my time on set, we've seen several "Supergirl" trailers and the world has a better grasp of the film's tone. But the trailers only hint at the worlds seen in the movie, and at how much everyone making the film wanted to use those worlds to honor the creative foundation of it all.