Why Whiskey in Supergirl Is So Much More Than a Drink

Monday, 06 July 2026 at 09:31

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Whisk(e)y in films isn’t unusual. In fact, the water of life shows up on the big screen and in series all the time. And apparently it’s not just an earthly pleasure—because in Supergirl, the characters traverse the universe in search of whiskey. The reason isn’t its flavor, though, but something whiskey really shouldn’t be used for.

In the new Supergirl film, the opening doesn’t hinge on a massive battle, but on a striking birthday celebration. Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, doesn’t celebrate for just one day, but for several. She planet-hops from bar to bar. And where there’s a bar, there’s whiskey, even in space. You’d expect her to be in high spirits on her birthday, but nothing could be further from the truth. She’s bordering on depressed and tries to drink away her sorrow.

Whiskey plays a notable role here. Not because Supergirl is some swaggering drinker, but because alcohol means something very different to her than it does to an ordinary human.

Drinking for the wrong reasons

Supergirl uses whiskey the wrong way, not to savor its flavors and aromas, but to get completely drunk. A glass of whiskey normally does almost nothing to her. Where a human would slowly get tipsy after a few drams, Kara stays clear-headed. Great for an extended whiskey tasting, but not what Supergirl is after in the film.

That changes under a red sun. Under such a sun, a Kryptonian loses much of their power. Kara becomes more vulnerable, more human, and therefore more susceptible to alcohol.

It becomes clear when Ruthe Marye Knoll (Eve Ridley), another character in the film, asks her why she doesn’t just stay on a planet with a yellow sun. Her answer says it all: “Well, because the whiskey hits harder under a red sun.”

That line turns whiskey into more than a gag or a party drink. It becomes a symbol of pain, loss, and numbness. Kara isn’t drinking just because it’s her birthday. She drinks because she finally wants to feel something, or nothing at all, for a moment. Her past is heavy: she carries the trauma of Krypton’s destruction as seen in the Superman film.

Whiskey as a nostalgic nod

The Supergirl film echoes the comic Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, where the drink also symbolizes pain and loss. Kara’s strength doesn’t solve her grief. If anything, her invulnerability makes her lonelier. Whiskey under a red sun becomes a way to briefly escape everything she normally can’t switch off. It also makes her feel a little less alone, even if that feeling doesn’t last long.

And there’s something oddly beautiful in the meaning of whiskey in the film, though you should never use whiskey to get drunk. Drink in moderation, and drink for the flavor.