Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Supergirl (2026)
James Gunn's DCU already features multiple suns with different colors, which drastically affect heroes like Superman and Supergirl. As seen in the new Supergirl movie starring Milly Alcock as the titular Girl of Steel, Kara Zor-El travels the galaxy, visiting other worlds beyond her cousin's adoptive homeworld of Earth. As such, many of these worlds orbit unique suns with varying kinds of solar radiation.
In the DC Universe seen in the comics, several sun colors have been featured at different points, and each one can affect Kryptonian physiology differently. Over the decades, the number of different stars and colors seen on the page has been quite impressive, ranging from blue, white, orange, and more. However, the new DCU so far only has three different confirmed colors (so far).
Keeping that in mind, here's everything we know about each confirmed sun color in the DCU after watching 2026's Supergirl, and how they can change Kryptonian powers and abilities.
Without a doubt, yellow suns are the most important (and most frequent) celestial body in the DC Universe, the source of the powers and abilities typically associated with Superman, Supergirl, and Kryptonians in general. Yellow suns are younger stars compared to the red sun of Krypton, explaining why its solar radiation affects Kryptonians so differently, turning them into superhuman beings with a full range of powers (flight, super strength, durability, speed, heat vision, freeze breath, etc.)
Kryptonians like Superman and Supergirl are constantly absorbing solar energy like living batteries, and concentrated doses of yellow sunlight can rapidly speed up their healing as seen in 2025's Superman with David Corenswet's Man of Steel after taking some major hits from the Hammer of Boravia (Ultraman). Likewise, the yellow sun has been featured as a major source of regeneration even from the brink of death in comics and past movies (like when Superman survived a direct hit from a nuke following direct sunlight exposure in Dawn of Justice).
Additionally, the benefits and advantages of yellow sunlight extend beyond Kryptonians to other alien species from the comics also born on worlds with red sunlight (like Daxamites), though differing physiologies can lead to different powers and weaknesses.
If a yellow sun unlocks a Kryptonian's full potential, a red sun does the exact opposite. Red stars are older than yellow ones, and Krypton itself orbited a red sun for most of its history. As such, Kryptonians evolved as a race not unlike ordinary humans, albeit with more advanced technologies and cultures. Comparatively, red suns emit much lower solar radiation, meaning a Kryptonian existing under a red sun has no powers at all. It's only when under a yellow sun that their powers and abilities emerge.
This explains why Kara Zor-El's Supergirl spent time on worlds orbiting red suns, both in the original Woman of Tomorrow comic by Tom King and Bilquis Evely, as well as the DCU's new Supergirl movie, which took much of its inspiration from the critically acclaimed 8-issue series. With a red sun, Kara was able to party and get drunk when she otherwise couldn't with an increased metabolism under yellow sunlight. However, the trade-off is that she can also experience pain and be injured just like any human.
This includes Krypto the Super Dog, which is why the Kryptonian canine was struck by a poisoned arrow by Krem of the Yellow Hills. The red sun also explains why Kara needed her own ship, as she was unable to fly until reaching a yellow sun's vicinity. In the comics, multiple villains have been known to use weapons utilizing red solar radiation and prisons against Superman and his cousin, particularly Lex Luthor. One has to wonder if the DCU's version will ever implement the same.
Last but not least, green suns have one of the more unusual histories in DC Comics, seeing how their effects have changed over the years. During the Silver Age, a green sun was essentially another type of depowering star like reds, preventing Kryptonians like Superman and Supergirl from using their abilities.
However, things changed with 2022's Woman of Tomorrow. Tom King reinvented the concept by introducing a star that had been infused with Kryptonite, making its green sunlight lethally toxic for Kryptonians thanks to the irradiated pieces of their destroyed homeworld. The longer Kryptonians remained exposed, the more they were poisoned by the toxic solar energy.
In the Woman of Tomorrow miniseries, Supergirl and Ruthye were transported to the world of Barenton, an artificial planet created as a trap for Superman. According to Kara, the Man of Steel claimed his time on the world was his "closest brush with death", which was truly saying something after fighting Doomsday. However, Superman was only trapped on Barenton for 45 minutes before he was saved by the Justice League.
Conversely, Supergirl was forced to endure the extreme pain and wait out Barenton's sun for 10 hours until it finally set. Likewise, the world was also full of predatory alien dinosaurs whom Ruthye had to ward off as best she could while protecting an incapacitated Kara.
While the DCU adapts Barenton and its green sun for the ending of Supergirl, there were some key changes. Not only were there no dinosaurs, but Barenton also had a yellow sun which rose the moment the green sun set, restoring and healing Kara immediately after and allowing her to save Ruthye, who'd been captured by the Brigands while she was out of commission.
With yellow, red, and green suns now established on-screen in the DCU, it will be interesting to see how Kryptonian mythology continues to expand when and if more colors debut in future projects. After all, there are plenty of colors from the comics still waiting in the wings (white, black, violet, orange, blue, and more). As a result, there's plenty of room to feature these other alternate sun colors as James Gunn's universe expands, especially with both Superman and Supergirl confirmed to appear next year in 2027's Man of Tomorrow.
Supergirl is now playing in theaters from DC Studios.
Survivor Kara Zor El is still haunted by Krypton's collapse, drifting across the galaxy with Krypto at her side. When a young warrior named Ruthye begs for help avenging a family tragedy, Kara gets pulled into a ruthless hunt for Krem of the Yellow Hills.
