About That Time Supergirl Co-Starred in a Movie With Popeyes

Thanks to her alien origin and the yellow rays of the sun, Supergirl is nearly invincible. She can be hurt by Kryptonite, of course. Otherwise, she really only possesses one true vulnerability: Capitalism.

Supergirl will soon be seen in movie theaters around the world in a new big-budget film from Warner Bros. and director Craig Gillespie. If you have passed a KFC in the last few weeks, you might have also seen her there as well, as the fast-food world’s preeminent chicken jockeys are currently offering a special Supergirl-inspired meal that comes with three different dipping sauces including, Rao help me, Lobo’s Wild Ranch. Ever wanted to know what Lobo tastes like? Well now you can. (Spoiler alert: He tastes like ranch dipping sauce.)

Supergirl’s alliance with the fried chickens of Kentucky is particularly surprising because the last time DC’s Maiden of Might appeared on the big screen — in 1984’s Supergirl, starring Helen Slater — her most prominent co-star was not Faye Dunaway or Hart Bochner; it was KFC’s biggest competition in the fast food fried chicken game, Popeyes.

The 1980s were the dawn of the product-placement boom in Hollywood. After E.T. turned Reese’s Pieces from an obscure new candy into one of the most popular treats in the world, producers and marketers both tried to copycat its success. Companies looking for exposure for their products tried to find ways to shoehorn them into high profile movies. Filmmakers looking for ways to shore up their budgets as a hedge against box-office failure began allowing those companies to dictate the settings and even subjects of scenes like never before.

This was the era of Mac and Me, the E.T. knockoff set in a McDonald’s, and Leonard Part 6, an infamous Bill Cosby bomb underwritten at least in part by Coca-Cola. It was also the era of Supergirl presenting a major action sequence at Popeyes.

It begins as Slater’s Kara, disguised in her secret identity as human teenager Linda Lee, meets some other local kids for chicken and biscuits. Meanwhile, a witch (Dunaway) uses her magical powers to puppeteer a construction vehicle and send it after a man she’s infatuated with (Bochner). The entire scene unfolds within a few feet of the Popeyes.

I’m not exaggerating. Not only does the scene begin inside the Popeyes, this out-of-control backhoe ranges all over the busy streets of the fictional town of “Midvale.” And yet wherever it goes, it never seems to move far enough from the Popeyes that it doesn’t appear in the background of every single exterior shot. Like this one!

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And also this one!

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Here it is again. This one does obscure the “Popeyes” name on the sign — but not, thankfully, the part or the board that reads “LOVE THAT CHICKEN.”

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As the action continues, the shots do as well. Here, Jimmy Olsen (Marc McClure) races after the rampaging vehicle — while the audience presumably thinks about racing into the Popeyes in the background for some red beans and rice. (We can all agree that red beans and rice is Popeyes best side, right? Like, by a mile? Thank you. I’m glad we could settle this peacefully.)

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It gets stranger. According to CBR, Midvale was built from the ground up at Pinewood Studios in England — including the Popeyes. So Supergirl didn’t scout this location somewhere and decide it would be a convenient backdrop for a massive chase scene. They made their own Popeyes to stage this massive chase scene in front of it.

Weirder still: The producers took photos of Supergirl star Helen Slater in costume in front of the faux Popeyes that could be used for promotional materials for both the film and the restaurant.

READ MORE: We Ate Everything on KFC’s New Supergirl Menu

That third one with Slater’s left arm in the air is really wild; like she’s a Popeyes greeter who has been hired to officially welcome you to the restaurant.

“WELCOME TO POPEYES! MY NAME’S SUPERGIRL! WOULD YOU CARE TO TRY OUR NEW KICKIN’ CAJUN POPPERS?”

You’ll still sometimes see these images used as official representations of Supergirl — the shot of Helen Slater gazing proudly into the distance in front of the “LOVE THAT CHICKEN” sign is currently the most popular background for the film on its Letterboxd page.

But let’s get real here. None of my descriptions can really do justice — much less truth, justice, and the American way — to the overbearing “BUY THIS CHICKEN OR FACE MY HEAT VISION” energy of the actual scene from Supergirl. So here it is.

I haven’t seen 2026’s Supergirl yet, but I really hope the new film uses its KFC partnership in a scene spoofing the Popeyes product placement in 1984’s Supergirl. Milly Alcock struggles to defeat a runaway cement mixer —until she tries a Colonel’s Original Recipe™ chicken tender dipped in some Supergirl’s Solar Honey Mustard sauce. Imbued with the yellow rays of the Earth’s sun, the sauce (and, of course, that incredible chicken) restores her strength and helps her save the 2026 equivalent of Hart Bochner. (Maybe … Glen Powell?)

Given that the new Supergirl is set in outer space, I tend to doubt I will get my wish. Which is too bad; a scene like that would have been finger lickin’ good.