cousin

DC Studios co-chief James Gunn took to social media Monday to settle a debate once and for all: Of course, Supergirl can have pierced ears.

“Supergirl,” the upcoming superhero film starring Milly Alcock as the last daughter of Krypton, Kara Zor-El, has been the target of questioning from online detractors. One overblown gripe that some have mentioned on social media after zeroing in on Supergirl’s earlobes in promotional images is how a superpowered alien refugee known for her invulnerability and unbreakable skin could have any body jewelry.

“As explained in Superman, the same way she gets drunk — she goes to a planet with a red sun,” Gunn wrote on Threads. “Not to mention she was raised on a chunk of Krypton so didn’t even experience super powers until her teens.”

As the filmmaker mentions, Alcock’s iteration of Kara made her DC Universe debut in his 2025 movie, “Superman.” After the clearly inebriated Girl of Steel crashes into her cousin’s Fortress of Solitude to pick up her dog, Krypto, Superman notes that Kara “likes to go and party on other planets … with red suns.” This is because, as Superman explains, Kryptonians have enhanced power on Earth because of its yellow sun. This is also Kryptonian lore that has been established in comic books.

A recently released “Supergirl” clip also shows Superman first meeting his cousin after her pod lands on Earth. The footage shows Kara’s superpowers kicking in for the first time.

Directed by Craig Gillespie, “Supergirl” will follow the eponymous Kryptonian as she is celebrating her 23rd birthday. According to the film’s logline, Kara’s encounter with “an unexpected and ruthless adversary” leads her to “reluctantly join forces with an unlikely companion on an epic, interstellar journey of vengeance and justice.”

The movie’s cast also includes Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, David Corenswet and Jason Momoa. “Supergirl” will hit theaters June 26.

Abdul Khan was in nappies when his cousin Amir won the nation’s hearts and a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

By the time world champion Amir produced a career-defining performance against Marcos Maidana in 2010, Abdul was a seven-year-old watching wide-eyed in Bolton.

On Saturday, featherweight Abdul faces journeyman Liam Fitzmaurice at Wembley in a watershed moment for British South Asian boxing.

The card is headlined by unbeaten light-welterweight Adam Azim and features prospects Mohammad Bilal Ali, Vijayraj Karia and Saqib Mehmood in the earlier bouts – meaning five south Asian fighters will share billing.

“Seeing Amir reach the heights of the sport only lit the fire in probably the majority of the South Asian kids out there, including me,” Abdul, 23, tells BBC Sport.

Amir rose to prominence after winning silver in Athens aged 17 and went on to capture world titles at light-welterweight, becoming one of Britain’s most high-profile boxers.

Unbeaten in 14 professional fights with three knockouts, Abdul is the first to admit his surname helped carve his path. The family connection even led to him fighting on the undercard of Amir’s final professional bout against Kell Brook.

But after building his record on the small-hall scene and on international cards, the time has come to step out of the familial shade.

“Being known as his cousin was always going to be like that because of what Amir achieved,” Abdul says. “I’m grateful for everything he has done to open the doors – but it is all right getting through the doors, it is how good you are to stay in those rooms.

“It’s been my own hard work and dedication which has kept those doors open. This only gives me more of a push to just get out of the shadow. I think we’re all our own people and I’d love to shrug off that tag of Amir’s cousin.

“My team have always said to build me in the right way and to explode when the time comes – now it’s my time.

“He done so much for me but I don’t want to latch onto anyone else’s name, you only appreciate it more – and get appreciated – if you do it this way.”

At Dos Pueblos High in Goleta, baseball coach George Hedricks needed no excuses to start freshman Mattias Di Maggio, considering last name of DiMaggio is one of the best baseball names in the history of the sport. Think of the legendary Joe DiMaggio.

Well, it turns out Mattias is pretty good and also a distant relative to Joe DiMaggio. He’s his great grandfather’s cousin.

As a player this season, Mattias has 34 hits, is batting .515 and has hit nine home runs. He’s also a left-handed pitcher with four saves so beware of him on the mound in the coming years. He’s 6 feet 3 and 191 pounds.

“The most impressive thing hitting is he has over 20 walks and one strikeout,” Hedricks said. “He’s a pretty physical kid who can hit to all fields.”

He also leads the team in stolen bases. His brother was a standout at Dos Pueblos and plays junior college baseball.

One college coach said, “He’s good good.”

Hedricks can’t wait to see Mattias develop over the next three years.

“He can beat you 100 different ways,” Hedricks said.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com