The opening moments of the Superman trailer left many confused. The Man of Steel was on the ground, beaten and bruised after an intense fight with a mystery assailant. He had to call his pal Krypto to get him back to safety, which didn’t make the hero look as capable as his comic book counterpart. The rest of the trailer and the other looks at the movie put that idea to bed, as Superman is seen flying through the skies over Metropolis and holding his own against kaiju and super-powered individuals like Ultraman and the Engineer. However, James Gunn still doesn’t want to give off the vibe that his hero is unbeatable.
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While speaking to Rolling Stone ahead of Superman‘s release, Gunn revealed how online debates changed his mindset while creating his version of Kal-El. “There are things that I know I don’t explain that I don’t even want to say out loud! But I wanted Superman to be vulnerable,” he explained. “I see the online things ‘Who would beat whom?’ — Homelander or Superman or f***ing whatever, Adam Warlock or Brightburn, and I’m like, ‘This is the f***ing stupidest f***ing conversation.’ Like, so then whoever would win this fight means that they’re the best? Because I’ll just go out and write God Man, who can destroy you with a wink. And I win. I win all the fights forever.”
Gunn also mentioned that his vision for the DC Universe forced him to scale back Superman’s strength. “But I didn’t want a Superman who could punch planets,” he said. “And also we’re creating a whole universe now, so what’s a girl with wings gonna do in the face of that? So he’s a little less powerful. Guy Gardner’s pretty f***ing powerful. They’re all pretty powerful. Honestly, in talking to people, a lot of people are like, ‘I like Batman better because he can actually be beat,’ and I get that. So we have a Superman that can be beat.”
It’s hard to argue with Gunn’s logic because one of the issues Superman has faced, especially on the big screen, is his reliability. The only reason Steppenwolf gets so far in Justice League is because the Man of Steel isn’t around, and once the hero comes back to life, the villain doesn’t last long. It’s a lot more interesting to watch Batman go up against Steppenwolf because he doesn’t stand a chance in a fight and has to get creative. Well, it sounds like Gunn’s version of Superman will have to take a few pages out of the Dark Knight’s playbook in the DCU if he wants to find success.
Superman Will Have to Rise to the Occasion in the DCU
Given Gunn’s comments, it’s safe to say that Superman will do his fair share of losing in the DCU. That’s not to say he’s going to let Lex Luthor get the better of him at every turn, but it’s going to take more than punching to solve the world’s problems. That’s going to take some getting used to, especially after the DC Extended Universe put Superman on a pedestal, having him be the only solution to world-ending threats. However, the potential is there for an interesting arc for the character, one that sees him go into major battles with a unique mindset never seen before in superhero media.
Superman hits theaters on July 11, 2025.
How do you feel about Superman being nerfed in the DC Universe? Do you think watching him get beaten will be more interesting than seeing him win every battle with ease? Let us know in the comments below!
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