5 Ways James Gunn’s Superman Can Surpass Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel

Man of Steel hit theaters over a decade ago, kicking off the DC Extended Universe of films and dividing fans in the process. The movie did well financially, grossing over $670 million worldwide, but it left a bad taste in the mouths of some viewers. While we won’t pretend that the Snyderverse doesn’t have its diehard followers, the general consensus among Superman fans was that Man of Steel did the hero a disservice. Zack Snyder’s vision of Superman was darker than fans were used to and didn’t gel with the Big Blue Boy Scout they knew and loved. Now, 12 years later, James Gunn is taking a stab at The Last Son of Krypton, and Superman fans have their fingers crossed that he won’t repeat Snyder’s mistakes.

We already know from the trailer that Gunn’s Superman will at least be brighter than the murky Man of Steel, but whether the new movie can completely surpass its predecessor remains to be seen. In the meantime, we’ve come up with some specific ways in which Superman can outdo Man of Steel and give fans the big-screen version of Kal-El they’ve always wanted.

Add Humor … But Not Too Much

Zack Snyder’s Superman was dark and broody, very much the antithesis of what the hero should be. At times, he felt more like Batman than Superman, which makes sense since Snyder’s Batman felt closer to the Punisher than the Dark Knight. One of the easiest ways James Gunn could one-up Snyder is by injecting some humor into his Superman movie… just not too much. Gunn is known for peppering his work with joke after joke to the point where sometimes the humor undercuts what’s supposed to be a serious, emotional moment.

Another issue is the type of jokes Gunn is known for. His raunchy, gallows humor works great in something like Guardians of the Galaxy or The Suicide Squad, but the humor in Superman should — like Superman himself — be lighthearted and innocent. If Gunn can avoid the grim, dark tone of Snyder’s Man of Steel while keeping the jokes breezy and inoffensive, he might just deliver the best Superman movie since Christopher Reeve hung up his cape.

Embrace the Character’s Corniness

Zack Snyder clearly had a more grounded vision of Superman than fans were used to, but in the process, he accidentally made Clark somewhat of a Chad. It feels weird saying James Gunn should make Superman less cool, but that’s exactly what he needs to do. Superman is a dork. A lovable square. In some incarnations of the character, his suit was sewn by his human mother, and he wears it — underwear and all — with pride.

If you want a character concerned with looking cool and acting like a bad*ss there’s always Batman. James Gunn needs to make Superman corny again, and that goes for the world he inhabits as well. Zack Snyder was too concerned with realism. He made the Fortress of Solitude a crashed spaceship and explained away Superman’s suit as a standard bodysuit Kryptonians wear under their armor. That approach may work for a less fantastical character like Batman or Daredevil, but it doesn’t work for Superman.

Superman deserves a Fortress of Solitude populated with helper robots, and only accessible by a giant key that weighs 500,000 tons and is made of super-dense material from a dwarf star. Based on the footage released so far, Superman not only features the robots mentioned above, but also Krypto the Superdog. Gunn seems to be on the right track in terms of keeping Superman corny. Let’s just hope he sticks the landing.

Include Scenes of Superman Doing Not-So-Super Things

Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie is widely regarded as the gold standard among Superman movies, and with good reason. Donner “gets” Superman, and he proves it by including a scene where Superman stops to help a cat stuck in a tree. In the middle of a montage showing Superman stopping crimes and averting disasters, Donner has this God-like hero go out of his way to save a little girl’s kitten. With that quick scene, Donner shows the audience just how wholesome Superman is supposed to be.

As you may have suspected, there is no kitten-rescuing in Man of Steel, just a lot of earth-shaking combat and tons of property damage. If Superman features even a single scene of Superman taking a break from superheroing to help an old lady across the street or get a kid’s frisbee off a roof, then it will be proof that James Gunn understands Superman better than Zack Snyder ever could.

Give Him Challenges He Can’t Solve With His Fists

Look, we understand how frustrating it was that Superman doesn’t throw a single punch in Superman Returns, and we get why Zack Snyder made up for it by giving fans the punchiest Superman ever in Man of Steel. The problem is that fighting and lifting heavy stuff is pretty much all Henry Cavill’s Superman did. Snyder essentially turned Superman into Goku, and that’s just not what the character should be.

Only giving Clark problems he can fix with his superhuman abilities is one of the laziest ways to write Superman; one of the reasons Lex Luthor is such a good foil for Superman is because Superman can’t hit him. Kal-El could breathe on Luthor, and his body would disintegrate, but that’s not how Superman does things. Having a human nemesis forces Superman to use non-violent methods to foil his archenemy’s plans.

We’re not saying that James Gunn shouldn’t put any knock-down-drag-out brawls in Superman; we just hope he also gives the Man of Steel a few challenges he has to solve with his brain.

Do NOT Have Superman Kill Anyone

This should go without saying, but Superman doesn’t kill. Ever. Having Clark snapping Zod’s neck at the end of Man of Steel was the most out-of-character thing you could have the character do. We’ve heard all the justifications Snyder has given for Superman taking a life, and we still don’t agree with his choice. Superman should never be put in a situation where his only option is to kill.

James Gunn, unfortunately, is also fond of having his heroes kill their enemies. While it’s understandable for The Suicide Squad and its spinoff Peacemaker, even the more family-friendly Guardians of the Galaxy have an extensive body count. We sincerely hope James will be able to put his bloodlust aside for Superman and deliver a film where the titular hero doesn’t shuffle anyone off their mortal coil.

James Gunn’s Superman hits theaters July 11th