This summer, on July 11th 2025, the new Superman movie starring David Corenswet was released to theatres. This movie was directed by the widely known James Gunn, famous for directing Avengers: Endgame and Infinity War, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Suicide Squad, and now, Superman. Superman is currently streaming on HBO Max, so if you have access, I highly encourage you to give it a watch.
It’s commonly known amongst DC fans that the movies do not tend to live up to the comic books, so with the announcement of this movie, many fans did not have a lot of hope in it. Through Gunn’s interpretation of the character, down to the small details of the costume design, the movie defied fans’ expectations by showing a kind, selfless, and sometimes even silly Superman; the kind you would imagine when you think of a superhero.
Netizens have been comparing this Superman to Zack Snyder’s Superman, played by Henry Cavill, in Man of Steel. While the movie starring Cavill is entertaining, viewers criticise the violent nature of the character, and the generally ominous mood of the movie. On the other hand, Gunn’s portrayal of Superman shows a man so full of empathy and selflessness that the viewer sees him as a true superhero: a person who uses their powers to defend and fight for innocent people, which is exactly the hero that Gunn wanted to show. Even the cinematic choices of the movie reflect this: the movie is vibrant, full of colors, action scenes, and upbeat music. In an interview with NPR, James Gunn says that “We go into the movie wanting to be Superman. And I think that by the end of the movie, we realize that Superman wants to be us.” Gunn gave us a Superman that, despite being from another planet and having powers that we could only fantasize about, values the people around him more than his powers; he sees the true beauty in humanity, and that is what he wants to be a part of and protect.
When designing the costume for Corenswet in Superman, they came to one prominent obstacle: the trunks. For context, there are two ways Superman has been represented throughout the media: either with bright red “underwear” outside of his suit, or plain blue to match the rest. Most of the time this comes to a simple choice by the designers, but for Gunn and Corenswet, they wanted something more meaningful. When talking to Fandango, Gunn mentioned that he spoke with Snyder about the decision of the character design, saying that although he wanted to include them, he could not find a way to make the trunks fit even after many trial designs. It was David Corenswet who ultimately swayed the decision. Gunn told the press that Corenswet pointed out how “Superman wants kids to not be afraid of him. He’s an alien… he’s incredibly powerful and could be considered scary. He wants people to like him. He wants to be a symbol of hope and positivity. So, he dresses like a professional wrestler. He dresses in a way that makes people unafraid of him, that shows that hope and that positivity.” After this, Gunn said he wanted to make the trunks work; he wanted to bring this silly, charming, hospitable hero to life.
James Gunn has truly reimagined Superheroes in modern cinema by taking into account what really makes them stand out, and one can only hope this depiction of a crime-fighting hero will continue. Gunn recognizes this, and states that “The truth is, there’s nothing more edgy than him not being cynical, just being a good-natured, kind guy. Because that is absolutely going against the grain in this world today.” That’s why this movie stands out against other superhero movies of today and defies expectations, because of how kind the hero is. In the words of Lois Lane, Superman trusts everyone. He thinks everyone he meets is beautiful and maybe that’s the real punk rock after all.
