James Gunn
Superman

He bet everything, almost the whole lot. And he played his hand well, that old fox James Gunn.

He was asked to save Superman, DC, maybe even comic book movies altogether, since they’ve long been stuck in a phase of creative stagnation and shrinking box office returns (the numbers don’t lie). This time, it had to be James Gunn who took on Superman, because what they were asking was almost impossible, starting with refreshing a somewhat tired and unlikable figure like the super hero created by Siegel and Shuster.

Gunn couldn’t afford to miss, because this film also marks the launch of the new DC Universe, which he created as co-founder and co-CEO of the reborn DC Studios in 2022.

The Hero in Crisis

The film starts off at full speed, briskly skipping over Kal-El’s origin story (just four lines at the start) and plunging us straight into the heart of the story. Not only that: the very first image we see is of the superhero gravely wounded, dragged back to his secret base by the cheeky dog Krypto. And this won’t be the only moment of difficulty for the hero—not at all. In fact, we could say that this Superman is almost always in trouble, up against an enemy who is always one step ahead and knows his every move. And where there aren’t physical battles, the difficulties lie in public opinion and social media. It’s a great way to make him more likable and get us to empathize with him.

Fake news and shitstorm

Because in this movie, fighting and clashes are only a part of Superman’s problems. It’s not enough anymore just to defeat the bad guys—you have to do it... the right way. Let me explain: this hero finds himself in an unusually realistic world, closely bound to today’s real issues. So, with tangled plots between warring nations, it becomes hard—at least for public opinion—to figure out who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. The decisiveness of the alien who intervenes to save lives without asking permission from the higher-ups starts to make the US and their allies uncomfortable.

All of this ripples through public opinion, easily manipulated by fake news, bot-monkeys busy slandering on social media with hundreds of comments, but also by real counter-investigations to prove that the slanderer Lex Luthor has more than a few skeletons in his closet. The hero, constantly under scrutiny, is on the verge of emotional burnout, to the point where he refuses even to kill a monstrous alien giant and tries to save even a squirrel from collateral damage. More than Luthor’s weapons, it’s the social media shitstorms that really threaten the hero.

Real War in a Fictional World

Gunn builds a powerful metaphor for the Gaza war, and we can say that without hesitation. There’s an oppressed people (Jarhanpur), an oppressor (Boravia), a big ally (the US) with a thriving arms industry handing out weapons wholesale (LuthorCorp). But not everyone agrees: Superman, for example. Gunn risks appearing politically committed—and just as well, in my opinion—because he fills the film with ideas that, while simplistic compared to real geopolitics, at least spark a dimension often overlooked in this kind of movie: its connection to politics, to the real world as it is today, and to the moral flaws and virtues of world leaders. Think of the first, powerful seasons of “The Boys.” In fact, to keep the metaphor going, Superman here seems to represent the (very theoretical and maybe never quite realized) ideal of the US as guardians of world peace, in contrast to what looks like (who said Donald?) an increasingly utilitarian and situational approach.

Men and Heroes

Gunn’s strength, beyond his clear storytelling, definitely lies in his characters. Clark Kent is perfect, walking the line between “teacher’s pet” and clumsy character, unable to mediate. In this sense, the interview-dialogue with his love interest Lois Lane is one of the best scenes in the entire film. On one side there’s the complex, always relative perspective of the journalist, and on the other the absolute decisiveness of a hero who sees right and wrong beyond political fences. But all the other supporting characters work as well, thanks to Gunn’s familiar comic-humor touch. The best example: the three “more or less allies” in the Justice Gang (Green Lantern, Mister Terrific, and Hawkgirl), who have far fewer scruples about collateral damage than Superman, and no one seems to hold it against them.

Gunn is a master at making his characters clash or connect. There’s Lex Luthor’s girlfriend, obsessed with social media, flirting with the reporter and promising to hand over materials for a file against Luthor; there’s Lois Lane teaming up with Terrific for a mission to the pocket universe where Superman is imprisoned; there’s Metamorpho, who is an unwitting jailer and savior of the main hero. And of course there’s Krypto the dog, a perfect narrative diversion Gunn uses to shuffle the deck whenever he sees fit.

Supporting Roles and Leads

Gunn’s perfectionism delivers a host of memorable characters even when they just make a fleeting appearance. I’m thinking of Clark’s adoptive parents (those barbed exchanges!), the android servants (“will he ever give us a name?”), the villains Ultraman and Engineer (“I sacrificed my life for this power”). Whatever appears on screen is properly explained and developed to make it effective.

Let’s not forget a casting process that was extremely difficult and, we can say it, spot on. David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult are all faces more or less familiar, and they recall the looks of the iconic characters burned into collective memory, but they also bring a freshness, you could even call it a rejuvenation. Fresh faces for characters made all the more lively by Gunn’s writing.

Without Going Overboard

In its most modern and innovative dimension, James Gunn’s “Superman” doesn’t force us into a bombastic, over-the-top finale filled with brawls and gargantuan battles, as has become the norm for comic book movies. Quite the opposite: the story ends almost quietly, with a muted, ironic tone. Not that there aren’t exciting moments or spectacular images in the film’s two hours: there are, and often deserve special mention for shots, style, music (as was also true in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films). Still, the director feels so confident and knows the lasting qualities of his movie so well that he doesn’t need to overdo things or finish with fireworks.

Gunn’s “Superman” doesn’t just save the DC Universe: it gives comic book movies back the right to be political, complex, and… human.