Thirteen years from now, Superman will be 100 years old. Widely considered to be the first-ever comic book superhero, Superman spun out of the imagination of two Jewish immigrant boys: The writer-artist duo of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The story of an alien baby from the planet Krypton who crash lands onto earth, is raised by two humble farmer parents and goes onto become the protector of Earth while also masquerading as a mild mannered journalist resonated with millions in the form of comic strips, radio plays and television shows from 1938 till today. Superman has also made the leap from comic book panels to the silver screen multiple times, often embodying the fantasies and anxieties of the given time periods. Adding to this curious list of films is the newest attempt by director James Gunn and actor David Corenswet, simply titled “Superman”.
Since there was no blueprint of a superhero when Superman was created, his personality and superpowers were more akin to those of gods and prophets from the pages of mythology and religious texts. Initially created as a stand-in for Moses, over the years in popular consciousness and even at the movies, his image morphed into that of a Christ-like figure. A purveyor of morality who would always put himself on the line to protect you.
In 1978, when Christopher Reeve donned the blue suit, red trunks, and cape to play the Kryptonian, the United States was reeling from the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, and the masses were looking for a symbol to restore their faith in America. Despite being framed as lighthearted adventures, Superman: The Movie (1978) and Superman II (1980) had underlying themes of nuclear threats, cold war, and an added emphasis on American idealism and patriotism in tune with the country’s push towards Reaganism at the time.
47 years later, Reeve remains the gold standard to play the big blue boy scout. His performance balanced heroism with humanity, and myth with vulnerability. James Gunn’s Superman preserves the Reeves model but gives it a refreshing spin. He’s still kind and gentle but has a bit of an edge to him. “Being kind is punk rock,” he says at one point in the movie. I guess that’s the 2025 version of “Truth, Justice and the American way”.
But perhaps the version of Superman that Gunn’s film is in direct conversation with is the Zack Snyder version of the character played by Henry Cavill, whom we first met in 2013’s Man of Steel. If Reeves embodied the Christ-like humanity of the character, Cavill personified his torture and pathos. The ‘Snyder-verse’ portrayed a rather bleak and serious world filled with superheroes who were as worn out by battling their inner demons as they were battling extraterrestrials. The colour scheme of Superman’s costume went from bright to dour. The emphasis was on perfect musculature of the physique, and Supes barely cracked a smile.
In the recent past, the pop culture landscape has been rife with portrayals of a “darker” take on Superman. For example, the character of Homelander from The Boys. In Snyder’s vision of a post 9/11 world, if people believed in a Superman, they were believing in a false god. Unburdening Superman and, by extension, his audience of this god-like baggage is probably the biggest achievement of the new film. It introduces the idea that “metahumans” or superpowered beings have been around for centuries. So Superman isn’t the most unique being with powers, but rather the best one of them all. He also has a posse of concerned robots that nurse him back to health, and a ferocious but cute pet dog by his side.
The film is also a bit overstuffed and tonally shaky, trying to be a lot of things at once. Some real-life parallels are attempted: A tech billionaire who is courting a world leader with flaxen hair, a subplot involving a militarily superior nation invading its neighbouring country, and a scathing joke about online trolls. Despite this, it nails the one aspect that had been missing from the big-screen Superman portrayals of the past few years — it’s fun. Gunn may have finally given us a Superman that isn’t a cover version of Reeve, like Brandon Routh from Superman Returns (2006), nor a complete reinvention. This Superman takes the best bits from the previous incarnations, adding a dash of his own. But more importantly, we have a Superman who is less of a God, and more of a man.
The writer is a podcast producer and stand-up comedian
