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2025 is shaping up to be a make-or-break year for superhero movies. With “superhero fatigue” now firmly in the air, both Marvel and DC are scrambling to keep audiences invested in their costly cinematic universes across theaters and streaming. Marvel has stumbled with “Captain America: Brave New World” and “Thunderbolts”, though “Fantastic Four” seems to be holding steady. DC, on the other hand, never managed to match the MCU’s success, with the DCEU tripping from one misfire to the next. Their bold gamble now rests on James Gunn, whose success with “The Suicide Squad” earned him the keys to reboot the brand—starting with the most iconic hero of them all: Superman.
In James Gunn’s Superman, Clark Kent (David Corenswet) is a young, already-established superhero and Daily Planet reporter in Metropolis, who must reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as he navigates moral and emotional challenges. Driven by compassion and an unwavering belief in truth, justice, and kindness—qualities deemed outdated in a skeptical world—he confronts tech billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), who manipulates public distrust to tarnish Superman’s reputation and unleash chaos through a powerful clone, Ultraman. With the help of Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), fellow metahumans, and his superdog Krypto, Superman strives to clear his name and reaffirm hope amid rising ideological divides.
What Gunn brings most to Superman is a renewed sense of fun and heart. It’s been nearly 40 years since the character headlined a film this lighthearted and entertaining. Bryan Singer’s 2006 “Superman Returns” took itself too seriously, especially as a supposed continuation of Richard Donner’s more optimistic take. The Snyderverse’s “Man of Steel” went even darker, borrowing heavily from Christopher Nolan’s brooding Dark Knight trilogy—a tone that fit Batman but clashed with the bright, hopeful image of the alien boy scout in primary colors. Gunn flips the switch, delivering the most vibrant, colorful Superman film in decades, and the result is pure joy to watch.
But bright colors alone don’t make a good movie. What makes Gunn’s Superman stand out is how he delivers a story that feels both true to the character’s comic book roots and firmly grounded in the modern world. For the first time, Superman even goes up against a kaiju—a fitting touch given Gunn’s fondness for giant monsters, as seen in “The Suicide Squad”. The inclusion of Krypto is another bold choice; as a dog lover, I found it delightful, though the film mainly uses him as comic relief or as a convenient plot device. Still, the moment when Superman unleashes pure rage at Lex Luthor for kidnapping Krypto hit me on a personal level, and if a superhero movie can strike that kind of emotional chord, it’s already a win.
I’ll admit I’m not deeply familiar with Superman’s classic rogues’ gallery, but judging by the films alone, his villains seem oddly limited. Time and again, it comes down to Lex Luthor or General Zod. Sure, there was Richard Pryor in “Superman III” or Nuclear Man in “Superman IV“, but Pryor’s role was clearly a product of the actor’s popularity rather than a creative choice, and Nuclear Man was literally created by Luthor. So when you look at the cinematic history, it’s basically been Zod and Luthor on repeat. Gunn follows tradition here by choosing Luthor once again as the central antagonist—perhaps the safest option, but also the most reliable one.
This time, Lex Luthor is reimagined as a kind of tech bro, and it’s not hard to picture this version giving a flashy keynote about his latest social media platform while simultaneously dabbling in pocket dimensions and imprisoning people there, as he does in the film. The inspiration feels clear—real-life figures like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos increasingly serve as blueprints for modern on-screen villains. And honestly, it fits; these are men who control platforms with staggering, often unchecked political influence, making them ripe for cinematic parallels.
Gunn, as always, shines when it comes to elevating lesser-known comic book characters. He turned “Guardians of the Galaxy” into a household name, gave “The Suicide Squad” the unlikely triumph of Polka-Dot Man, and spun off “Peacemaker” into a breakout TV hit. That same instinct is at work here with the Justice Gang, led by Nathan Fillion’s Green Lantern sporting an almost comically bad haircut. The true standout, though, is Mr. Terrific—a character I had never even heard of before this film, but who ends up being crucial to the story. At first he comes across as slightly goofy, yet Gunn flips that perception in a brilliant sequence: a fight scene that highlights his brilliance and combat prowess, but is shown almost entirely from Lois Lane’s perspective, leaving just enough unseen to make him feel both impressive and mysterious.
Like Richard Donner’s “Superman: The Movie“, Gunn’s Superman relies on a cast of relatively low-profile actors rather than established stars. Nicholas Hoult is easily the most recognizable name as Lex Luthor, with Bradley Cooper popping up briefly as a recorded message from Jor-El, but outside of that, David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan won’t be instantly familiar to most casual moviegoers. That said, their dynamic as Clark and Lois works beautifully, evoking the same effortless charm and chemistry that Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder brought to the original film.
Gunn’s Superman isn’t the best superhero movie ever made, nor is it even the best James Gunn film—but it just might be the best Superman movie to date, or at the very least the most rewatchable one. The Christopher Reeve films will always hold a special place in my heart, but being 40–50 years old, they undeniably show their age. On the other end of the spectrum, “Man of Steel” and “Superman Returns” leaned so hard into brooding seriousness that I never felt the desire to revisit them—Superman simply came across as miserable. Gunn’s take, by contrast, embraces lighthearted fun without losing sincerity. Whether it stands the test of time in a decade or two remains to be seen, but for now, it feels like the first Superman film in ages that invites you back for repeat viewings.
