As the co-chairman and co-CEO of DC Studios, James Gunn is responsible for setting the course of the DC Universe (DCU), Warner Bros.’ latest attempt at bringing some of comics’ most iconic characters to life on screen. He’s also the writer and director of Man of Tomorrow, the sequel to last summer’s Superman.
But from remarks he made in a recent interview, Gunn also seems to have mentally cast himself in the roles of Superman and Lex Luthor. He goes into detail about how he sees Superman and how he approached the next chapter in his “Superman Saga.”
James Gunn introduces the trailer for Peacemaker Season 2 – YouTube, DC
READ: Disney’s Castaway Cay Private Island Adds New Adults Only BBQ at Serenity Bay
“At its core, it’s about Clark and Lex,” Gunn said. “I relate to both of them. I relate to Lex’s ambition and obsession — minus the murder. And I relate to Superman’s belief in people, his Midwestern values. They’re two sides of me.”
The issue, as some have pointed out, is that Superman is a pop culture icon whose history runs far deeper than any one filmmaker’s personal experience. So it begs the question: do fans want a Superman that Gunn can relate to? Or was the character always intended to be something more?
From Mythic Hero to “That Big Lug”
When the character of Superman was created in the early 1930s, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster had a wide variety of inspirations. Many have noted the parallels to the biblical Moses, who was sent away as a baby to be raised by others, and ultimately became the savior of his people. Siegel and Shuster also mentioned Samson and Hercules for giving them the idea of a fantastically strong man who fought for and defended the oppressed.
Another clear influence was Edgar Rice Burroughs’ pulp hero, John Carter, who was a sort of inverted proto-Superman. Carter was sent to Mars, where in the lower gravity he was able to leap over tall buildings and had super strength. There, he too served as a sort of liberator. The initials J.C. suggest that Burroughs was thinking of Jesus Christ, whose iconography later Superman storytellers have incorporated.
The core idea of Superman has traditionally been aspirational. As Jor-El says in the 1978 film, “They can be a great people, Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you… my only son.”
Christopher Reeve as Superman from the 1978 film – Warner Bros. Entertainment, YouTube
When speaking of Superman, Gunn says, “This guy isn’t perfect, even though he’s Superman. He’s really just trying to do his best. He’s good-natured. He’s loving. He sees the best in everyone.” He later goes on to describe Superman as “that big lug of a superhero.”
By framing Superman primarily through his own self-identification, Gunn risks diminishing what has allowed the character to endure for nearly a century. Superman was always intended to be mythic—a symbolic figure meant to represent ideals larger than any single creator or audience.
Grounding Superman and the DCU
Ultimately, by reducing Superman to the kind person Gunn feels he and his audience already are, Gunn is failing to challenge anyone. The stories he’s likely to tell in the DCU may no longer center on larger-than-life, aspirational figures, instead becoming reflections of himself and his audience. It’s undoubtedly a comfortable position from which to write.
David Corenswet as Superman flying in James Gunn’s “Superman” – YouTube, DC
But fans went to see Superman in 1978 because they wanted to believe a man could fly. In bringing Superman down to his own level, Gunn may be grounding the DCU before it ever truly takes flight.
What do you think about James Gunn’s remarks about Superman? Let us know in the comments!
UP NEXT: Jimmy Kimmel Makes Even Winning an Award About President Trump in Latest Public TDS Meltdown
