James Gunn has built quite a reputation for himself as a visionary filmmaker, and if you’ve seen what he pulled off with the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, you know exactly what he’s capable of. Now, he’s bringing that same creative spark to the new DCU, with Superman slated to release on July 11, 2025.
But here’s the thing: there’s one key difference I’ve noticed between what James Gunn is doing and what Zack Snyder did before him, and honestly, it could be a game-changer. This might just be the one move that helps Gunn’s Superman soar above Snyder’s Man of Steel. Now, you’re probably wondering what I’m rambling about, so without further ado, let me break it down for you.
Now, as we all know, James Gunn is pouring his heart and soul into the making of Superman. But if you think this movie is solely the brainchild of one man, you’re very wrong. Recently, it came to light that Gunn had a conversation with Jason Reitman, the director of Daredevil, who advised him to drop a slightly dark ending originally planned for Superman. After discussing a few key points, Gunn took the advice and rewrote the ending.
Similarly, some time back, Gunn revealed in an interview that he was initially planning to ditch the iconic red trunks from Superman (2025)’s suit. But after some solid feedback and a little push from David Corenswet himself, Gunn decided to stick with the classic look. And that’s not all. There have been multiple instances where James Gunn has taken suggestions from various people, including Zack Snyder, and implemented them in Superman. Now, you might be thinking, what’s the big deal here?
When Man of Steel was being made, Zack Snyder wrote the script, decided the tone, made all the critical story decisions, and commanded 100% creative control of the film. There have also been multiple reports of Henry Cavill and Zack Snyder having a disagreement over the portrayal of Superman in Man of Steel.
The difference I am talking about here is the way DCU’s Superman is a team effort of multiple people, with inputs from people both involved and otherwise. However, in the case of Zack Snyder, he went with the vision he had in mind and took zero to no opinions from anyone else, which is why we got to see the version of Superman who is way off from the one we have seen in comics and animated shows but is that a bad thing?
How Can DCU’s Team Work With Superman Outshine Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel?
Now, before I move forward, let me make this perfectly clear: I’ve got nothing against Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. If you look at it as a standalone project, it holds up pretty well. The visuals were stunning, Hans Zimmer’s score was nothing short of iconic, and Henry Cavill looked like he was sculpted straight out of the Fortress of Solitude. But if we’re being honest and shift our perspective to the comic book roots, the Superman we saw in Man of Steel was far from the hero we’ve known through decades of comics and DC’s animated gems.
Now, for folks familiar with comic-book Superman, Snyder’s version feels like a creative reinterpretation, one that worked in its own gritty way. But here’s the issue: younger audiences, who maybe didn’t grow up with the comics or animated shows, often take Man of Steel as the definitive Superman. And that’s where the disconnect begins.
A lot of the online hate aimed at James Gunn’s Superman seems to come from that exact group, people who only know the brooding, god-like figure Snyder introduced and aren’t aware of the bright, hopeful hero Superman was always meant to be. That’s what makes Gunn’s approach feel like a course correction. By collaborating with people who genuinely love the core of Superman, what he stands for, how he inspires, and why he’s so important, Gunn has the opportunity to give us a Superman that Henry Cavill should’ve gotten the chance to play but never did.
And honestly, that matters. For fans who grew up with Christopher Reeve soaring across the screen or flipping through DC comics where hope and humanity were Superman’s superpowers, Gunn’s take could be the return to form we’ve all been waiting for. So yeah, I genuinely believe Superman (2025) might just outshine Man of Steel. Why? Because teamwork, my friend, makes the dream work.
