There will always be a Superman for every era
Today marks the world premiere of the new “Superman.” A movie that has long been under development on and off, the cast has gone on an extensive marketing tour for their film, which they even had a stopover here for. Now, with all the preparations, country-hopping press tours, and all official trailers out, this is going to be the make-or-break moment for this highly anticipated film under the directorial chops of James Gunn. This could be his biggest proving point that he was the right man chosen all along to head the direction of all the films under DC Studios.
A lot of thoughts are running through my mind right now regarding James Gunn’s Superman because as someone who respects the legacy behind Superman and everything he has represented and continues to represent in terms of values, the one aspect that never escapes my mind is that Superman is the greatest DC comic book character of all time. I mean every word of that—that he is the greatest DC superhero ever because he is beyond symbolic; he is more than the face of the comic book company, but he, in more ways than one, carries the brand forward to every decade, every generation, and every era.
For every decade that has passed in DC Comics, from the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, and now in 2025, that is nearly a hundred years of Superman appearing in comics. And, with each decade, the overall appearance of Superman gets tweaked a bit, sometimes even his perspective on things, but the one aspect about Superman that, in my eyes, should never be changed or altered or distorted is the fact that he stands for “Truth, Justice, and the American Way,” because once you change his original motto, then that is no longer the pure Superman that he is.
Why, in each new Superman movie being helmed by a different actor, is Superman represented in various ways? Well, for one, the biggest reason is the vision of the director and producer on how they want to frame their wishes on how they want the Man of Steel to be in their film. Sometimes they get to hit all the right check marks, and more often than not, they don’t, and that is intentional; that is how they planned it and envisioned it to be.
If I had to choose who portrayed Superman the best, it has to be the late Christopher Reeve. Not because he was the first A-list actor to become him in big-budget movies, but because up to this day, he has come to embody the classic traits of not only Superman but also his alter ego, “Clark Kent.” Nowadays, even when I decide to rewatch any of the Christopher Reeve-starring Superman films, his masterful portrayal is incomparable, and that is why, to me, he is the perfect depiction of the Man of Steel.
In contrast to that is the more serious, more intense, and borderline anti-hero approach Zack Snyder had with Henry Cavill as “Clark Kent”/Superman, which was polarizing to some but favored by many. There will always be that result, given that each director, each filmmaker, and more importantly, anyone given the responsibility to bring Superman alive on the big screen will always have their reasons as to why they chose to portray Superman that way. And that is their right, because as long as they were given the “go signal” to do it by the movie studio heads, then they can go forward with their version of Superman, whether moviegoers will be happy with the result or not. Hey, it’s their Superman movie and not ours, and we are only along for the ride.
That goes double for comic book artists and writers, wherein they have a canvas wherein they can put out a new issue of Superman per month compared to a movie studio that would require at least close to a year or more to fully finish their film on Superman because it has to go through numerous stages and approvals to get it done, so a 90-minute running time or a two-hour running time is the result of many months or roughly a year to get the film out on time for everyone to see it.
That is why I always appreciate the filmmaking process, and not only the actors in it, because it takes time and a lot of patience. And speaking of patience, I can sense that James Gunn wants his Superman movie to be as good as possible. That can be seen in the number of other DC superheroes that are with Superman here, thus making this a big family affair-like outing for the Man of Steel, because he is not the only reason to go and watch this in cinemas. There are bonuses to this movie that can bring in other fan bases for other DC comic book characters who are making their big-screen debut.
For me, there is no mystery as to why Superman from past films has drastically changed from the way we remember Superman was in DC Comics and previous movies; it is because of the people behind each Superman movie. Depending on which decade of Superman they grew up reading in DC Comics, that is what their understanding, perspective, and vision would be for their Superman film. In short, they only direct, write, and produce what they know Superman to be. That is why the presentation of Superman has always been evolving, changing, and never one-sided because different views, opinions, and perspectives cause that.
What do I think of David Corenswet as “Clark Kent”/”Superman”? Well, I have to wait and see until I have watched the movie to make a ruling on that, but from what I have seen in all the official trailers, he is okay, if not better in some respects, than the past two actors who had the privilege of being chosen to portray the one and only Superman.
What people have to understand is that there will always be a wholesomeness to Superman that has made him a universal fan favorite from DC Comics of all ages because he represents the ultimate good in everyone, and the fact that he is arguably the strongest metahuman in DC Comics is always the most intriguing part of it. Because he always chooses to do what is right, just, and appropriate without leaning towards the extremes, despite being given his full set of powers that encompass everyone else in his world.
From the gift of flight, superhuman strength, heat vision, x-ray vision, invincibility, superspeed, and so on, Superman has every super-powered ability that one can wish for and imagine, and yet for every peace-loving person, for every good and law-abiding citizen, none of his superhuman abilities pose a threat or intimidate them. Why is that?
The answer is simple: people who are on the side of good will never fear him or fear anyone with powers that are out of this world, that are supernatural, and that are alien because Superman is a Kryptonian; he is, in fact, the last son of Krypton. Being that Superman was for the longest time the assumed sole survivor of his home planet, to make Earth his adopted second home planet, as he speaks of his understanding of humanity, and saving everyone he can. Clearly, Superman understands the value of human life, and that is why people respect and admire him for that realization within him.
Indeed, there are many classic traits that the first incarnation of Superman had in the earliest decades of his existence in DC Comics, and I see a bit of that in the new Superman movie starring Corenswet as the Man of Steel.
Now, go and watch it when it is made available in a cinema near you. Make your ruling if this Superman is your ideal version of him or if it is something else. Either way, there will always be a Superman to represent every era and to come from it, whether that be in comics or film.
Superman was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. /edv
