James Gunn's Superman: Fixing the DCEU's Man of Steel Problem?
James Gunn's Superman is already showing signs of fixing one of the issues that the Dceu had with its portrayal of Henry Cavill's Man of Steel. The new film, Superman: Legacy, is currently in production, and there are more updates being revealed daily.
Although these updates are coming in the form of set photos and videos, James Gunn has said that he expected these reveals and wouldn't film anything containing spoilers in public. As a result, Superman's costume and character reveals have been at the forefront of Dcu updates lately, generating excitement for the 2025 film.
Another exciting element of the costume reveals is simply seeing Superman's cast of characters assembled, making the promise of the Dcu more real than ever. Taking center stage is David Corenswet's Clark Kent/Superman, as audiences get their first look at the figurehead of Gunn's DC Universe. Without even seeing official footage from the film, James Gunn's movie is already fixing an issue that was present in the Dceu's version of the Man of Steel.
Superman Set Photos Show Clark Kent As a Guy Who Simply Wants To Help
While the costume reveals, characters, and sets are exciting, it's what some of the set photos show about the DCU's Clark Kent as a character that is most important. In the reveals, Superman is shown as a man who just wants to help people. Corenswet has been photographed interacting with extras who resemble the people of Metropolis. These images make it clear that Superman is saving people in the DCU, from young children to a small dog.
A recent set video shows Superman walking with other superhero characters through a crowd of people. The children in the crowd rush forward, ignoring heroes like Mister Terrific, Hawkgirl, and Guy Gardner. They surround Superman as he interacts with them, and other set photos show Corenswet's Clark lifting the children and carrying them for a short time. All of this proves that Superman is not an otherworldly alien but a man from Kansas who wants to help, as shown by his interactions with civilians.
The DCEU Had Issues Concerning Superman Saving Lives
These set photos highlight a stark contrast between the DCU Superman and Henry Cavill's version in the DCEU. It is worth noting that Cavill was a fantastic Superman in terms of performance, and most of the characterization issues were the fault of the DCEU's writing teams, not Cavill's. With that in mind, the depiction of Superman saving lives in the DCEU was always somewhat problematic.
One of the only scenes that stands out as a positive interpretation of Superman saving civilians was the oil rig scene in Man of Steel. Aside from that, Superman saving people in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was always riddled with controversy. The former movie received a lot of criticism for its final act in which tens of thousands of people died in Superman's battle against Zod. While this was addressed in BvS, it would have been nice to have Superman be more actively careful about saving civilians while fighting Zod. The only scene in which this happened was again divisive, as Superman had to kill Zod to save a family from destruction.
Although Batman v Superman directly addressed Man of Steel's destruction, Clark's character arc was dour, cold, and emotionless. There was a montage in Batman v Superman of Clark saving people, yet he never looked joyful or happy to be doing so. It was a noted choice in the script that Superman was becoming disillusioned with the attacks against his character, leading to the controversial line "No one stays good in this world." Again, the point of BvS was to explore this conflicted version of Superman, but it doesn't make the fundamental switch from DC Comics any less divisive.
Superman’s Set Photos Prove Gunn’s Promises Were Correct
Above anything else, Superman's set photos prove that Gunn's view of the character will be depicted in the movie. Since Superman was first unveiled, Gunn has insisted that the movie will depict a more classic version of the character. Instead of the version of Superman seen in the DCEU whose moral code was regularly tested, the DCU Superman will be an unwavering pillar of kindness and goodness in the upcoming DCU movie and TV slate.
One line used by Gunn to symbolize the DCU's version of Superman proved this: "He is kindness in a world that thinks kindness is old-fashioned." More than anything else, the set photos from Superman prove this is being depicted correctly. From helping his fellow heroes to saving children and dogs, and even simply interacting positively with the greater public, the DCU Superman is proving to fix the characterization issues prevalent in the DCEU before the movie has even finished production.
