James Gunn on Superman: Immigration, kindness, and why it’s unapologetically political

James Gunn isn't shy about speaking his mind, which was clear when he gave his candid statements to The Times of London. He discussed his upcoming film Superman—which will be the first movie in his new DC Universe—where David Corenswet is playing the titular character.

He told The Times,

"I mean, ‘Superman’ is the story of America. An immigrant that came from other places and populated the country, but for me it is mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost."

He added that,

"Yes, it’s about politics. But on another level it’s about morality."

The film, starring Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Nathan Fillion, and others besides Corenswet, releases on July 11, 2025. Since the film's first trailer arrived, it has been a hot topic among fans. Some like it for James Gunn's vision of the superhero, while others don’t because they believe Henry Cavill, who played the character in Man of Steel, was perfect for the role.

James Gunn's version of Superman is younger than Henry Cavill's but older than Tom Welling's Smallville version. During one slate presentation, the director said that the biggest weakness of his version of the character is that he cannot kill anybody.

What do we know about James Gunn's Superman?

James Gunn's Superman is sure to be different from the versions we have seen before. The most interesting aspect of this film is that the protagonist will also bring his companion, Krypto the Superdog, into the equation. We already saw the little guy dragging the superhero towards the Fortress of Solitude in one sneak peek.

Peter Safran, DC Studios' co-CEO alongside Gunn, said about the superhero that "he is kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old-fashioned." To that end, we should not expect something like Zack Snyder's version of the superhero—not that he wasn't kind, but Man of Steel was more about powers and abilities, which the fans absolutely loved.

When Henry Cavill played the character, he wasn't focused on being a journalist but a Kryptonian. Corenswet's version, on the other hand, is serious about being good at it. In fact, James Gunn himself confirmed that he is "starting to become successful" at both jobs.

There's also one mystery about the character: How come people don't recognize that Clark Kent is Superman? He doesn't wear any mask like Batman, which makes it hard to believe that people don't see through it.

Interestingly, Gunn has an answer to that too. He is giving his character hypno-glasses, as he told ComicBook in one interview. He also emphasized that they are canon in the comics. "It’s kind of been forgotten, but that’s from the comics," he said.

Additionally, he will be joined by a number of other superheroes in the movie, who initially believe him to be one naive being. The available clips have shown us Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Isabel Merced as Hawkgirl, and more.

After Superman, we will also see his cousin, Kara Zor-El, in Supergirl, which will be released about a year later.