So, two weeks ago, James Gunn’s Superman hit the theatres. And for those who are close to me, they know very well I’ve been championing the movie for months before it was even released. I was looking forward to the experience of watching it, and I just couldn’t wait. And when it finally hit the theatres, I made sure that I watched it in the opening weekend, because the last thing I wanted was to get spoilers on social media.
And as expected, it was an interesting watch. Something that many Snyder fans are not really happy about. As of this week, the movie has been making serious numbers, and the rating on Rotten Tomatoes is said to be the best any Superman movie has gotten since Christopher Reeve donned the suit all those years ago. At this point, it’s as if any stride the movie makes is just another nail in the coffin of Snyder Fans Hall of Opinion.
As you probably know, it all started when Henry Cavill got fired just as James Gunn was hired to head the new DCU. This move came as a shock to everyone because, at the time, there was so much that was expected from the Snyderverse. This was shortly after Justice League, and also when Zach had given us a peek into what the future of The Justice League could be like with Superman’s mind controlled by Darkseid.
However, due to low ratings and the movie not making an impressive box office, while also noting that around the same period, Marvel films were majorly box office hits. At the time, Marvel seemed to own the theatres while DC had to manage the crumbs and smaller screens. So, Warner Bros decided to axe the entire franchise and reboot it. They handed it over to James Gunn. Mind you, this was fresh after he had directed The Suicide Squad, which was a major hit as well. His track record for taking obscure characters and making them mainstream (as he did with Guardians Of The Galaxy and PeaceMaker) was also a major factor.
Cavil’s Superman was dark, and his portrayal was more godlike. He fully imbibed the role of being the strongest man in the world; he was invincible and basically untouchable. Zach shocked the whole world right in the first movie when he made Superman kill General Zodd. That set the tone for the rest of the franchise. It was as if he was trying to show us just what it would be like having a person like Superman living among us. And boy, he did show us!
We saw clearly the amount of destruction his fights caused and how many people lost their lives. And Cavil’s Superman didn’t really care about collateral damage. Fighting through buildings, destroying everything that lay in their path, none of that mattered to him as long as he was able to defeat his opponent. After all, this was also the guy who willingly allowed his father to die, just to protect his secret. So yeah, Cavil’s Superman was dark and gritty.
Gunn’s Superman, on the other hand, was totally different. He took us back to the early days of Superman animation and what made the character so beloved. His was lighter and more colorful, and this one clearly cared about collateral damage. He truly lived up to the Hope symbol on his chest. In many instances, we saw him go out of his way to save people, even in the heat of battle. Hell, he even saved a squirrel from a tree while fighting a giant monster!
This is really the symbol of hope, a reminder that everyone deserves to be saved. No one person is more special than the other. Many people are complaining that Gunn took a woke path with the movie, addressing issues like immigration and alien status. I don’t really know what to say on that aspect, because despite being a farm boy from Kansas, Clark Kent is still an alien who took refuge on Earth.
I think one of the biggest issues superhero writers face is not usually with the hero, but with the villain and the challenges they have to bring to the hero. A hero can only be as strong as the villains that try to take them down. And if not properly written, it can ruin the experience for the viewer. I guess that’s why Cavil’s Superman wasn’t so successful, because he was basically untouchable, and you could easily see that he couldn’t be beaten.
Note though, that Gunn didn’t make Clark weaker here; he simply made him more human. David smiled more often while Cavil kept his face firm most of the time. David joked a lot and showed his emotions, whereas Cavil was stoic and kept his feelings bottled up. Both were willing to go to great lengths to save the day, but David would slow down to make sure that he saves the day and saves everyone for good measure.
All in all, Gunn’s Superman is lighter and has a stronger pull on your emotions. It has humor and it has heart. It’s not just about buildings getting destroyed as two titans fight each other. It’s full of color and life. In the end, I guess that Gunn’s Superman is the fantasy that we use to cope with the idea of what the reality of Snyder’s Superman would be like.
Well, I look forward to the next DCU project, which is the second season of Peacemaker.
Thank you for reading. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, I would love to know what you’re thinking. Till we meet in the next post.
