James Gunn’s Superman Avoided a Decades-Old Problem With the Man of Steel’s Powers

by

When James Gunn began working on his Superman movie, he faced a challenge: avoiding a common complaint from fans. He studied previous Superman films – the original movies with Christopher Reeve, the 2000s films by Bryan Singer, and the more recent Zack Snyder films starring Henry Cavill – to understand what had been done before. These films presented different takes on the character, ranging from the optimistic hero portrayed by Reeve to the angrier, more aggressive version from Snyder. But a recurring issue across all of them was that Superman was often depicted as being too powerful.

In the comics, Superman was often depicted as overwhelmingly powerful, rarely facing genuine challenges except when exposed to Kryptonite or battling another Kryptonian, like General Zod in both Superman II and Man of Steel. While fans initially criticized his invincibility, James Gunn addressed this by making him more vulnerable. Surprisingly, some fans still found reasons to complain.

James Gunn Fixed Superman’s Powers Problem

The early Superman movies starring Christopher Reeve featured a world where Superman was uniquely powerful. There were no other heroes, and the only real threats came from other Kryptonians, like General Zod, or when the story forced Superman to fight a darker version of himself. Even the villain in Superman IV, Nuclear Man, felt weak and contrived because no other character could realistically challenge Superman’s power. This lack of compelling opposition became a noticeable flaw in the series.

Bryan Singer attempted to revive the Superman film series in the 2000s with a sequel to the original movies, but it was poorly received, with many finding it dull and lacking excitement. The core issue remained: Superman’s immense power makes it difficult to create believable conflicts. While Zack Snyder’s films used powerful villains like General Zod, Kryptonite, and Doomsday to challenge him, it raised questions about how far the DC Extended Universe could go beyond these threats. This problem isn’t new; even in the comics, DC continuously increases Superman’s power level, making it increasingly hard to find compelling adversaries for him.

As a lifelong cinema fan, I was really impressed with how James Gunn tackled a classic problem with Superman. For years, fans have struggled with the idea that he’s too powerful, almost unbeatable. Gunn addressed this brilliantly by bringing back Lex Luthor – a villain we’ve seen across so many Superman iterations – but this time, he made Luthor genuinely brilliant, someone who’d really studied Superman and understood how to exploit his vulnerabilities. And then, he threw in a Superman clone who actually gave him a serious beating! It was great to see Superman challenged and to realize he wasn’t invincible. It made him feel more relatable, more human, even. But Gunn also seemed to realize that even with all that, perfection is always a moving target – there’s always more to refine.

Fans Were Still Not Happy With Superman’s Powers

A common criticism of James Gunn’s Superman movie was that Superman took too much damage and seemed vulnerable throughout the film. Interestingly, this came from some of the same fans who previously argued he was too powerful. Gunn, understanding that some fans will always find something to criticize, focused on crafting the best possible story and compelling characters within his comic book world.

James Gunn approached Superman differently than most. He presented a Superman who could actually be defeated, not an all-powerful being who always wins easily. Interestingly, it wasn’t even a super-powered Kryptonian who beat him – Lex Luthor’s intellect played a huge role, alongside the clone. Even a character like The Engineer managed to challenge Superman, making him more compelling than he’s been in a long time. By showing Superman can be vulnerable, Gunn sets up more exciting conflicts going forward, avoiding the need for increasingly powerful villains just to provide a challenge.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/movies/news/warner-bros-quietly-canceled-another-batman-spinoff-3-years-ago/embed/#

Read More

2025-11-19 02:14