Culture Crash: James Gunn’s Superman: The Hero The DC Universe Desperately Needs

The stakes are high for Warner Brothers’ new movie Superman, a reboot for maybe the most iconic character in comics from writer/director James Gunn. Not only is the film a reboot for the last son of Krypton, but it’s also WB’s attempt to reboot the entire DC Universe, which has largely played second fiddle to the booming Marvel Cinematic Universe for the past decade plus.

Richard Donner’s original Superman movie starring Christopher Reeve in 1978 was a mega-hit that is often credited with kicking off the modern era of superhero entertainment. And for decades DC’s characters, which include Supes, Batman, Wonder Woman, and The Flash were largely seen as the default most famous superheroes in the world. Of course Marvel has always had its stars, too, namely Spider-Man and the X-Men. But the MCU managed to propel Iron Man, Captain America, and even formerly lesser-known characters like Ant-Man and the Guardians of the Galaxy to the forefront of the superhero consciousness for an entire generation of moviegoers.

Since then, though, the last few MCU entries have been met with some indifference at the box office and online, and WB and DC Comics seem to hope that now is the time to regain the title of the most iconic active superhero brand. And those hopes currently lay at the feet of James Gunn, who is not only the creative engine behind the new Superman, but also serves as co-CEO of DC Studios. His reinvention of Superman starring David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult, appears to be an attempt at re-emphasizing the aspirational and heroic nature of the man of steel. And if all goes well, the movie is also set to serve as the launching pad for an entire new era of DC Comics blockbusters. No pressure or anything.

James Gunn’s Superman is in theaters July 11.

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