A Less-Powerful SUPERMAN Is Necessary So That “A Guy With A Bow And Arrow” Matters Says James Gunn

A Less-Powerful SUPERMAN Is Necessary So That “A Guy With A Bow And Arrow” Matters Says James Gunn

DC Studios co-chair James Gunn states that the DCU needs a less-powerful version of Superman so that a character like Green Arrow matters when team-ups occur.

By MarkJulian - Jul 17, 2025 11:07 AM EST
Filed Under: Superman

Some of the biggest complaints from DCEU diehards about the new Superman film are centered around the fact that the characters is not as powerful as depicted in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel.

However, a strong counterpoint is that most of the MCU heavy hitters like Thor and Hulk, are not as powerful as their comic book counterparts and the general audience doesn't seem to mind.

Gunn recently chatted with CBS Mornings and addressed the issue.

"There are some writers in the comics, like Grant Morrison, who took the idea of the all-powerful Superman and told great stories with it. But for me, as a child, the reason I liked Batman better than Superman was because Superman was just too strong at times. We're building a whole universe of characters, and I didn't want to have one guy who was so much stronger than anybody else, that a guy with a bow and arrow didn't matter."
 

Superman arrived in theaters on July 11, officially kicking off the movie side of James Gunn’s reimagined DC Universe (sorry Blue Beetle).

Based on earnings over the last week, the film is currently projected to exceed initial box office projections and finish its theatrical run well over $600 million worldwide. Some experts are even predicting a $700+ million finish.

The film, previously titled Superman: Legacy, is written and directed by Gunn and marks the beginning of a new era for DC's cinematic storytelling.

David Corenswet leads the cast as Clark Kent, better known as Superman. Joining him are Rachel Brosnahan as the determined reporter Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as the ruthless and intelligent Lex Luthor.

Several other DC heroes make their big-screen debut, including Nathan Fillion as the impulsive Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Isabela Merced as the fierce Hawkgirl, and Edi Gathegi as the sharp-minded Mister Terrific.

The supporting cast features Sean Gunn as manipulative businessman Maxwell Lord, María Gabriela de Faría as the tech-enhanced Angela Spica (also known as The Engineer), and Terence Rosemore as Otis. Wendell Pierce will play Daily Planet editor Perry White, and Sara Sampaio appears as Eve Teschmacher.

Anthony Carrigan portrays Metamorpho, the Element Man who can change his body into different substances. Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell play Jonathan and Martha Kent, the Kansas couple who raised Clark.

Milly Alcock also made her debut with a cameo appearance as Supergirl.

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NGFB
NGFB - 7/17/2025, 11:41 AM
Superman, and most of the DCU, can kill Green Arrow with one punch.
Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 7/17/2025, 11:45 AM
@NGFB - but they wont because they pussies
DocSpock
DocSpock - 7/17/2025, 12:00 PM
@Malatrova15 -

Meow!
Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 7/17/2025, 12:01 PM
@DocSpock - unlike the IDF who aré heroes AND can beat to Pulp the so called Justice Gang Any day
supermanrex
supermanrex - 7/17/2025, 12:13 PM
@NGFB - and arrow can kill superman with one arrow tipped with kryptonite through his eye socket. whats your point.
NGFB
NGFB - 7/17/2025, 12:19 PM
@supermanrex - that's a single piece of highly specialized equipment. My point is that regular human "superheroes" don't stand a realistic chance vs most supers. But we're constantly asked to believe that they do.
DocSpock
DocSpock - 7/17/2025, 12:28 PM
@Malatrova15 -

Right on kid!!
MonkeyBot
MonkeyBot - 7/17/2025, 11:43 AM
Hes right.
A character gets quickly boring when he is allmighty.

Like Superman arriving in the Snydercut was extremely boring
MonkeyBot
MonkeyBot - 7/17/2025, 11:45 AM
@MonkeyBot - if all a character had to do to beat the villain is "show up" than its gets boring within 2 movies.
Laridian
Laridian - 7/17/2025, 12:35 PM
@MonkeyBot - It was. That's why he had a bored look on his face.
WruceBayne
WruceBayne - 7/17/2025, 1:12 PM
@MonkeyBot - Superman has been too OP’d. His power level definitely needs to come down. In some iterations he can push the moon out of orbit, who on earth can stop that?
ShimmyShimmyYA
ShimmyShimmyYA - 7/17/2025, 11:45 AM
#NoMoreJesusSuperman
krayzeman
krayzeman - 7/17/2025, 11:45 AM
Precisely. Thats why its alway been hard to Superman right on the big screen after the Donner films
Apophis71
Apophis71 - 7/17/2025, 12:01 PM
@krayzeman - Why it went downhill fast after the first two Reeves films as Donner went OP in the first to the point to make the narrative work well he needed to relinquish his powers for a while in the second and the third requiring Kryptonite (Lester failing to make that work well even) and after pulling those two tricks where do you go from there on film.

Superman should be the most powerfull Supe on Earth but not all powerfull and not without some weaknesses that can be exploited in live action film adaptions in a shared universe as what you can make work in a comic won't for most the GA fairly fast.

You can make it work with a solo trilogy going at his max abilities IMO, not realy if heading into Justice League with a ten year plan or more in live action and also not if having other solo heroes facing major threats in their own films/shows as constantly undermined to an extent by why didn't Superman turn up.
TheJok3r
TheJok3r - 7/17/2025, 11:46 AM
This what I liked most about the animated Superman from back in the 90s; he wasn't untouchable. A Superman who can basically split the planet in half is not interesting at all, and will just make telling good stories difficult.

"Based on earnings over the last week, the film is currently projected to exceed initial box office projections and finish its theatrical run well over $600 million worldwide."

This is really good news, as it will ensure that this franchise and the DCU as a whole will thrive moving forward.
HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 7/17/2025, 11:46 AM
Weak, the constrast in power scale is what made GA enduring in Justice league Unlimited. He's gonna have to come up with better excuses.
JayTweIve
JayTweIve - 7/17/2025, 11:47 AM
@HashTagSwagg - It's not an excuse you delusional troll, it's basic common sense.
supermanrex
supermanrex - 7/17/2025, 12:11 PM
@HashTagSwagg - nah you guys have to come up with better reasons to hate on his choices. this superman is more powerscale to golden age superman. they have played with different power leveled supermen for all of DC. he is still the most powerful being on james gunns universe so far. if homey never struggles then there is no drama in the [frick]ing movie.
HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 7/17/2025, 12:19 PM
@supermanrex - He can struggle against powerful opponents from time to time, when it happened in the books it signafied we were dealing with a real threat. Gunn's "Super"man had him get his ass beat constantly throughout that film so when it comes to watching him get his ass beat by a powerhouse like Mongul, Doomsday or Darkseid it isn't going to have that oh shit affect that it should.
TheStranger
TheStranger - 7/17/2025, 3:02 PM
@HashTagSwagg - Bro is right again, as usual and James Gunn knows this. He's just being obtuse. That's the entire reason his cousin calls him a bitch at the end of the movie. You can't have the joke in there and believe what he's saying. The two conflict.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 7/17/2025, 11:48 AM
I get his reasoning…

It reminds of the people behind the DCAU and Justice League specifically that said they had to depower Superman in that show so the others felt relevant & important aswell otherwise he would have been able to handle everything on his own.

I didn’t mind a less powerful Superman though I know some of the people who went to see the movie with me felt he was a bit too wimpy and got beat up a lot but I think Gunn still showed he was still capable such as the sequence with the Raptors towards the end.

Anyway speaking of the bow and arrow guy , hope we get GA in this universe soon!!.

User Comment Image
ModHaterSLADE
ModHaterSLADE - 7/17/2025, 11:52 AM
I'm not stressing that this version is not as powerful; it's a different take on the character that's still fairly new to the superhero game. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter anyway, no version on screen so far IMO has come close to just how powerful Superman is in the comics or even Justice League United.
SteviesRightFoo
SteviesRightFoo - 7/17/2025, 11:53 AM
Donner could do it, pity Gunn is a one trick pony
supermanrex
supermanrex - 7/17/2025, 12:08 PM
@SteviesRightFoo - Donner didnt have a whole universe DC heroes in his movies. big difference
SteviesRightFoo
SteviesRightFoo - 7/17/2025, 12:25 PM
@supermanrex - an adaptation of supermax or long bow hunters would be cool. I wouldn't want gunn near it though
Forthas
Forthas - 7/17/2025, 11:53 AM
"However, a strong counterpoint is that most of the MCU heavy hitters like Thor and Hulk, are not as powerful as their comic book counterparts..."

Huh! There have been many a complaints about Thor AND Hulk being nerfed also! I should know because I have initiated some of them.
EskimoJ
EskimoJ - 7/17/2025, 12:02 PM
@Forthas - Yes, that's what the article says.
Forthas
Forthas - 7/17/2025, 12:35 PM
@EskimoJ -

"However, a strong counterpoint is that most of the MCU heavy hitters like Thor and Hulk, are not as powerful as their comic book counterparts and the general audience doesn't seem to mind."
soberchimera
soberchimera - 7/17/2025, 11:55 AM
Now keep Flash to under 200 mph, he is probably the most OP character in comics next to Franklin Richards.
ThorArms
ThorArms - 7/17/2025, 11:56 AM
THat's why I've never really been drawn to Superman. Never liked him as a kid. Just too overpowered.
soberchimera
soberchimera - 7/17/2025, 11:59 AM
@ThorArms - I agree, he needs more established weaknesses than just kryptonite or a red sun. In the Animated Series, electricity and other forms of energy were able to hurt him.
Apophis71
Apophis71 - 7/17/2025, 12:11 PM
@ThorArms - As a young child I loved Superman and for a while remained my fave but by highschool I was already getting tired of characters TOO OP with too few flaws which is why I drifted more towards Marvel where far fewer if any ever were perfect thus even if OP their own demons alone could take them down. I retained some love for a bunch of DC characters (mostly the human ones, like Batman, outside of Wonder Woman), Superman basicaly only stayed in my top three specificaly from DC due to being my first and my stubborn streak :D
Sicario
Sicario - 7/17/2025, 11:58 AM
Wow what a trash reason. Superman being incredibly powerful does not take away from green arrow or any street level heroes. It's a stupid take. The reason being superman can't be everywhere all at once. Just like we need a tank, we also need a scalpel.

And superman movie was absolutely mid. Corensvet was great, but the movie was sooooooo superficial.
Canyoublush
Canyoublush - 7/17/2025, 12:06 PM
@Sicario - Truer words have never been spoken. Completely agree.
OptimusInTime
OptimusInTime - 7/17/2025, 12:02 PM
This is bollocks... It doesn't matter how strong supes is. We've seen many iterations where supes is strong as hell.. And people like GL and Batman still matter.
Bottom line it's about how the character is written and how he chooses to use his powers.
This excuse is a cop out!
I wasn't a fan of the film in all honesty.. thought Gunn butchered supermans legacy and put no respect on his name.
This is my opinion.... That is all
OrgasmicPotatoe
OrgasmicPotatoe - 7/17/2025, 12:03 PM
Bitch, you think I care about their powers ?? I just want Green Arrow to have a hilarious super dog, is that too much to ask ?
HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 7/17/2025, 12:08 PM

Vigor
Vigor - 7/17/2025, 12:16 PM
@HashTagSwagg - looks hokey but fun
Shivermetimbers
Shivermetimbers - 7/17/2025, 1:21 PM
@HashTagSwagg - somehow it actually looks worse than I expected.
Fares
Fares - 7/17/2025, 12:11 PM
Maybe, maybe not, I can be fine with either.
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