James Gunn Explains Why He Feels SUPERMAN Is Actually The First Superhero Movie He's Directed

James Gunn Explains Why He Feels SUPERMAN Is Actually The First Superhero Movie He's Directed

Yes, James Gunn has directed a number of comic book-based films in the past, but the filmmaker views DC Studios' Superman as the first actual superhero movie he's helmed...

By MarkCassidy - Jul 08, 2025 01:07 PM EST
Filed Under: Superman

James Gunn has directed three Guardians of the Galaxy films (plus the Holiday Special) for Marvel Studios, and The Suicide Squad for Warner Bros., but the filmmaker still views Superman - which arrives in theaters this week - as his first real "superhero movie."

As co-head of DC Studios, Gunn finds himself directing the first movie in a shared universe he will also be taking charge of going forward in much the same way Kevin Feige runs the MCU.

While responding to this comparison during an interview with Games Radar, Gunn explained why he feels Superman is actually the first superhero film he's directed.

"Yeah, that's true, except Kevin has to do a lot of stuff that Peter does, and Peter takes care of a lot of things for me, my partner.

"In one way, though, it's weird, because you say I've made superhero movies with Marvel, but I really didn't," Gunn continued. "Guardians were space adventurers. They really weren't superheroes. They didn't have secret identities or masks or costumes, or they had superpowers, but they weren't really superpowers. They were just the powers of wherever they were from. So I think that, really, in a lot of ways, this is my first superhero movie, because even the Suicide Squad were supervillains."

He added: "So that brought in a bunch of challenges in itself. Because superheroes, everything I do comes from a place of, 'Well, what if this was real?' You know, if I started telling the story of Rocket Raccoon, 'What if Rocket Raccoon was real? How would he exist? Where would he come from?' And with this, 'What if Superman was real? What are his beliefs? What is his relationship with his girlfriend like? What is his relationship to the government like?' So it really was coming from that place."

Gunn does make some valid points, although it is difficult not to think of the GOTG as superheroes when they are flying into battle with the Avengers, and Task Force X may technically be villains at the start of The Suicide Squad, but most of them do some pretty heroic things by the end of the movie.

What do you make of Gunn's comments? 

Superman stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent/the Man of Steel, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific, and Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho.

The cast also Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell as "Ma" and "Pa" Kent, and Milly Alcock's Supergirl has been confirmed to make her debut ahead of her own Woman of Tomorrow movie.

"And that’s a wrap," Gunn posted last year when filming concluded. "God bless our cast and crew whose commitment, creativity, and hard work have brought this project to life. I set out to make a movie about a good man in a world that isn’t always so much. And the goodness and kindness and love I’ve encountered on a daily basis on the set has inspired me and thrust me forward when I felt too spent to move on my own.

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. It has been an honor. The destination has been Superman, but the journey has been the toil and the laughter and the emotions and ideas and magic we’ve shared together on set - and for that I am forever grateful."

You can check out a synopsis for the movie below.

"In his signature style, James Gunn takes on the original superhero in the newly imagined DC universe with a singular blend of epic action, humor and heart, delivering a Superman who’s driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind."

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vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 7/8/2025, 1:29 PM
OT.

Just want to show how much of a snowflake mr wilding is.
He said to @THEKENDOMAN thst he cant win either way - if he has a good review or not

Then i said:

"i guess you earned that through years of how you write. Still not late to gain credibility back, but it might be slow"

Boom, blocked again for thr 2nd time, lolz. For additional context, we have been bantering the past couple of hoyrs on Superman

It is no big deal to me. Just want to show how childish he is 😭
McMurdo
McMurdo - 7/8/2025, 1:38 PM
@vectorsigma - almost a rite of passage. Mark blocked me for calling out his fake World of Reels scoop that was verifiably bs. What can ya do? 🤷
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 7/8/2025, 1:50 PM
@McMurdo - haha i agree on the rite of passage.

I was actually proud during the first block. Then all of a sudden, he is replying and im seeing his comments.


I told him "you are not that bad talking to". He said "i dont know why i got you blocked". Lolz!

Lying snowflake. No wonder his articles carry some baggage of bad integrity/credibility. Boundary creepy tbh
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 7/8/2025, 1:54 PM
I have been feeding his articles with comments.

As much as i dont want to because Superman is around the corner, I guess it is time again for me to boycott the creep and his articles. I suggest the others do it too.
THEKENDOMAN
THEKENDOMAN - 7/8/2025, 2:19 PM
@vectorsigma - YO 👊🏿

Stop stressing mate, its not that [frick]ing serious.

Have you seen Superman yet??
Kiba
Kiba - 7/8/2025, 2:56 PM
@McMurdo - He deleted my comment where I called him scum. Hey, if the shoe fits.

SteviesRightFoo
SteviesRightFoo - 7/8/2025, 1:30 PM
Because disney marvel makes movies by committee?
Matador
Matador - 7/8/2025, 1:39 PM
@MarkCassidy you should have loved it for us!

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LMAO I kid I kid!
Kiba
Kiba - 7/8/2025, 2:58 PM
@Matador - Somebody wished one of the Garbage Pail Kids to life.

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Matador
Matador - 7/8/2025, 3:10 PM
@Kiba - LOL

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ModHaterSLADE
ModHaterSLADE - 7/8/2025, 1:53 PM
Fair enough. Guardians have always been more akin to anti-heroes than your typical superheroes.
Apophis71
Apophis71 - 7/8/2025, 3:25 PM
@ModHaterSLADE - There is also as he points to the super bit of it, Batman is a hero but is he a Superhero if he has no super human abilities and with the exception of tech enhancements to Rocket and Thanos' daughters most of them have no super(whatever race they come from) abilities most of the time and non of the dual identity stuff.

It is the limitation of the language we oft use for comics hence why some call them Caped adventures rather than superheroes with ones like Batman that essentialy are only human and not realy Superhuman. That said most are fine to accept Tony Stark with his tech does things far beyond what any RL human has or foreseably could do thus does superhuman stuff even if only human and same with Batman and I've even seen Olympians being referred to as Superhuman (same with Paralympians tho that one is a tad complicated by them having disabilities too)
THEKENDOMAN
THEKENDOMAN - 7/8/2025, 1:56 PM
Look, credit where it’s [frick]ing due, Gunn’s not wrong. Superman is his first true superhero film in the classic sense. Secret identity, powers, moral code, the whole bloody cape-and-truth shtick. Guardians were cosmic misfits, Suicide Squad were lovable psychopaths. Superman? He’s the real deal, the blueprint.

And the way Gunn breaks it down? Respect. He clearly gets the character on a deeper level. That “what if Superman was real” angle is the exact kind of shit this genre needs right now.

But mate… you’ve made your point. We get it. It’s layered, emotional, full of [frick]ing nuance. Now for the love of Krypton, shut the [frick] up and let the movie speak for itself before you over-explain it into the ground.

For [frick]s Sake

Hail DC🫡
Goldboink
Goldboink - 7/8/2025, 2:48 PM
@THEKENDOMAN -
He did make Super though...
DarthOmega
DarthOmega - 7/8/2025, 2:23 PM
OT: I've been trying to stay away from politics because it's turn us into... Well I don't know what. It's certainly nothing good. I ask you, has the constant conversation around politics brought us closer together, or has pushed us further apart?

I'm thinking about Gunn's recent comments on immigration and the media pouncing on it. Why? Is it because they care? [frick] no. This drives clicks. This drives views. Are we really willing to keep fighting amongst each other just to help these struggling media companies reach their financial goals?

I remember a time here where the biggest conflict was DC/Marvel. As stupid as those arguments were I'd give anything to go back to those days. While we argue over casting, and messaging in films, they keep making millions and we keep wasting time yapping at each other.

One thing for sure, we all like Comic Book movies. It's why we come here and bothered to make an account. So that's one thing we have in common. How much longer can we keep this shit up?
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 7/8/2025, 2:38 PM
I do get what Gunn means to an extent but I do think the Guardians moreso then the Suicide Squad were heroes while the latter could be anti-heroes I guess since both ended up saving people ultimately..

Also I know they make a lot of money or whatever but it’s still a hell of an impressive thing for someone like Feige or even Kathleen Kennedy I would say to handle the business and creative side of their respective studios (sometimes moreso the former then the latter) since atleast someone like Gunn has Safran as he said to handle the business end while he deals with creative so kudos to both regardless of how you feel about them or their projects.
SATW42
SATW42 - 7/8/2025, 2:43 PM
"or they had superpowers, but they weren't really superpowers. They were just the powers of wherever they were from."

That's Superman. Everyone from Krypton would have Superman's powers on Earth. He's describing Superman.
Apophis71
Apophis71 - 7/8/2025, 3:33 PM
@SATW42 - True but then most tend to think of Superman as a human with Superpowers a lot of the time even when they know he is not, and the film does have other hero characters in it (MAYBE too many???) from Earth with the dual identity stuff etc.

It is more the on Earth with dual identities that is the majorly differing aspect to cosmic adventures of GotG and Earthly ones of Superman ultimately no matter how we describe/frame them and he kinda has a point on that score in a lot of ways even if in others he doesn't :D. It feels like the sort of debate a group of nerds may have at 3am after a lot of drinking and weed in other words, lol.
WalletsClosed
WalletsClosed - 7/8/2025, 3:21 PM
Sueprheroes don't get their ass kicked by their dog

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