genuinely boundary-pushing horror, and the kinds of bold swings befitting an artist who first cut his teeth on low-budget Troma fare. By the time fate brought him face to face with the most famous and traditional cape-wearing character of them all, well, of course Gunn found a way to take a huge risk with “Superman” and get away with it.
Against all expectations, Gunn’s reinvention of Superman is actually even subtler than the minute differences in appearance between new lead David Corenswet and previous star Henry Cavill. (Seriously, it’s wild how much they resemble one another.) In one of the many ways the director differentiates his take on the hero from that of close friend, collaborator, and fellow “Rick and Morty” cameo-er Zack Snyder, Gunn opts to completely eschew a long, drawn-out sequence depicting the Man of Steel’s origins and how he ended up on Earth. Instead, the 2025 blockbuster begins three years after he officially unveils himself to humanity — no clunky flashbacks rehashing what most of us already know, no dramatic scenes set during the inevitable destruction of Krypton, and no time wasted before throwing us right into the middle of the Metropolis-based action.
As it so happens, this choice to sidestep his origins immediately gives “Superman” a shot in the arm and a pep in its step. Granted, some may end up feeling that this approach robs newer and younger audiences of the ability to latch onto this version of the Big Blue Boy Scout. But here’s why that risk pays off so well, with only very minor plot spoilers to follow.
