James Gunnknows how to get a crowd talking about his movie projects. By crowd, we obviously mean people on social media, and alongside the usual gripesand Synder-fan outcry, the latest trailer for this summer’sSupermanhas actually generated some actual debates about what may or may not happen in the film. Naturally, Gunn is usually on hand to make sure that those who want to discuss his movie and genuinely have theories about it can get some little snippets of information straight from the horse’s mouth. His latest round of Q&A on Threads led to him debunking one popular theory about Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor.
Superman’s trailer delivered a new look at the Man of Steel’s latest cinematic outing, and, for the vast majority of people, it has given them a strong belief that Gunn is about to give the DCU the kind of start that it really needs – by delivering a Superman that is very much in line with most of his comic book appearances. One moment in the trailer released earlier in the week, though, had many people believing that Hoult’s villain – one of several in the movie – could have attained an incredible position of power and be the president in the film’s universe.
Warner Bros. Reveals the DCU Will Revolve Around These Four Iconic Superheroes
David Zaslav described these four characters as “big asset builders and big differentiators.”
This theory stemmed from a moment when Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) is interviewing David Corenswet’s Superman and makes note of him not consulting with the president about some of his actions. As the line is spoken, the footage cuts to a smug-looking Luthor, which led many to believe it was insinuation of his position in the film. However, Gunn has now given a definite answer whether that is true or not. He wrote:
“There are no origins but Lex is not President.”
Why ‘Superman’ Is Not an Origin Story
From the start, James Gunn has made it clear that he does not want to begin the DCU as many other such franchises have begun – withorigin stories of every single character. While there will no doubt be some movies that act as introductions for some characters further down the line,Supermanis not going to tell everyone where Superman came from, or howGuy Gardner became Green Lantern, or show the rise of Lex Luthor from an itty-bitty baby.
Back in 2023, following the announcement that David Corenswet would become the latest star to suit up as the Kyptonian, Gunn made it clear that his movie would not be looking back on the young life of “Clark Kent,” and would be missing out a part of the story that has been told many times before. He said at the time:
“I think we’ve seen his origin enough in film at this time! There is no Young Clark."
This is also true of many of the characters inSuperman, as the roster of active superheroes is much more expansive and unheralded than that of the world introduced by Zack Snyder’sMan ofSteel, Batman vs. Superman, andJustice Leaguemovies. Superman will include Hawkgirl, Mr Terrific, Metamorpho, and others, and audiences will have to simply accept that this is the world they are being thrown into.
In many ways, this is exactly how a franchise like DC needs to be handled. There are very few people who do not know who Superman is, or Batman, or Wonder Woman. Their names have been resonating with audiences for decades, and the need for extensive rewrites of their origins on-screen has become moot. Gunn is leading audiences into a fully stacked DC world full of superheroes from the start, and that could be something that sets the franchise up for a more successful run than any previous iteration.
Source:Threads
