Why Can’t Hollywood Get Superman Right?

Anyone who relished 1978’s “Superman: The Movie” winced over the saga’s fourth installment, 1987’s “The Quest for Peace.”

That didn’t erase the mark Christopher Reeve left on the Man of Steel and pop culture writ large. Iconic. Then and now.

Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images

So, after Marvel’s “Iron Man” blew the doors off the box office in 2008 and ignited Hollywood’s new superhero craze, it made sense to bring the DC Comics hero back to theaters.

He’s arguably the most recognizable hero in the men in tights genre, dating back to the late 1930s. So why can’t the industry get Superman right?

Here’s hoping director James Gunn does just that with the latest “Superman.” The summer’s most anticipated release casts relative newcomer David Corenswet (“Twisters”) as the Krypton native. Early trailers suggest a lighter tone and emphasis on humor as much as rock ‘em, sock ‘em action.

Photo by Courtesy of Warner Bros. Copyright: Warner Bros.

Why is it so hard to make the Man of Steel as popular as the Hulk or Thor on movie screens? 

We’ve had endless small-screen Supermen, from George Reeves’ ‘50s era here to Dean Cain in the rom-com-ish ‘90s series “Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.”

The first major attempt at Superman came two years before Robert Downey, Jr. kick-started the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The 2006 film “Superman Returns” deployed a Reeve doppelganger (Brandon Routh) but underwhelmed at the box office.

Something was missing, and not just the “American Way.” The film ditched the hero’s signature phrase, “Truth, Justice and the American Way” to placate foreign audiences or the industry’s Left-leaning sensibilities.

By the time Warner Bros. hired Henry Cavill to play Clark Kent the superhero craze was in full swing, but this wasn’t your father’s Superman. Cavill’s “Man of Steel” (2013) was conflicted, a far cry from Reeve’s Boy Scout persona. Even the legendary suit’s colors were muted, a darker shade to reflect his inner turmoil.

Chris Pavlich/Newspix/Getty Images

The film made millions, but it didn’t rock the culture like Reeve did in the late 1970s nor did it generate a direct sequel. Cavill starred in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” (2016) and “Justice League” (2017).

Cavill made a Superman cameo in the 2022 disappointment “Black Adam” before learning he was out of the DCEU (DC Extended Universe).

It’s not surprising that Hollywood has struggled to make Superman “Superman.” Antiheroes are all the rage in Tinsel Town, from Tony Soprano to the misfit warriors of “Thunderbolts*” and two “Suicide Squad” films.

It’s hard to make a Boy Scout-like hero pop off the screen in our cynical age. The writing must be rich and detailed, showcasing layers that make the “aw, shucks” heroism matter. Antiheroes offer far more shades of gray and opportunities to grab our attention. That’s what Walter White did for five mesmerizing seasons of “Breaking Bad.”

“Say my name!”

Goody two-shoes characters aren’t hip in the eyes of many screenwriters. White hat heroes need not apply. How many recent films have glorified hit men, paid assassins who serve as judge, jury and executioner? The “John Wick” saga is the tip of that morally dubious iceberg.

So where does that leave this summer’s Superman reboot?

It’s Gunn’s baby, through and through. The veteran writer/director is in charge of the DCEU’s reboot, and this is his coming-out party after working with the MCU on the “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy.

Craig Barritt/Getty Images for ReedPop

Gunn brings a quirky sense of humor to his work, but he’s hardly a traditionalist. He also has a dark side. He previously got canceled in 2018 for resurfaced pedophilia and rape jokes on Twitter. Disney later had a change of heart and hired him to helm the third film in the “Guardians” saga.

Gunn also blasted then-President Trump, a common pose in his field.

The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro, no fan of Gunn’s work, has low expectations for the new reboot after reviewing the trailer. “Two thumbs down.”

A recent revelation suggests Hollywood didn’t learn from its past mistakes. Official “Superman” movie merchandise drops the “American Way” phrase once more in favor of “the human way.”

Yet the director spoke to the character’s innate goodness in a late 2024 interview that suggests a Reeve-like take on the material. 

“We can expect a Superman who is about the compassion of the human spirit, a Superman who is about kindness, love and compassion, while also being a very strong character. He is the best of humanity, even though he is an alien from outer space.”

Maybe Gunn will rise to the cultural occasion. We could use a unifying hero like Superman at this point in American culture. We’re at each other’s throats over political differences, egged on by social media platforms that feast on conflict.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Superman isn’t Right or Left, although his Midwest upbringing suggests he’d call the former camp home. Still, Reeve’s Superman never became a culture war talking point. His chaste pursuit of Margot Kidder’s Lois Land was PG-rated perfection. He’s true to his word and lives to save cats stuck in trees.

That’s all for the good.

Gunn teased Superman’s core strength as a character in the aforementioned interview, another tease that he might be channeling the Reeve model.

“[He’s ]this symbol of really old-fashioned values and hope, and it’s an idea that’s been a bit battered over the years.”

Gunn is no conservative, but he may realize “Superman” needs heartland values to connect with the character’s past … and the franchise’s future. That’s assuming he still has one.

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Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of HollywoodInToto.com. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at HollywoodInToto.com.

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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