Superman was never meant to be ordinary. Moreover, given the 21st-century superhero genre, a certain level of flexibility to keep up in today's troubled times is understandable. However, in trying so hard to make him 'relatable,' the 2025 reboot forgets what made him inspiring in the first place. Categorizing previous Superman portrayals and the 2025 iteration into two distinct spheres, let us navigate the reasons responsible for James Gunn's most talked-about superhero being neck deep in a quagmire of controversies.

Ever since superheroes leapt from comic book pages to big screens, Superman has embodied hope. Kudos to Gunn for bringing the character to life with remarkable fidelity to the source material. However, before we make comic accuracy our benchmark to gauge the impact, was it the sole driving force? 

Previous Supermen were flawed, yet noble, powerful figures learning to be human. They battled foes with their undaunted might, but their spirits bore the weight of the world. In contrast, the 2025 re-imagining seems more a symbol of ideology than hope. While both fight villains and uphold good over evil, the latter spends considerable screen time explaining his motivations, rather than letting his actions speak for themselves. One strikes awe with his mighty interstellar powers, the other tries to tug at heartstrings with a squirrel rescue, while the Justice Gang deals with the actual problem at hand.

What is he? A kid? Are we just expected to believe he rescued everyone with zero collateral damage when the buildings came crashing down like China glass, that he went on to push forward his act of tremendous kindness to a rodent? 

Henry Cavill’s Superman, for instance, resonated because he balanced himself between myth and man. That internal conflict made him intriguing, which made people ponder how with great power comes great responsibility. In contrast, Corenswet’s, however, leans too far into victimhood, constantly misunderstood, overly introspective, with a forced ideology, and humanized to the point of becoming ordinary. But that’s Batman’s lane, and no one does the tortured, morally ambitious vigilante better than him.

Superman is not meant to be another brooding figure. He is the one who soars above, literally and figuratively. He is supposed to be a beacon, a force of nature, almost magical in his might and morality. When you strip that away, you are not modernizing him, you are minimizing him.

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However, in Gunn's world, he was portrayed more as a misunderstood man than a mythic hero, which undercuts the very essence of the Man of Steel. When Superman starts questioning his own power too much, the awe fades, and so does the reason fans look up to him in the first place.

Tying this into a further evident pattern, studios forgot that people go to superhero movies to escape real-world problems and political chaos, not to absorb more of it. Was it an action movie? Was it morality at play? A silent trope from corrupted origin to being the messiah of justice for diverse communities? Or was it just a vessel for activism, to peddle personal constructs masked in storytelling?

Whatever it was, the end product was a politically correct, wannabe humorous mouthpiece in a cape, more interested in virtue signaling than villain-smashing. This is not evolution — it is dilution. Superman is an 'immigrant' here, as Gunn openly argues, fighting for his confused rights. What are we expecting next? A Superman with a further diversified background to play around present-day world problems and hence, more marketing gimmicks? You never know.

Undoubtedly, the cinematography, execution, the mind-blowing techniques, color palettes that made it visible without viewers having to squint, like in Snyder's, and the messages were in a league of their own. Yet, one wonders, did it resonate with the original fan base? Leave alone incorporating them, the movie made a mockery out of them and their opinions through woke satirical stunts.

Had it been a fresh concept, akin to a biting tragic-comedy adaptation that lays bare present-day conflicts and masked tyrants, it would have been unparalleled. Alas, it is not. Instead, it is a timeless, emotionally resonant, and powerful character that has captivated generations, and it is better kept that way. 

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What are your opinions of the 2025 Superman iteration? Let us know in the comments below.