James Gunn Tones Down the Needle Drops in ‘Superman,’ but Makes the Most of the Songs He Does Use

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for ‘Superman’

A recurring element within all of James Gunn’s work has been his ability to craft great mixtape soundtracks, as his application of music is thematically far richer than simply inserting great songs at random opportunities. Guardians of the Galaxy somehow managed to make a generation of younger viewers care about artists like Redbone and Blue Swede, and The Suicide Squad featured a far more strategized, specific collection of songs than the haphazard soundtrack used in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad film. Gunn’s work on Superman came with much more expectations, as he was tasked with setting up a tone and style that would remain consistent throughout an entire universe. While he was limited in the amount of licensed music he could use, Gunn’s use of needle drops in Superman is closely tied to the characters and narrative.

Superman certainly benefits from a terrific original score by John Murphy and David Fleming, who create a poppy, exciting series of new tracks that help distinguish David Corenswet’s version of the character from previous iterations. Although there are a few moments when elements of the classic John Williams score from Superman: The Movie are used, they are inserted tactfully and do not just revolve around audience nostalgia. However, Superman is a film that takes place in a recognizable version of reality that is only slightly removed from our own, which justifies Gunn’s decision to include a few existing songs.

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Gunn uses the Noah and the Whale song “5 Years Time” in the film’s best action sequence, in which Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) is joining Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) in a raid on a military compound in which Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) had masked a gateway to his pocket universe. The scene has high stakes, as both Superman and Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan) are being held hostage, but the upbeat track helps underscore the fact that it is a zippy comic book film that is meant to be enjoyed. As proven with his work on Guardians of the Galaxy and its sequels, Gunn is often able to get away with a surprising amount of violence if it’s cast in a playful tone, and Superman shows that Mister Terrific does not have the same moral apprehension about killing bad guys that Clark does. Nonetheless, the use of “5 Years Time” helps to isolate the perspective of Lois, who is finally getting to see what it is like to see superheroes in action, even if it is something that she has been covering for quite some time at the Daily Planet.

A needle drop is also used for the most emotionally resonant moment in Superman, as the song “Punkrocker” by Teddybears with Iggy Pop is used during the final montage, in which Clark sits in the Fortress of Solitude and watches video of his adoptive parents, Jonathan (Pruitt Taylor Vince) and Martha Kent (Neva Howell). Although Superman had previously watched a message that was given to him at birth by his Kryptonian parents, Jor-El (Bradley Cooper) and Lara Lor-Van (Angela Sarafyan), his perception of them has been tarnished after learning that they sent him to Earth with the intention of replacing the human race. Despite being conflicted about what he should represent, as he initially thought that he was destined to be humanity’s savior, Superman is able to take pride in the fact that he has become a part of the human race and has enjoyed the culture that he has assimilated into. His love of punk rock is mentioned in a more comedic way in a few moments, but in these final scenes, it’s played for sentimental reasons.

Superman and Lois also exchange a few witty remarks at one another about The Mighty Crabjoys, an in-universe band that feels somewhat inspired by Green Day and Paramore. Even though Lois initially scoffs at the notion that Clark is actually a punk fan, she is proven to be wrong when she visits his childhood bedroom in Kansas and sees a poster for The Mighty Crabjoys on his wall. This emphasizes the fact that Superman grew up human and has come to love Earth culture as his own. It’s also a clever tie-in to the broader DCU, as The Mighty Crabjoys and their music were also referenced in the series Creature Commandos.

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The needle drops are important in Superman because Gunn created a universe that is both original and familiar, and needed to casually reference aspects of culture that audiences would be familiar with, even if it also established a fair amount of its own mythology. Guardians of the Galaxy was able to get away with more constant needle drops because it took place in a reality where Kevin Bacon, Back to the Future, and Marvin Gaye existed, justifying the use of licensed tracks. Superman exists in a world where metahumans have already been active on Earth for three decades, so it’s reasonable to suggest that pop culture developed differently. Nonetheless, there are constant reminders that the events in Gunn’s film are intended to mirror many current topics of discussion; Luthor is designed to resemble many current tech CEOS, both The Daily Planet and its rival outlets mirror certain journalistic publications, and the crisis in Boravia and Jarhanpur mirrors the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Superman still feels like a Gunn film, which makes sense considering that he is both the filmmaker and studio head who greenlit the project. Although Gunn certainly lessened some of the more transgressive aspects of his style for the purpose of opening up the universe to other stories, it’s admirable that he was able to make the most of the needle drops that he did use.