James Gunn Said ‘Superman’ Is His First Superhero Movie, and He’s Sort of Right

You would think that James Gunn would consider himself something of an expert when it comes to superhero cinema, as he’s achieved success in that world at multiple levels. He rose from the ranks of Troma film icon to bona fide blockbuster maker largely off the backs of films about people who would regularly be considered superheroes. However, based on a recent interview, Gunn himself might not make that claim, as he’d rather consider himself somebody with an expertise in antiheroes, and that Superman is actually his first true “superhero” effort. While no doubt an effective way to build up hype for his massively important first DC film, he may be on to something if you listen to how he breaks this claim down.

James Gunn Thinks of ‘Superman’ As His First True Superhero Movie

In an interview with IGN, Gunn explains how, if you look at the past few “superhero” films he’s made, none of them were actually about true superheroes in the strictest sense. In chronological order, he claimed that Super was about a “guy wearing a costume beating people up,” the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy is about “space adventurers,” The Suicide Squad follows “super-villains,” and Peacemaker is the story of a “crazy man.” He caps this off by definitively stating that Superman is the first superhero film that he’s ever made. So is this actually true? It depends on how strictly you view the label “superhero movie,” and how forgiving you can be of adherence to genre norms. In a very basic sense, all those projects he listed could be called “superhero” oriented simply because of the genre rules and themes that they follow. However, if you were to take a closer look at each of these projects, you’ll notice that Gunn is hinting at how malleable his definition of a “hero” is.

James Gunn Has Questioned What Being a Hero Truly Means

Perhaps most obviously, James Gunn clearly doesn’t think you have to have traditionally good morals in order to fit the bill of being a hero. In Super, Frank (Rainn Wilson) is literally just a guy who thinks God chose him to stop crime, and mainly hits people with a wrench because they do minor things like cut in line. He does eventually become more of a true hero by the climax, but for the most part, he’s a danger to himself and other people. Across three movies (plus some Avengers outings), the Guardians are bounty hunters and mercenaries who are motivated much more by money and messy interpersonal bonds than any aspirations of doing the “right” thing.

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“I Am the Studio and I’m the Director”: James Gunn on Why ‘Superman’ Is a Completely “Different Experience” Than Anything He’s Done Before

Gunn discusses the “rare” emotional story he’s exploring, lessons learned from Kevin Feige, and how this ‘Daredevil’ writer changed the ending.

The Suicide Squad are all (alleged) murderers and death row-level criminals who only step up to save the day because their lives are on the line, and they never truly care about anything besides getting what they’re owed. In Peacemaker, John Cena does eventually grow a conscience by the end of Season 1 and earnestly wants to stop invading aliens, but he’s largely a self-serving and deeply prejudiced himbo who thinks there’s nothing wrong with killing whoever he deems guilty. James Gunn has long had a more nuanced understanding of morality and belief systems than your average superhero fare, and the bulk of his filmography has been dedicated to exploring the question of who we allow ourselves to see as truly heroic.

Along with loose morality, Gunn asserts that heroes don’t need powers to be able to do their job effectively. Super‘s Frank mostly had a wrench and a potentially psychotic sidekick named Libby (Elliot Page), but he still was able to take down the evil Kevin Bacon. Except for the super-strong walking tree Groot (Vin Diesel) and a talking raccoon (Bradley Cooper), the rest of the Guardians are your typical able-bodied humanoid individuals who mostly rely on weapons and technology to pack a punch. The same goes for Peacemaker and the Suicide Squad, since most of the superpowered characters get killed off at the very beginning, leaving behind someone who can talk to rats and another who spits out polkadots, and that’s about it. Let’s be honest, those are pretty lame abilities that aren’t going to do much, but in James Gunn’s vision, it’s not powers that win the battle, but teamwork and heartfelt communication.

‘Superman’ Will Be James Gunn’s Ultimate Test

David Corenswet as Superman looking defiant in Superman — Image via Warner Bros Pictures

With that in mind, tackling Superman could be less of a marked change and more of an interesting test for James Gunn as a filmmaker. He’s spent most of his time breaking rules and valorizing the lives of weird mavericks, but now he has to live up more to the classic ideal of a “superhero.” Superman isn’t just any superhero; he’s the true O.G. superhero, hence why it’s so important to nail the core principles of him accurately, even down to the red trunks and Clark Kent disguise. There’s only so much you can alter with Superman’s basic makeup before he starts to come off as not actually Superman, which is why past interpretations like Zack Snyder‘s Man of Steel or the Injustice comic series were contentious for so many Superman fans. Some superheroes do well with drastic reinterpretation, but Superman’s purpose is so pure that he must be treated gingerly.

Usually, it’s considered advisable to tell an artist that they have to learn the fundamentals before they can experiment and get weird, but James Gunn has gone in the opposite direction. He learned how to tell superhero stories by already being weird, refined that approach for decades, and now his biggest challenge could actually be pulling that weirdness back. When Gunn says this is his first “superhero” film, he means that this is the first time he’ll really have to play things straightforwardly and totally sincerely, with true reverence to the concepts of heroism and powers making a difference, and without getting too mired in the murkiness of the real world. Will he be able to do it? The wait is almost over.

Superman flies into theaters on July 11.