For months, James Gunn had been doing the impossible: keeping politics out of “Superman.” In an era where everything is viewed through a culture war lens, he was walking a tightrope — rebooting an American icon without triggering a red-vs-blue meltdown. And up until now, it was working.
However, with just five days left before release, the dam’s broken.
In a newly published The Times of London interview, Gunn makes it crystal clear: Superman isn’t just about truth, justice, and brightly colored capes. It’s about current-day America. The filmmaker behind “Guardians of the Galaxy” and now DC Studios’ co-chief is no longer avoiding culture wars.
“Superman is the story of America,” Gunn says. “An immigrant coming from another world, trying to make a life here. But for me, it’s mostly about how basic human kindness is a value we’ve lost.”
There it is. Gunn’s vision of Superman is filtered via a lens of moral decline and immigrant identity — and he’s not shying away from how that might land in today’s fractured political climate.
“Obviously there will be jerks who find it offensive just because it’s about kindness,” he adds. “But screw them.”
For a director who previously kept his cards close to the chest, it’s a sharp tonal shift. And he doesn’t stop there. Gunn admits the film is, on some level, “political,” but insists it’s more interested in morality.
So yes, this Superman is about a guy in a cape. But it’s also about values, ethics, and a country unsure of itself. Gunn had done a good job keeping that conversation at bay — until now. Whether this last-minute reveal stokes anticipation or backlash remains to be seen.