Superman: James Gunn’s Large Cast Defense Points to New Type of Shared Universe

To be sure, Superman has an exciting cast. Not only do we get David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult as Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Lex Luthor, respectively, but we also get inspired choices such as Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner and Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen. But with such a crowded group, one has to wonder, is this a Superman story or a DC Universe ensemble story?

To director and DC Universe czar James Gunn, the answer is clear. Superman is “about telling the story of this person’s life and all the ways different people would be connected to him,” he told EW in a massive cover story. “I approached it like Clark Kent has his work friends and his play friends. I tend to think his work friends are the Justice Gang and his play friends are the Daily Planet gang.”

In other words, all of these characters are in the movie as parts of Superman’s life, not as all as protagonists in their own stories. That makes sense, given Gunn’s approach to Superman. “I wanted to tell the story about someone who was truly good in a world that doesn’t value goodness, in a world that makes fun of basic kindness and basic human values,” he explained to EW. “The fact that he can fly and lift buildings and shoot laser beams out of his eyes was really secondary to who he was as a person and what he stood for.”

Thus, the Daily Planet reporters and members of the Justice Gang—the sort of Justice League with Gardner, Hawkgirl, and Mister Terrific—are all part of that world. This Justice Gang is “good,” Gunn assured readers, “They just are not saintly.”

The cast, then, doesn’t serve as an ensemble. Rather, they are all part of Superman’s story, which Gunn has remained adamant is the focus of Superman, along with Lois and Lex. However, it’s easy to see why the big cast makes some fans so nervous. After all, Gunn and his fellow head of DC Studios Peter Safran are rebooting a DC cinematic universe that got off on the wrong foot in part because it rushed its team up. Unlike Marvel, which didn’t debut the Avengers until after already seeding characters in solo films, Zack Snyder‘s DC Universe launched the Justice League in its third film.

But for Gunn, these big names are all supporting characters because that’s what makes sense in a comic book universe. In this DC Universe, superheroes have existed for 300 years, and are a part of the every day fabric. “If you saw a shark-man walking down the street, you’d probably vomit and s— yourself to death,” Gunn quipped. “If they saw one, it would be more like if you saw Paul McCartney on the sidewalk in New York.”

Some fans have wondered if having Superman, who was the first comic book superhero when he debuted in 1938’s Action Comics #1, originate in a universe already filled with superheroes diminishes his importance. For Gunn, the opposite is true.

“James’ take is: What if we lived in that world? It’s giant monsters, alien beings, interdimensional imps,” Fillion explained to EW. “There’s things happening that are reality for this world that we’re about to enter.”

Gunn expounded by pointing out his nerd credentials. “I grew up reading DC and Marvel comics and having worlds and universes of superheroes who were interacting. I grew up watching Super Friends on Saturday mornings. It’s a long time coming, to be able to be a part of a world in which superheroes are real. We don’t have to explain everyone away. There’s a little bit of magic in this world. There’s science beyond our understanding in this world. This is the kind of place where there’s an island full of dinosaurs that probably exists.”

Thus, when Superman arrives, he does so in a world filled with superheroes, some of whom have lost their way and others who need inspiration. Superman provides that inspiration, filling not just regular people with hope, but the planet’s most powerful people as well.

On a metatextual level, that approach acknowledges Superman’s importance in a cinematic genre that has also possibly lost its way. There’s no question that superhero fatigue has set in, with even very good outings like Daredevil: Born Again and Thunderbolts* underperforming. While some of that can be attributed to just the normal shifting interests of the general public, it also cannot be denied that Disney and Warner Bros saturated the market with substandard movies and tv shows, burning out any goodwill previous movies had earned.

With Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, about the team that launched the Marvel Universe in the comics, there’s a sense that Warner and Disney are resetting their universes by going back to the source. Marvel’s doing it by setting Fantastic Four in the 1960s of an alternate universe, allowing them to be original and standalone heroes before bringing them to the mainline MCU. Superman simply introduces the Man of Steel into a world that already has superheroes.

But both approaches have the same mindset, that we’re inundated with superheroes and need a fresh start. For Gunn, that’s enough to distinguish his DC Universe from its predecessor. After all, as he pointed out to EW, “There is no Justice League in this world… not yet.”

Superman flies into theaters on July 11, 2025.