Despite the newly released slate receiving positive reactions from fans of the DC Universe, there is still a lot of sourness about Henry Cavill’s removal. James Gunn and Peter Safran have a new Superman flying into action in 2025 with Superman: Legacy and it will kick start the projects of DCU Chapter One: Gods and Monsters.
Although not much is known about where Superman is headed next, renewing a beloved character with a cult following is a dangerous task. One thing that can be said with certainty is that not everyone is going to fall head over heels for the younger Superman, as the wounds of Henry Cavill’s removal are still quite fresh. Who knows, maybe things will change by 2025. However, James Gunn’s idea of the new “idealistic” Superman might not sit right with fans of the gritty version.
James Gunn Talks about the New Superman
It looks like Superman will be taking a different route than seen with Zack Snyder. During the reveal of the DCU’s new chapter, both James Gunn and Peter Safran gave a few exciting insights into what Superman: Legacy’s Superman will be like. Without giving any spoilers, the newest addition to Superman iterations will be a goody-two-shoes who puts saving lives above taking them.
Gunn calls Superman a “Big ol’ Galoot” who does not believe in taking lives and considers it to be his greatest weakness. The newest version of Superman will project a level of goodness which might be a bit of fresh air for the character.
“He’s a big ol’ galoot. He is a farm boy from Kansas who is very idealistic,” Gunn continues on the Man of Steel. “His greatest weakness is that he’ll never kill anybody, [and] doesn’t want to hurt a living soul. And I like that sort of innate goodness about Superman as his defining characteristic.”
He continued that while Superman: Legacy is not adapted from All-Star Superman, it sure is an inspiration to him. This might be because the red-caped superhero’s morality shines bright in it. This Superman will fly right into the face of Snyder’s version. Even though the character was still pure-hearted, the world around him was corrupted and innately evil. Thanks to this, the superhero who was supposed to be a ray of sunshine, became a bit too violent. As Gunn and Safran plan to show Superman in a different light, we aren’t sure if everyone will be on the same page. Guess we’ll just have to wait and find out!
James Gunn’s Vision will tell more Complex Stories
There is not going to be the usual black-and-white situation now that Gunn and Safran are in charge. Gunn stated that they are ready to take things away from the usual good vs. bad trope. Instead, there will be shades of gray which will include a bunch of different character types, and at the end, that will allow the studios to tell more complex stories.
“We want to take it away from ‘good guy versus bad guy.’ There are almost saintly people [in the DCU]; Superman is among them. There are really terrible villains like Gorilla Grodd or Joker. And then there is everybody in between. So there are all shades of gray of these different character types which allow us to tell more complex stories.”
Safran also weighed into the topic and stated that Superman: Legacy will absolutely not be an origin story. Instead, the film is going to focus more on how his Kryptonian heritage and his human upbringing go hand-in-hand. He finished off his statement by adding that the superhero brings kindness in a world that considers kindness to be old-fashioned. That’s deep! We cannot wait to see how the duo’s vision is brought to life.
Superman: Legacy is set to release on July 11, 2025.
Source: Twitter
