James Gunn’s Superman is breaking away from traditional storytelling by diving headfirst into the Man of Steel’s world without an origin story. According to the DC Studios co-head, who is writing and directing the movie, Superman begins with the titular character already established as a hero, with familiar dynamics from the pages of DC Comics shaping the story.
During a Superman set visit, James Gunn told Heroic Hollywood and other outlets, “It was about really putting us in the middle of the action from the beginning. And there’s a lot of these things in this movie now that I’ve been making it for over a year that I think of as normal. But now when you bring it up, I go, oh yeah, that’s pretty unusual. We just start in the middle of the action. Superman already exists. Lois and Clark already know each other. Lex hates Superman’s guts from the beginning, although they don’t know each other personally.”
Superman’s First DC Universe Story Unfolds Over A Tight Timeline
Gunn also revealed that the movie’s timeline is notably condensed, adding, “So we start right in the middle of the action. It takes place over a short amount of time.” While details about the plot are being kept under wraps, the approach should give us a fast-paced story.
By skipping an origin story, Gunn emphasizes Superman’s relationships and pre-existing conflicts. Instead of reintroducing audiences to Clark Kent’s journey of becoming Superman, just like Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel did in 2023, the film focuses on his established presence in the world and the dynamics between key characters like Lois Lane and Lex Luthor.
This storytelling approach aligns with Matt Reeves’ The Batman, which revolves around a fully realized hero and world without the need for an origin story. It’s clear that the story of Superman will become a pivotal chapter in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s reimagined DC Universe right out of the gate.
Superman arrives in theaters on July 11, 2025. Stay tuned for the latest updates on James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe.
