Superman – Capes, Clones, and Krypto-Fueled Chaos

Well now, wasn’t that a soaring good time! I just got back from seeing James Gunn’s Superman—yes, that’s the title, short and sweet—and I’m here to tell you that it was everything I hoped a Superman reboot would be: action-packed, emotionally charged, occasionally bonkers (in the best way), and positively stuffed with enough characters to fill a Justice League-themed cruise ship.

Let’s dive in, shall we?

I’d call myself a Superman purist. I’ve always loved the idea of Superman but my Superman can’t fly. Originally, he was described as able to “leap 1/8 of a mile; hurdle a twenty-story building, and run faster than an express train.” (Action Comics #1 (1938)). No flight, just inhumanly amazing feats of strength and speed.

A cartoon in the 1940s gave him the ability to fly since you put him in a sky and just animate his cape flapping in the wind rather than have to show him jumping through the zip codes from points A to B. Once the cartoon made it cool, the comics followed suit. It quickly became canon and my favorite version of Superman was replaced by a god that would only gain more and more powers with every passing decade. No more “faster than a speeding bullet” or “more powerful than a locomotive”. Kids today know him as racing The Flash for #1 speedster and punching Darkseid into orbit. Forget about him being able to “leap tall buildings in a single bound” since he can fly at whatever speed his squinting eyes will allow.

So now I’ve accepted that no one will ever make a Superman film for me. And honestly, if they did, the backlash from the fans would make a laughingstock of everyone involved.

So let’s see what James Gunn’s take on the character brings…

The story? Oh, it’s wonderfully wild. Our good boy Clark Kent (aka Kal-El, aka Superman), played with perfect heroic earnestness by David Corenswet, finds himself caught in a geopolitical mess between two fictional nations (Boravia and Jarhanpur, which sound like two feuding dinner guests at a Kurdish wedding). He’s trying to keep the peace, stop a metahuman invasion, battle a kaiju, save his super dog, and still make time to chat with his girlfriend. With the amount of things happening throughout the film, it makes me wonder if Mr. Gunn was popping Zins and downing Red Bulls when writing the scrpt.

But beneath the flying punches, exploding cities, and rift-in-reality madness, there’s something nice about this Superman. He’s not just a symbol—he’s a person. A man in blue tights trying to do the right thing even when the universe (and an extremely petty Lex Luthor) throws every obstacle at him.

Let’s talk about that chemistry between our leads. David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane are great. Their scenes together are witty, charged, and filled with heart. There’s a rhythm in their banter that makes you believe these two could carry an entire franchise with just conversations at the Daily Planet coffee machine.

But Brosnahan’s Lois is more than just Superman’s better half—she’s a sharp, capable, and deliberate force of her own. She doesn’t barge into every moment (though you get the sense she could if she wanted), but rather waits, watches, and then moves when the stakes demand it. That patience? That strategy? That’s Lois Lane playing four-dimensional chess, folks—and her move leads to the best action scene in the film, starring none other than Mister Terrific.

Now listen—James Gunn loves comic books. Loves them. And it shows, because he managed to pack more characters into this movie than my last family reunion that needed a megaphone and a seating chart.

There are so many heroes, anti-heroes, sidekicks, villains, and very-large-kaiju-type-monsters in this film that at one point I half-expected the end credits to just be a roll call. And you know what? I respect it. Because Gunn’s passion for the source material bleeds into every character, even the ones with names that sound like obscure IKEA products.

Now let’s give a special shout-out to my unexpected MVP: Metamorpho, played by Anthony Carrigan. This stretchy, patchwork-skinned metahuman has been lingering in the corners of comic book lore for decades, and I always thought he’d be too quirky for the big screen. But here he is, in all his multi-textured, element-morphing glory—and he absolutely works in the campy world that Gunn has crafted.

Gunn take on Metamorpho gives him a surprising emotional weight. Beneath the wild visuals and superpowers is a tragic figure—misunderstood, manipulated, and forced into moral dilemmas that made even me clutch my cardigan. Carrigan plays him with heart, and it reminded me why I loved this character as a kid. He’s the kind of hero you root for precisely because he doesn’t fit the mold.

And I’ve got to say, Metamorpho might just be the closest thing to a tragic X-Men-like character that DC has. A big swing by Gunn, and I’m so glad he took it. There’s great power and tragedy in his character and I like that he gets the spotlight for part of the film.

I want to circle back to one character just because he deserve a little more spotlight: Mister Terrific, played suavely by Eddie Gathegi. The man lives up to the name. A genius tactician and skilled fighter, he delivers some of the best action in the film (again, thank you Lois for the setup), and somehow makes floating T-spheres look downright fashionable. I’d gladly follow him into another movie, comic, or brunch meeting.

Did I mention Superman has a dog? Yeah, Krypto is here, folks. I don’t know how, but he is. The way he acts in the film had me thinking Cesar Milan (The Dog Whisperer) was going to have a cameo in the post-credits scene (he did not, but should have).

Oh, and then there’s Ultraman, the evil Superman clone cooked up by Lex Luthor. The final battle between Superman, Krypto, Mister Terrific, Ultraman, and a crumbling city was like watching three comic book movies at once—and it made me miss the Xanax/Valium/Ativan margaritas I used to make before new Game of Thrones episodes. It’s overwhelming at times but I think that’s what Gunn was going for.

If you’re wondering whether this movie is too much for younger viewers, I can tell you: my grandson made it through all two hours like a champ. Whenever the dialogue got heavy, I sent him off for popcorn and drink refills, and by the time he got back, someone was always flying through a wall. It’s a win-win for families, comic book fans, and even casual viewers who just want to see a guy in a cape save the day.

James Gunn’s Superman isn’t a reboot—it’s a launchpad for a lot of things to come. A bright, bold, and entertaining new start for Gunn’s DC Cinematic Universe. It’s a movie that caters to its audience, loves its characters, and isn’t afraid to get a little weird while still delivering that good old-fashioned Superman hope.

Corenswet and Brosnahan shine, the action never lets up, and there’s just enough heart to remind you that even superheroes need a hug from their parents (robot or otherwise).

This is Superman for a new era—quirky, epic, and full of heart. Mr. Nice approves.