(AfroGamers.com) We’ve got something of a first for AfroGamers—at least for me—in a recent film review! Early July 2025 saw the release of the anticipated James Gunn DC Universe debut: Superman. Going into the film’s release there was a lot of news and speculation about what to expect not just from Superman but the DCU under Gunn. It happens: you have what the person working on the actual project tells potential viewers to expect but the expectations and speculation tend to drown that out.
Myself, I came in expecting a decent starting point for the DCU. Even if it didn’t absolutely wow me, it was a strong enough reset of DC film for other films in the universe to grow out of.
Well, stick around because this film actually had my brother and I speculating and expecting by the end of it.
Superman Returns
Some time prior to the film’s release, James Gunn noted that moviegoers would be introduced to an experienced Superman. No, he’s not decades into this save-the-world jazz but he had been doing this for a while now. I loved this part because we’ve seen Clark Kent done the cape and try to figure this out for decades.
Just skip scene this time and boom: 30 minutes of film saved on origin story. Instead, we’re dropped into a situation where Supe has recently gotten involved in a border dispute where a larger, better armed and financed country has focused its aggression on a smaller country.
While his involvement becomes a philosophical point about Superman’s choices and responsibilities, it’s actually a underlying plot to Lex Luthor’s plot against the Man of Steel. Again, we’ve skipped the origin story of these two, they’ve tangled multiple times by this point, and this is the end game for Luthor. He’s breaking out every piece from the evil super scientist besides a giant robot spider that fires lasers and approaching this as a multi-layer assault on Superman.
I enjoyed this approach because it was like getting multiple Superman vs. Lex stories in one film. However, it wasn’t like Lex was endlessly bombarding Supe with issues—that would just be cartoonishly 50s evil villainy. No, it’s all part of a plan involving subterfuge, distractions, and so on.
I mean, this is the most powerful being on planet Earth, you’ll need more than bioengineered super beings and super soldiers to clap Clark.
Gunn’s Strength Shines
What I’ve always liked about James Gunn’s work is his ability to write likeable characters. Likeable to the point where I’m like “Give these guys a film or a series.” He used the late 2000s All-Star Superman comic book series as heavy inspiration as far as characters. After watching Superman, I had to go back and give it a read after a decade. As Chris from ComicTropes pointed out in his dive into the series, it’s inspired by my favorite Greek myth tale: The 12 Labours of Hercules. It made for a digestible series where the reader didn’t have to bounce among books to fill in details.
What really stood out in this series handled by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely was how the characters featured were depicted. Some could be sympathized with despite their actions, some you felt for, others you could get behind. It was a mix but it was all rooted around how Superman treated them all with compassion and understanding, their impact on him, his on them. It was a Greatest Hits of Superman with the Man of Steel being showcased as this beacon of humanity. The best of us in every extreme or odd situation.
That was reflected very well in Superman. Clark is just up here doing the best he can while being questioned about it—even when it’s obvious that something had to be done. The world turns against him with a surprising revelation that was nabbed from his Fortress but he keeps on keeping on.
Gunn’s character work came to the forefront with his writing of Jimmy Olsen, Guy Gardner, Lois Lane, Metamorpho, the Kents, Lex Luthor, and Mister Terrific. Some characters interacted more with each other than Superman himself—mainly because the state or situations Supe found himself in—but the characters are done well enough that those interactions were either interesting or humorous.
Get the Ticket – Yay or Nay: Yay
Some superhero film fans like the grim-dark approach of the late 00s-early 2010s but the colorful and vibrant approach of Superman—coming with a good amount of banter—is something I dig.
I didn’t even get into the fight scenes or depiction of Superman’s powers. Both were good, I could’ve used more heat vision—my favorite Superman power. Featuring foes who could throw hands with the Man of Steel really showed just how much Lex needed to offload to take him down or distract him.
Ultimately, I had a blast watching this and the theater was into it. I never got the feeling that the film was dragging at any point and some of those lines—especially from Jonathan Kent—really hit. I’m really hoping Gunn explores a film with the “Justice Gang” because they shined here but who knows what Earth’s next threat will be. At least it won’t be a total scramble to get some heroes onboard and working together to tackle it.
Score: 9/10
Staff Writer; M. Swift
This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.