Superman · reception & legacy

2025 · James Gunn

How Superman has been received, argued over, and remembered.

The arc

Arrived in July 2025 carrying the weight of relaunching the entire DC universe after the Snyderverse collapse, and landed as a warm, crowd-pleasing hit — the rare franchise reboot that mostly won over both critics and audiences on contact.

What's debated

The forever-war: Snyder loyalists vs. Gunn converts, plus the recurring fan debate over whether its earnest 'kindness is the new punk rock' sincerity is refreshing or corny — and whether the film is overstuffed with side characters.

Its footprint

Krypto the superdog stole the whole cultural conversation — instant meme, endless fan art, and a reported spike in interest in rescue-dog adoptions after release. Gunn's pre-release comment that Superman is 'an immigrant' also briefly turned the film into a political football.

Where it stands

Too new for the canon, but it's already the consensus 'DC is fun again' movie — a Letterboxd crowd-pleaser whose long-term standing depends on how the DCU it launched turns out.

★ Did you know? Krypto was written into the script after Gunn adopted a chaotic rescue dog named Ozu (after Yasujirō Ozu) who trashed his house — Gunn has said he thought 'what if Ozu had superpowers?' and built the dog into the movie.

Named by the director

Influences James Gunn has publicly named — the director's own word, distinct from the inferred lines of influence.

Superman (1978) — Gunn has repeatedly pointed to Richard Donner's film as the touchstone for his Superman's earnest tone, even carrying John Williams' theme into the score.