It Feels More Comic Book-y

Kevin Smith, a huge comic fan and director in his own right, recently gave his two cents regarding James Gunn’s creative vision for Superman, noting its more comic-accurate tone. Releasing July 11, 2025, the film stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman, as well as Rachel Brosnahan, Edi Gathegi, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Maria Gabriela de Faria, and Nicholas Hoult. It will follow a younger Superman balancing his day job as a Daily Planet reporter with his super-heroics.

Per Collider, Smith had a simple answer as to why Superman’s marketing has clicked with him: “It feels more comic book-y is what it is.” The Dogma director continued: “I mean, number one, putting his trunks on the outside again is just charming, and including the dog is not something we’ve seen over the course of the last 10 years, and I think that’s such a smart choice, man. Unless they hurt that f—ing dog, which, then can also be a strong choice, dramatically speaking. But it just looks so charming.”

Interestingly, Smith also weighed in on an interesting cultural phenomenon regarding Batman and Superman. He explained:

Whether Batman or Superman is ascendant and dominant in the culture has everything to do with where we are as a country. So, when times are good for Americans and prosperous, oddly enough, Batman is the dominant character because Batman is a dark fantasy about everything going wrong. … And then the flip theory of that is Superman is ascendant whenever the country is doing poorly or it needs help, and that’s when that character plays strongest. So, it would feel like based on that, like Superman, the stage is set for that movie to make so much f—ing money. People wanna hope right now. People just want to believe in a f—ing thing, man.

The difference in tone between Gunn’s Superman and previous adaptations, such as Man of Steel, is readily apparent, with the former aiming for a campy tone and the latter striving for a gritty one. Smith is right to note that the inclusion of Krypto and other distinctively comic book-inspired elements makes the film feel different. However, contrary to what he said, Superman will be the live-action theatrical debut of Krypto. Gunn also contextualized the choice to go lighter in tone for this film, stating: “I think this is a movie about the values of being human, about kindness and love.”

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As for Smith’s statements on how the general state of America affects superhero media, it’s hard to say how correct he is. It is true that the popularity of Superman and Batman ebbed and flowed throughout the ’40s and all the way into the ’80s. However, in the film landscape, Batman has been more popular since way back in 1989 with Tim Burton’s Batman.

While the DCEU ventured into unchartered waters and went for a darker tone, Gunn set out to make a more optimistic Superman film. As such, it tracks that more elements from DC Comics would play a role in the film, especially compared with something like Man of Steel. Smith’s observations all stem from this major change in creative strategy. Nonetheless, Superman looks to be a fun ride for all ages, provided this lighter approach pays off.

Superman

Release Date

July 11, 2025

• Clark Kent / Superman / Kal-El

• Rachel Brosnahan

  Lois Lane

• Nicholas Hoult

  Lex Luthor

• Edi Gathegi

  Michael Holt / Mister Terrific

Upcoming DC Movie Releases

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