Superman or Super Bland? Everything James Gunn Got Wr(ight)ong

Proof I attended an Early Access Screening (peep my Tigger Loungefly)

I know nothing about the drama of Superman movies or even the history of DC comics. I barely know Superman’s backstory and that's only because of the CW’s Smallville (shoutout to my older sister for that). But my husband has been following its production and all the online grumblings about another remake, and I had agreed to go with him months ago because why not? We got to see Superman (2025) two days before the general public!

And going in with no knowledge or expectations really caught me by surprise when I found myself actually enjoying the film. I mean, if college me from 2017 saw this movie, David Corenswet’s dimples would have been set to my lockscreen faster than Krypto can fly. The story was hitting the right milestones, characters were launching the pace into the stratosphere, and then, the second half of the movie fractured as wide as the pocket universe’s rift.

Beneath the Cape: Elements for Engineering Superman (2025)

The mechanics of storytelling aren’t there to hinder writers. Just as the laws of physics aren’t there to hinder astrophysicists. They’re there so you know what variables you’re working with and how you can manipulate them into something that works.

And crafting anything meaningful takes work. Actors spend years in drama club and community theater before finally earning their big break. The human body’s organs and nervous systems are messy and entwined but they operate together beautifully. Engineering is what makes the Eiffel Tower an architectural landmark. The lengthy structural calculations, the hours of steel fabrication, the heat of soldering, the sweat from welding. Creation is ugly. 

All the things we don’t see — all the hours athletes spend training that don’t count toward any game points — all that superstructure is what makes something superior in every way, and in Superman (2025)’s case, it was just kind of okay, man.

Spoilers ahead! If you have not seen the film, click that little X in the corner and come back after you’ve watched it. If you want to know if the movie is worth the price of the theater ticket or digital download (I mean, let’s be real these days), read on.

Conceptualizing Clark with Purpose and Pursuit

Every well-made building starts with a blueprint. Planning a story requires arranging for (1) a protagonist that wants something concrete and real, something outside themselves in the physical world, (2) that protagonist struggling with an internal conflict, and (3) the pursuit of that concrete goal forces the protagonist through external conflict to face and overcome (or give in, if it’s a tragedy) to their inner conflict.

In Superman (2025), James Gunn’s brown haired, steely-blue eyed Clark Kent wants to do good by helping others but struggles with his identity as an alien on a human world, and protecting Jarhanpurians from Boravia’s invasion forces Clark to realize that being human is what makes him super.

Now, how I came to the conclusion of distilling this concept took hours of mental gymnastics. Originally, I thought Clark’s internal conflict (AKA theme) centered on the plans his birth parents laid out for him and throughout the story, he should have been grappling with if he should or shouldn’t carry out his birth parents’ plan for him. But I kept getting tripped up by Clark telling Lex that he’s as human as anyone in the climax’s resolution. I couldn’t see how the plans his birth parents laid out for him got us to Clark’s declaration.

So I went back to how a compelling internal conflict is crafted in which writers have to answer two questions:

1. What is something the protagonist genuinely believes that unknowingly holds them back from obtaining their concrete desire?

2. Why does the protagonist believe it?

In the movie’s opening, Clark listens to the loving message from his alien birth parents that soothes him when he heals from a fight. Clark believes himself to be special and super like no one else. It’s why his parents sent him to Earth. And it takes the external conflicts and Clark’s concrete desire to do good to make him confront his misbelief and realize that maybe he isn’t as special as his birth parents said. Maybe he isn’t so alien, so different, from anyone else.

Lex Luthor makes people believe that Superman is a bad person because he’s an alien in a human world. He takes Clark’s core belief of being a good person, of being super because he has inhuman, alien powers, and uses it against him thus causing Clark to question his concrete desire of doing good and helping others.

It’s — It — Honestly, it’s chef’s kiss.

Character Development and Conflicting Motives

There are a lot of characters in Superman (2025) and that’s a sign of good worldbuilding. ahem I’m looking at you Elio (2025). My problem with this cast of characters is that I don’t know if any of them actually want something concrete enough to actively pursue it except for Lex Luthor who wants to take down Superman, and it’s so unfortunate that Gunn’s script falls into the my-antagonist-is-more-proactive-and-therefore-compelling-than-my-protagonist trap.

And, yes, Clark does want to protect the Jarhanpurians from being invaded but he’s not proactively attacking Boravia to stop the root of the issue. He’s just stopping the attacks on Jarhanpur. Which, I don’t know, kind of feels like shoveling your driveway in a blizzard, but I get that that’s who Superman is. He’s giving Boravia opportunities to reconsider their actions because Superman gives second and third and fifth chances because that’s who he is.

In terms of Lois Lane, I guess we could say she wants the truth. She tried to get it out of Clark during their interview at her apartment and ultimately uncovered the truth with the help of Jimmy and Eve, but as writer Gabriela Pereria says, “The primary function of each supporting character is to support the development of the protagonist,” which begs the question: How do the side characters in Superman (2025) support Superman’s character development?

The side characters in Superman (2025) simply uncover and release Lex’s plan with Boravia, developing the external conflict’s solution, which doesn’t help Clark come to the realization that he’s human. The only character who does that is Pa Kent.

At the farm, Clark’s adoptive father tells Clark that he doesn’t seem like himself. It’s a beautiful scene, touching monologue and moving performance, but it comes out of the blue. Unless, I could be wrong here, when Clark is plopped on his bed at his parent’s house, he’s muttering about the message not being true, about not knowing about the second half. That, at least, is a breadcrumb showing that Clark is still thinking about and grappling with this perception people have of him and how he views himself. That one conversation between Pa Kent and Clark hinges his entire character development.

Saving the World Starts with Why

With a concept as fleshed out as Mr. Handsome and characters forming a firm foundation, Gunn was on his way to building a LuthorCorp level story. But what differentiates a candle lit house from stadium lighting is the level of power running through the walls.

Clark’s inner conflict revolves around people viewing him as a good person. He listens to the message from his birth parents who encourage him to protect people. He defends his actions, actions that are super and inhuman, to Lois when she interviews him. He tells her again at his (I think?) apartment that he’s not here to rule over anyone. He turns himself over to the government all to find and rescue a dog.

Goodness is so ingrained in Clark’s sense of self that it doesn’t matter what he is, it only matters what he does. And that is a universal truth so electrifying, Gunn must have been struck by lightning when writing this script.

Superman (2025)’s Plot Structure Pulls Its Punches

The most exciting part about building, doesn’t matter if it’s a LEGO set or a multi-million dollar Disneyland attraction, is going vertical. With a concept acting as Gunn’s blueprint, characters laying the foundation, and a theme coming up through the slab, we’re ready to examine how all these pieces take shape in Superman (2025)’s plot structure.

• Act One

  • Hook: The audience is literally thrown in media res as Clark crashes down outside the Fortress of solitude where Krypto takes him inside and the bots put on the message his birth parents sent with him as he heals.

  • inciting Incident: The Engineer follows Clark to the Fortress’s location for Lex to use later.

  • First Plot Point: After taking down Kaiju with the Justice Gang, the remainder of Clark’s birth parents’ message is released on the news.

• Act Two

  • First Pinch Point: Lex kills the food stand worker in front of Clark who is hurting bad from the kryptonite Metamorpho is using on him.

  • Midpoint: Mr. Terrific explains that every time the pocket universe portals are opened, a black hole where Earth used to be is a greater likelihood.

• Act Three

  • Second Plot Point: Jimmy sends Eve’s selfies to Lois who pieces together Lex’s plan to receive half of Jarhanpur from Boravia’s war.

  • Second Pinch Point: At the Kent’s farm, Clark is hurt physically and emotionally where he receives a pep talk from his dad about choosing what he wants to do, not what any parents expect him to do.

And the concluding Act Four wraps up all of the footballs Gunn threw himself earlier in the story. Ultraman is involved throughout the story as one of Lex’s scientific, billionaire experiments so it’s believable when he’s revealed to be Bizzaro. Krypto chews up Mr. Terrific’s orbs so it’s believable when he attacks the Ultraman cameras. Clark helped Metamorpho and his baby escape from the pocket universe so it’s believable when Metamorpho helps the Justice Gang stop Boravia’s invasion of Jarhanpur.

And most importantly, Clark tells Lex that while he may not be from Earth, he is as human as everyone else. He gets scared and makes mistakes and despite that, he puts one foot in front of the other to do the best he can and have the most positive impact on the world, directly overcoming his inner conflict that it doesn’t matter what his birth parents told him to be, it only matters what he chooses to do and that is be a good, kind person.

Analyzing Gunn's Plot Structure Manipulation

I have no problem with Act One. When I first saw the movie, I actually thought it was odd to start off with Clark entering the Fortress of Solitude and place such emphasis on the message from his parents rather than an action sequence, so my story senses were tingling (and hoping) that this was going to lead somewhere and thank goodness it did.

And even Act Two, I don’t have a problem with until we get to the Midpoint. The Midpoint’s purpose is to introduce something new, shift the context of the conflict, and create more precise and urgent stakes. Which it does! Mr. Terrific explains that the pocket rift is bad news, but because it’s more of an informational escalation with no impact to Clark’s internal conflict, the stakes fall flat. As a viewer watching Clark, Krypto, and Metamorpho battle their way to the portal, you know they’re going to escape otherwise the movie would be over. And it doesn’t make Clark shift from reactive to proactive against the external conflict of Lex.

Yes, Mr. Terrific says he’ll oversee the portals’ inoperability but that’s not Clark therefore Clark is no longer driving the narrative. He’s continually reacting to what Lex is proactively throwing at him. Which is fine. It’s a choice. It’s not one I’d recommend since the protagonist should be proactive. They’re not waiting on other people to act. They are the ones driving the action. Main characters have main character energy because they do the things and make the things happen that we wish could make happen. They are the hero because they act like one. And in a movie called Superman (2025), I had hoped that the driving force in a super hero movie would be Superman.

Now. Act Three. I DO NOT RECOMMEND PLACING THE SECOND PLOT POINT BEFORE THE SECOND PINCH POINT. 

The Second Pinch Point is supposed to be the protagonist’s darkest hour, their lowest of low moments, where they either get everything they want but it costs them everything OR they gets nothing and everything is taken away from them… NEITHER OF THOSE THINGS HAPPENED. Clark has Lois, he has Krypto, he has his parents. Sure, Lex is still gunning for him, but he’s not alone. He has the resources to continue fighting.

The Second Plot Point is supposed to be the arrival of something new, some final piece of the puzzle that launches the final fight, and creates new risks with more immediate rewards. By placing Lois’s discovery of Lex’s plans before the conversation between Clark and Pa Kent, the stakes are cut off at the knees. 

At the Kent’s house, Clark doesn’t express that he’s struggling internally with the contents of his birth parents’ message and I’m not saying he has to express his feelings explicitly — what man does — but Gunn could have shown Clark’s feelings about the situation by having him focus on the external conflict which would make him proactive and exploit his internal distress for maximum thematic impact.

But because he doesn’t, because Lois knows the truth and has a way to take down Lex, all of this fell flat. Not that it wasn’t good — it still worked in terms of story — but the plot didn’t facilitate anything as deep and dramatic as it could and perhaps should have been. It just wasn’t as gut punching as Spiderman: Homecoming (2017) where literal Spider-Man is trapped in rubble screaming for someone else to save him. That’s all I’m saying.

In the classic definitions of these plot points, Superman (2025) is a little jumbled, a little muddled, doesn't follow a satisfying structure exactly, is imperfect, and maybe just a little human like Superman himself.

James Gunn Executes Scenes with a Domino Effect

Every construction project has an Architecture and Engineering team that shapes function into form, and in Superman (2025), audiences are sucked by Gunn’s wacky, brightly colored, charming architecture. Architecture comes in two forms: drywall, or the scenes encapsulating the structure into usable rooms, and finishes, or voice and the stylistic choices like overall aesthetics.

Crafting Scenes To Do the Heavy Lifting

Every scene needs to start with a conflict that causes conflict-heightening consequences, and a realization that develops the protagonist’s misbelief, causing them to make a decision that leads to a new set of conflict, consequences, realization, and decision-making. On and on this process goes to carry out the story.

Now, I have a love-hate relationship with the scenes in Superman (2025) because while they do quickly move the story along by showing progress to the external conflict, there’s also a general lack of Clark’s inner conflict — struggling with his identity as a superiorly capable alien — running beneath each scene.

Internal conflict is crucial to fueling why a character does what they do and why they’re working toward what they want, so having an abstract external goal like Clark’s desire to do good is really hard to wrap your head around because it’s not tangible therefore the signposts of progress for coming to terms with his internal conflict are hard to see.

Speaking about progress, there are entire scenes dedicated to side characters like Jimmy, Lois, Lex, and Mr. Terrific who make decisions and end up moving the external plot forward. Which isn’t bad. Side characters who do more than stand around are needed, but when Gunn cuts away to Jimmy meeting with Eve to gain information, it steals the spotlight from who the story is actually for and about and, ya know, named after.

To Gunn’s credit, Clark does decide to act like the rift opening and calling in the Justice Gang to save the Jarhanpurians, but the thing that actually stops Lex — the selfies and his deal with Boravia — has nothing to do with Clark’s involvement. But maybe all of this is a good thing. Maybe that’s part of what makes Lois and Jimmy such loveable characters is that they’re transformed from side characters to protagonists in their own right.

Overall, the scenes in Superman (2025) progressed so fast with a strong cause and effect between them that I didn’t notice these defects in the drywall too much, but focusing more on Clark could have launched an already strong story all the way to Krypton.

Gunn's Punk Rock Voice Balances Heroism with Humanity

No one makes a James Gunn movie like James Gunn. The second I saw the floating head with the wispy body trailing across the screen in the pocket universe, I was like, am I watching Guardians of the Galaxy?? And even though it felt like I’d seen the pocket universe in Avengers: Infinity War and the square holding cells were very reminiscent of Disneyland’s Guardians of the Galaxy Mission: Breakout attraction, I was okay with it because that’s just Gunn’s style.

And that’s the great thing about voice. You could have the same new development, cookie cutter house but how it’s styled, what colors the walls are painted, what drapes are hung up, what furniture is put inside, how the furniture’s oriented, all create a vastly different home.

Again, I’ve never seen any of the other Superman movies, so just as a member of the general public watching Superman (2025), the sets made the story feel retro in a way that also felt modern. Comparatively, the Fantastic Four: First Steps  (2025) movie has overwhelmingly committed to the 1960s retro aesthetic in a way that I can’t relate to. But I can relate to and see myself in a place like Lois’s tiny, cozy, book-filled apartment.

And in Lois’s apartment and throughout the movie, Clark’s dialogue had such a strong sense of moral uprightness (not to be confused with righteousness okay? no Homelander here) that when Clark defends himself from Lois, yelling, “People were going to die!” that I quite literally knew everything I needed to know about him in those five words. Renowned author Anne Lamott has said, “One line of dialogue that rings true reveals character in a way that pages of description can’t.”

One piece of dialogue that did bump for me — and is such a nit-picky thing, it’s not that serious — is when Clark is fighting Ultraman and calls Krypto’s name and tells him to, “Get the toy.” Which is fine. It works. BUT! It would have flowed and been so much more powerful for Clark to have said Krypto’s name then just say, “Fetch.” It’s one syllable compared to the three used in the film. It would have been so baller! Maybe Gunn thought it would be too baller and reverted to “Get the toy.” I don’t know. Did you notice that too? What are your thoughts?

Final Verdict: Mo’s No or Go Pile?

From James Gunn’s authentic, kooky style to nailing Clark Kent’s moral compass, Superman (2025) is absolutely in my go pile. I mean, we’re talking about a man who turned himself over to the government to save a dog (“And he’s not even that great of a dog but he’s alone and probably scared.”) How could audiences not be charmed by that?

And despite stretching storytelling structure, Gunn makes up for it by executing his unique architecture in a satisfying way. Were there structural choices in the overall plot and scenes I would have done differently? (I'm looking at you, Mr. Terrific, telling Clark that the message from his birth parents is legit and the world's best linguists verified its authenticity, like... bruh) One-hundred percent I would have made different decisions, but I'm not writing and directing a multi-million dollar movie; James Gunn is. So he has a right to tell a story the way he sees it needs to be told.

It’s almost like there’s no right way to tell a story or make a movie. It’s almost like doing it — whatever that is — in your way — whatever that looks like — is what makes something art. I’ll let famed Art Director, Paul Rand, take it from here as he said it best: “Just as there is no art without craft and no craft without rules, so too there is no art without fantasy, without ideas. It is the fusion of the two that makes the difference.”

What did you think of Superman (2025)? Did these issues keep you from the theater or has Krypto’s cute cape got you running back for another screening? Let me know your thoughts and I’ll see you in the comments.