Despite being one of the most popular superheroes of all time, James Gunn’s Superman could have some difficulty raking in the big bucks.

James Gunn is all set to tackle the big leagues with the upcoming DCU film Superman, which will kickstart the revamped franchise on the big screen. The latest teaser trailer showed the first glimpse of Gunn’s vision of hope and kindness for Kal-El, miles away from Zack Snyder’s dark and gritty exploration of absolute power.

While the teaser proved that Gunn’s vision was to bring back the hopeful nature of the character and many fans seemed to be on board with this intention, will it be enough to bring in the big bucks? I don’t think so.

The big billion might still be a long shot for the freshman effort of the DCU unless Gunn’s storytelling really hits it out of the park.

Superman is insanely popular but is he still relevant?

David Corenswet in Superman | Credits: DC Studios

We are in an age where superhero films might just be at their saturation point but they are the ones being made. From traditional superheroes like Spider-man and Wolverine to more secondary and tertiary characters like Aquaman, Blue Beetle, and Echo, all of them are being explored, with the MCU especially churning out new content every year.

Apart from the two giants in the comic-book realm, many other alt-comics have also turned into big IPs such as The Boys and Invincible. Though films like Blade and Hellboy had a fanbase before, the adaptations mentioned above subvert not just their source material but also the film and TV adaptations of the mainstream comics.

The Boys especially has managed to comment on the status superheroes hold in society (specifically, America) and how they would influence everything from military spending to elections if they were treated as celebrities in the world they existed in. In the age of Homelander, would Superman still be relevant?

A still from The Boys | Credits: Amazon Prime Video

Superman is the first superhero and is the perfect example of the American hero everyone aspires to be. He is a good man who chooses humanity over everything and safeguards American society’s interests despite all odds. He is overpowered with little weaknesses and his red and blue suit screams USA.

However, times have changed and there have been far greyer and bizarro alternates to Superman in popular media. James Gunn’s Superman may try to bring back some ‘good ‘ol heroism’ back into the fold but would that really work in today’s times? Comic book writer Todd McFarlane mentioned how the toughest job was to get Superman right (via ScreenRant),

Superman is this classic Boy Scout, the perfect superhero. What do you have to modify to get a 20-year-old today who wasn’t even born in the 1900s – they were born this century – That’s it. If you can do that, then that Big S in that word Superman is going to appeal to all of us that were born in the 1900s. That’s it. That would be the goal I would give. I’d go, ‘Okay, James, now do that,’ and hope that they come back and give you some great ideas behind it.

The recent Superman teaser has shown us that there is still plenty to explore with this picture-perfect hero. It begins with a bruised and bloodied Superman calling out for help and we also see instances where he is hated by the people.

There is still some complexity to explore in the character without going the Zack Snyder way but it is in danger of alienating a huge section of the audience who won’t buy the cheesy ‘hope’ philosophy.

James Gunn has never tackled a mainstream hero before

The cast of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 | Credits: Marvel Studios

James Gunn is an amazing filmmaker. He single-handedly took a Marvel IP that had very little mainstream popularity and turned it into a juggernaut of a franchise with the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. With his unique vision that strangely blends emotion and dark humor, Gunn broke the MCU’s own template and surprised them with a blockbuster.

While the release of his The Suicide Squad may not have been optimal, with the same-day streaming and theatrical release acting against its box office performance, the film took an IP that had a terrible image and filled it with so many ‘Gunn-anigans’ that it became an entirely new thing of its own. It also led to the spinoff Peacemaker series, which is a gift to humanity.

The critical success of both these DC properties and his experience at Marvel got him the job of co-chief of DC Studios. But his choice to helm Superman, the film on the hero that started this whole superhero business and is as mainstream as it gets is truly a ballsy move. And, it also runs the risk of being his first huge fumble.

The best part of Gunn’s films (and shows) is how he looks at people who are on the fringes. Each one of the IPs mentioned above is about a ragtag team of misfits who join together to find a second family with each other as they go on missions and adventures. The storylines may be different, but at their core, it is all about accepting who you are despite the quirks.

James Gunn | Credits: Inside of You podcast

But Superman is not on the fringes. He is the superhero, the most powerful man in the world, and he can fly, shoot laser beams, have ice breath, have super strength, and run faster than anyone. He has a loving partner in Lois Lane and has a day job as a journalist. He is patriotic and humane and does not possess a morally grey bone in his body of steel.

So, the most obvious fear is he might fumble with this task. Sure, various other elements in the film might allow him to put in his personal touch. The teaser trailer hinted at a host of secondary characters such as Guy Gardner, Mister Terrific, Hawkgirl, and of course, the star of the show Krypto, the Superdog. But, the focus is on Superman.

If he does not get this right, Gunn runs the danger of messing up the very beginning of the DCU yet again. A popular IP can only get you so far and a billion at the box office might be a long way ahead.

What gets the billion these days?

A still from Spider-Man: No Way Home | Credits: Marvel Studios

If you look at the list of highest-grossing films of all time, the majority of the list would be comic-book films. While James Cameron’s Avatar still reigns supreme as the highest-grossing film of all time with $2.9 billion at the box office, the MCU has had several entries in the list, including Avengers: Endgame and Infinity War, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Black Panther, and Deadpool & Wolverine.

The one thing common in these Marvel films (except Black Panther of course) is that all of them have gratuitous cameos from legacy characters in the Marvel universe. Nostalgia is one of the biggest selling points of franchises and the MCU has been leaning into the feeling since Endgame.

They brought in Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire for No Way Home and Hugh Jackman turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg in the cameo-filled Deadpool & Wolverine. Of course, nostalgia-baiting might not always be enough and the rest of the film has to be good too but the cameos do give a phenomenal edge.

The DCEU had only one film that crossed the one billion mark and that was Aquaman. Even Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice came up with about $200 million short of the billion and the Elseworld film Joker was a surprise entry into the billion-dollar club but that too failed to recreate the magic this year with Joker: Folie a Deux.

James Gunn’s Superman has the Herculean task of revamping a whole franchise with one of the biggest IPs in the superhero genre, likely with a huge budget that would need big numbers to drive the franchise forward. While the film does promise many new characters like Green Lantern and Hawkgirl, it may not be enough to bring the big bucks.

Gunn has also tried to cash in on the nostalgia. A few months ago the studio released Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, which is a documentary about the actor who played the first Superman on the big screen. The teaser trailer also used the original John Williams theme from Reeve’s films. But is that good enough?

The DCEU hangover might discourage the general audience from coming to theaters

A still from Justice League | Credits: Warner Bros.

When James Gunn took over as co-chief of DC Studios, he was given a mess of a franchise. There was the fragmented shared universe with no particular vision, Elseworlds that did not connect to the main continuity, and a terrible PR image that had exposed the bad management practices that killed blockbuster-worthy films like Justice League.

The DCEU was put to rest in 2023 with the release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which released without much fanfare (remember, the prequel was the only DCEU film to earn a billion) and Gunn’s new and improved DCU began to take shape. With a new Superman and a vision for the first chapter titled ‘Gods and Monsters’, Gunn was ready to revamp and reboot.

But the DCEU and its potential are still remembered fondly by a large chunk of the fans, especially those who campaigned for the Snyder-Cut and for the Snyderverse to be restored. There are also numerous issues of mismanagement from Warner Bros. including Henry Cavill’s prompt return and exit, the shelving of Batgirl, and the abomination that was The Flash.

James Gunn’s Superman does have the huge task of making fans forget these instances and still compete with the MCU, which will bring out the big guns in the coming year with The Fantastic Four: First Steps and the Avengers films the year after.

Superman will be released in cinemas on July 11, 2025.