JuicyTalk
It’s been three months, but I still feel myself transported to beaming while walking out of the theaters after watching Superman whenever I hear the refrain from Teddybears and Iggy Pop’s “Punkrocker.” That’s what I imagine people experienced after watching Christopher Reeve convince them a man can fly in 1978’s Superman, the perfect non-animated action movie for kids to watch.
Nearly 50 years separate the two movies, both of which celebrate the Man of Steel’s role as a symbol of hope in his world. There have been attempts to bring him to the big screen in live-action during that half a century, but none of those films are as fundamentally rooted in what the character represents as 2025’s Superman movie.
Every Superman movie involves the personal touches of the screenwriter and director, which often include complete reinterpretations of the character. A few renditions of Superman in live-action have significantly deviated from the source material, but that doesn’t automatically make them worse movies. A specific detail in James Gunn’s movie puts it a cut above the rest with the ’78 classic.
Superman Inspires Other Characters To Do Better
Superman is an ensemble movie masquerading as a one-man show. The titular character is the obvious protagonist, but a host of side characters appear in the film, too. Mr. Terrific, Guy Gardner, and Hawkgirl, aka the Justice Gang, are introduced in Superman. Jimmy Olsen, Eve Tessmacher, and Metamorpho also have significant roles, as do Lex Luthor and Lois Lane, obviously.
All the individual character arcs matter, as most of them, barring Lex and the other villains in Superman (2025), make challenging choices in the film. They choose to be better people, inspired by Superman and his undying dedication to humanity. Guy Gardner, despite insisting he vowed not to interfere in politics, eventually does go to help the people of Jahranpur.
Similarly, Metamorpho, despite being blackmailed by Lex Luthor, decides to stop wallowing in self-pity and helps Superman break him and his son out of Lex’s pocket dimension. They wouldn’t have been able to do so had Lois Lane not chosen to chase after Superman, even rushing into a dangerous pocket dimension, although her motivation is more personal than the others’.
Then there’s the martyr, the only man who dies in the movie, the falafel stand owner, Malik, who rushes to Superman’s aid after he’s dropped from the sky by Ultraman. He’s not supernaturally abled or even involved with the events of the film, but he is still inspired to help him up because he’d once witnessed Superman’s kindness in action.
Eve Tessmacher’s Arc Demonstrates The Role Of Faith In Superman
Every significant secondary character makes a tough choice in Superman. It may seem like a natural decision on her part after such prolonged emotional negligence and manipulation at Lex’s hands and then being hit with a pencil, but Eve choosing to expose him by sending selfies to Jimmy Olsen was an extremely daring act, given Lex’s violent and sociopathic tendencies.
Eve isn’t simply making a last gasp attempt to ruin Lex’s life after he’s ruined hers. Hitting the send button while being dragged out of the closet is an act of optimism on her part. She is putting all her faith in her idea of a better future where Lex is behind bars and she and Jimmy are partners.
Superman is a movie built on faith. Even the characters who aren’t directly contacted by or inspired by the titular hero make choices inspired by faith. James Gunn’s screenplay even rewards Eve’s optimism in the climax when we see her being freed from Lex’s pocket dimension and running towards Jimmy with a beaming smile, arms outstretched, her desires coming true.
Clark’s Own Story In Superman Is About Having Faith
Superman himself is not above suffering from an existential crisis. His presence may be a source of faith for others, but he also runs on faith. He had put his faith in the words of his birth parents, who seemed to be urging him to serve humanity to the best of his abilities. Those words defined him as a superhero.
James Gunn’s retcon of Superman’s origin story comes in the form of changing what we often understand as his birth father’s original motivation for sending him to Earth. This allows him to tell a story of faith through the titular character as well. His faith is tested, and he learns to trust the same character everyone else does – himself.
Superman’s adoptive father reminds him that parents, both biological and adoptive, aren’t the only people responsible for making us the way we are. Superman must realize that he has been making the right choices, even if the message he puts his trust in, actually says something else. Superman thus eventually finds faith in his ability to do and be good.
Superman Is Supposed To Be A Symbol Of Hope
While the many interpretations of Superman between 1978 and 2025 have highlighted different aspects of the character, or even invented facets that weren’t there in the comics, only Christopher Reeve’s original Superman movie and this one starring David Corenswet focus so much on how Superman’s existence injects hope into his world, and gives its people a reason to have faith.
James Gunn’s Superman movie reminds one of DC’s origins, and the character’s first appearance in Action Comics #1. He was created in the ’30s by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel, both children of recent Jewish immigrants. They were horrified by the stories of persecution in Europe, and their interest in helping the downtrodden was expressed in the form of Superman.
So, the character was always meant to be a symbol of hope, whose very existence helped people believe in a better tomorrow. This is why the many side characters in Superman (2025) are so important. Through their character arcs, James Gunn is able to remind us how Superman is supposed to affect others, and why his story matters even today.
