Superman (2025) reboots not only the Superman character but also the DC film franchise. The film and DC Universe are both helmed by James Gunn, director of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy films. Many people feared that Gunn’s Superman would be too silly and irreverent like his previous films, ruining what makes Superman who he is. While the film is full of both action and comedy, it is also a cultural critique, addressing social media outrage and cancel culture—things that Gunn knows well. Gunn was a victim of cancel culture, having been fired by Disney in 2018 due to the discovery of past controversial social media posts. Yet he was one of the few lucky people who was able to recover from his cancellation, being rehired by Disney in 2019. This period of Gunn’s life has surely shaped him as a person and influenced the themes of Superman.
Superman’s Greatest Threat
Superman battles giant aliens and superpowered beings, but his greatest threat may be public opinion. Lex Luthor, the film’s main antagonist, is intent on destroying Superman in every way possible. Luthor shares a video of Superman’s birth parents instructing him to conquer earth, which goes viral and turns the entire world against him. People quickly forget all the good Superman has done, taking it to be a giant ruse. With no chance to explain himself, his reputation as Earth’s savior is ruined. Superman is canceled.
This teaches us the danger of cancel culture and jumping to quick conclusions without gathering all the information first. Superman never knew that his birth parents wanted him to conquer Earth. He was a genuinely good person who was instilled with good values from his adopted earthly parents. Information—and misinformation—spreads so quickly online that by the time the truth comes out on a certain issue, the damage is already done. This is a sad reflection of our Internet-obsessed culture. Thankfully, God’s Word is full of wisdom and guidance on this subject. It teaches us to be “quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1:19). And Proverbs reminds us “The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him” (Proverbs 18:17). Philippians 4:5 says, “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.” As Christians, we must guard ourselves against joining the outrage mob. We must be thoughtful and reflective instead of simply reacting to the latest headline. Find the facts, search for the truth. Maybe the latest news item is accurate and maybe it’s overblown. Maybe there’s more to the story and we need to pursue due diligence to seek the truth.
Everyone Is Beautiful
It’s natural to contrast the hero and villain of a story. Superman is humble and caring, while Lex Luthor is proud and arrogant. Yet the more meaningful contrast may be between Superman and his own girlfriend, Lois Lane. She’s still one of the “good guys” of the film, but her personality and outlook on life are completely opposite to Superman’s. Lois says to Superman, “I question everything and everyone. You trust everyone.” She’s overtly skeptical and cynical, while Superman gives people the benefit of the doubt. Can some skepticism be healthy and can we be naively trusting at times? Absolutely. But we can’t always be suspicious of everyone and everything. Don’t we see that in our culture, how we can divide ourselves into camps of us and them? We’re constantly suspicious of people who hold different political or religious beliefs. We label entire groups of people as ‘bigots’ or ‘fascists’ without getting to know them and what they really believe. Such division is humorously reflected in a line by a character at the end of the film: “The one thing that liberals and conservatives can finally agree on is that Lex Luthor sucks.” As the saying goes, we need to build more bridges and fewer walls between people. Jesus embodied this. He constantly sought out the “others” of society, the marginalized and outcasts, the people whom the “good” religious people of his day (the Pharisees) ignored.
It’s one thing not to actively hate someone we disagree with, but will we take the extra step to love them? Jesus taught us to love our neighbors (Matthew 22:39), the people we may be in closest contact or relationship with, who may share the same religious or political beliefs as we do. But he also taught us to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44), those people who are unlike us, or who may even dislike us. The film intentionally shows Superman saving people of all ages and ethnicities, highlighting his concern for all people (and even a little squirrel).
Superman doesn’t just trust people, however. As Lois says, he thinks everyone he meets is beautiful. This is a step much further than trust. Superman sees goodness and beauty in the world and in humanity. God created a beautiful world and he made humans in his image. Creation is broken and humanity is fallen due to our sin. But “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). He loves us in spite of our sinfulness and brokenness. When Paul told his readers of the sinful people who would not inherit the kingdom of God, he powerfully reminded them “such were some of you” (1 Corinthians 6:9–11). If God can have grace for us and if he can save and sanctify us, then we should also extend the same grace to others.
Kindness Is Cool
The tagline for 1978’s Superman: The Movie was: “You’ll believe a man can fly.” Since then, superhero movies have increasingly wowed us with grand action scenes and dazzling special effects. They’re blockbuster stories of good and evil on an epic scale. While 2025’s Superman has all of that, its titular hero embodies much more than just truth, justice, and the American way. He embodies kindness. Our society has become so divided and cynical and people are tired of it. We want wholesomeness and sincerity, and that’s what this film delivers. Lois thinks she’s “punk rock” because of her cynicism. But if punk rock embodies one thing, it’s an anti-establishment sentiment. And when division, suspicion, and mistrust are mainstream, love and trust are anti-establishment. Superman is right: kindness is the real punk rock.