James Gunn Superman Easter Egg Proves The Movie Is In Good Hands

A recent post from DC Film News on X revealed a picture of a newspaper with the headline “Superman Fulfills A Dream.” Below the headline is a picture of Superman carrying a school bus through the air next to the words “Flys Cancer Patients To The Egyptian Pyramids.” The paper’s masthead reads Daily Planet, indicating it’s a prop from James Gunn’s Superman.

Along with the prop newspaper, DC Film News included a page from All-Star Superman #10 (May, 2008) for context. The top panel of the page shows a Superman flying a bus over the pyramids, as in the paper.

The bottom two panels show Supes waving goodbye to the children after he drops them back at the cancer ward and being thanked by the nurse. “Your visits are all some of them have to look forward to,” she tells a humble Superman, who responds, “It’s the least I could do.”

This is Superman, full stop. James Gunn could make a Superman movie without the hero throwing a single punch, and if it’s full of scenes like this, I’d give it a 10/10. I’m sorry, Zack Snyder fans, but you worship a false god.

Superman can throw hands with the best of them, but that’s every single other hero’s schtick. The Man of Tomorrow truly shines when his humanity is on full display.

Clark put on the suit to help people not to beat up bad guys. There’s a difference, and judging by this Easter Egg, James Gunn understands that about Superman.

The character’s whole point is that he is someone with godlike powers who chooses to protect the world rather than rule it. Superman doesn’t think humans are beneath him like Homelander from The Boys.

Nor does he think we’re weak sheep that he has to save because we can’t save ourselves. To Superman, we are all equals.

As much as I love the All-Star Superman scene that the paper alludes to, there’s a different scene from the same issue that I pray James Gunn puts in Superman.

A young goth woman stands on the ledge of a building in Metropolis about to jump when Superman shows up behind her. He doesn’t fly her off the building or chastise her for attempting suicide…he talks to her.

He explains to the girl that her therapist “really did get held up” and tells her she’s much stronger than she thinks he is.

The scene ends with Superman hugging the girl while they both stand precariously on the ledge. It’s one of my favorite comic book moments, and I’d be thrilled to see James Gunn depict it onscreen in his Superman movie.

There will be a lot of people accusing James Gunn of making Superman corny or dull after the movie drops next year. As much as I hate gatekeeping, those people don’t understand Superman.

There’s a reason why Richard Donner didn’t put any fight scenes in Superman: The Movie but included a scene where the hero rescues a cat from a tree.

And while I have no doubt Kal-El will be punching somebody in James Gunn’s Superman—it is a modern superhero movie after all—I sincerely hope the film takes more than that one page from All-Star Superman.

James, if you’re reading this, I expect a whole montage of Superman doing stuff like helping the elderly across the street and counseling at-risk youths. You got me?