James Gunn’s new Superman movie has sparked intense debate among DC fans, but not for the reasons you might expect. While the film delivers spectacular action and character development, a closer examination reveals striking narrative similarities to Zack Snyder’s controversial Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. These parallels extend far beyond surface-level superhero tropes, suggesting a deliberate creative choice that raises fascinating questions about storytelling, franchise direction, and meta-commentary within the DC Universe.
The Political Framework: Questioning Superman’s Authority
Government Oversight and International Concerns
Both films establish their central conflict through political world-building that questions Superman’s place in global affairs. In Batman v Superman, the aftermath of Man of Steel creates international concern about an alien operating without governmental oversight. Lex Luthor capitalizes on these fears, spreading doubt about Superman’s accountability to human law and international borders.
James Gunn’s Superman employs nearly identical political themes. The film presents Lois Lane questioning Superman about his authority to operate across international boundaries, echoing the exact concerns raised in Batman v Superman. The core question remains unchanged: Should an alien with immense power be bound by human law?
Key political similarities include:
- International sovereignty concerns – Both films question Superman’s right to intervene in foreign affairs
- Media manipulation – Lex Luthor uses public opinion to turn sentiment against Superman
- Senate hearings and governmental oversight – Official bodies demand accountability from the Last Son of Krypton
- Strategic geopolitical implications – Superman’s actions are framed as potential acts of American aggression
The Africa Setup vs. The Foreign War Gambit
The execution of Lex Luthor’s political manipulation follows remarkably similar patterns. In Batman v Superman, Lex orchestrates the Africa incident where Lois Lane conducts an interview. His operatives eliminate witnesses using untraceable bullets and burn bodies to simulate heat vision damage, knowing Superman will respond to Lois’s danger and appear complicit in the carnage.
Gunn’s Superman presents a parallel scenario where Lex deliberately provokes Superman to intervene in the Boravia-Jahranpur conflict. Rather than a journalistic interview gone wrong, Lex creates an entire war to force Superman into a no-win situation. Both scenarios share critical elements:
- Manufactured crises designed to force Superman’s hand
- International incidents that make Superman appear as an aggressor
- Strategic manipulation that benefits Lex’s larger anti-Superman agenda
- Public relations disasters that turn popular opinion against the hero
Lex Luthor’s Government Manipulation Strategy
Building the Case Against Superman
In both films, Lex Luthor cannot simply attack Superman based on personal vendetta. Instead, he must convince governmental authorities that Superman represents an existential threat to humanity. His approach involves systematic persuasion targeting key political figures.
In Batman v Superman, Lex plants seeds of doubt with Senator Finch, arguing that Superman’s unchecked power makes him unpredictable and dangerous. He emphasizes how foreign nations might perceive Superman’s actions as American military aggression, potentially destabilizing international relations.
Gunn’s Superman features identical governmental persuasion tactics. Lex presents the same arguments to government officials: Superman’s power demonstrates human weakness, his alien nature makes him untrustworthy, and his unchecked authority could lead to global subjugation. The philosophical framework remains unchanged between both films.
The Kryptonite Gambit
Both versions of Lex Luthor pursue similar governmental partnerships to eliminate Superman. In Batman v Superman, Lex requests import permissions for Kryptonite while simultaneously calling for Senate hearings. The government understands Kryptonite’s lethal effects on Kryptonians through experiments with General Zod’s body, making Lex’s intentions clear.
While the new Superman film handles the Kryptonite element differently, Lex still seeks governmental authorization to handle the “Superman problem.” The core dynamic remains identical: Lex positioning himself as humanity’s protector while manipulating official channels to achieve his goals.
The Kryptonian Solution: Creating the Perfect Weapon
When Kryptonite Plans Fail
Both films feature a crucial turning point where Lex Luthor loses access to Kryptonite as his primary weapon against Superman. In Batman v Superman, Batman steals the Kryptonite, forcing Lex to implement his backup plan. Similarly, Gunn’s Superman shows Lex unable to secure Kryptonite for his schemes.
This shortage forces both versions of Lex to pursue identical alternative strategies: creating a Kryptonian opponent to fight Superman.
Doomsday vs. Ultraman: Parallel Creations
The similarities in Lex’s final gambit are perhaps the most striking aspect of both films. In Batman v Superman, Lex accesses the Kryptonian ship and combines human DNA with General Zod’s Kryptonian genetic material, creating Doomsday—a being more powerful than a standard Kryptonian.
James Gunn’s Superman follows this exact template with Ultraman. Lex creates this antagonist using Superman’s own DNA, establishing another Kryptonian hybrid designed specifically to kill the Man of Steel. The parallel is unmistakable: both films conclude with Lex using Kryptonian biology to eliminate a Kryptonian hero.
Both scenarios demonstrate:
- Genetic manipulation as Lex’s solution to the Kryptonite problem
- Kryptonian vs. Kryptonian combat as the climactic battle
- Hybrid beings more dangerous than standard Kryptonians
- Lex’s scientific expertise applied to xenobiology and genetic engineering
Philosophical Foundations: Power, Corruption, and Divine Authority
The God Complex Argument
The philosophical underpinnings of both films share remarkable consistency in Lex Luthor’s worldview. In Batman v Superman, Lex delivers a memorable monologue explaining his belief that “power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely.” He argues that an all-powerful being cannot simultaneously be all-good, and that gods inevitably choose sides, making them dangerous to those they don’t favor.
Gunn’s Superman presents virtually identical philosophical arguments. Lex contends that Superman’s existence highlights human weakness and inferiority. He warns that accepting Superman means accepting potential subjugation by his entire species, should other Kryptonians arrive on Earth.
The Alien Threat Hypothesis
Both versions of Lex Luthor advance the same core argument: Superman represents the advance guard of a potentially hostile alien civilization. They argue that humanity must develop countermeasures against super-powered aliens to avoid becoming dependent on their goodwill or, worse, becoming their subjects.
This philosophical consistency reveals how both films treat Lex as representing rational human fear of the unknown, even when his methods become extreme and his personal motivations corrupt his reasoning.
Meta-Commentary and Creative Intent
James Gunn’s Message to DC Fans
The extensive similarities between these films suggest deliberate creative choice rather than coincidental parallel development. James Gunn appears to be making a statement about storytelling within the DC Universe, possibly demonstrating that the same narrative framework can produce different results depending on execution.
The post-credits scene provides potential insight into Gunn’s intentions. When Superman comments that a rebuilt structure “looks a little out of place,” Mister Terrific responds, “What, should I separate it and put it back together again?” This exchange reads as Gunn’s meta-commentary on reassembling the fractured DC Universe and addressing fan criticism about starting over.
Pattern Recognition in Gunn’s Work
This approach aligns with James Gunn’s previous work, particularly Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3. Following his temporary firing and rehiring due to controversial old tweets, Gunn crafted a story where the High Evolutionary’s intellectual arrogance prevented him from solving problems that his creation, Rocket, could solve instinctively.
The parallel to Gunn’s own experience—being fired despite contributing the Infinity Stones concept that enabled Marvel’s Infinity Saga—suggests a pattern of incorporating personal commentary into his superhero narratives.
Visual Content and Easter Egg Analysis
Comparative Scene Construction
The films share similar visual language in key sequences:
- Senate hearing scenes with similar staging and political tension
- International crisis montages showing global reaction to Superman’s actions
- Laboratory sequences where Lex conducts genetic experiments
- Climactic battles featuring Kryptonian opponents with similar power sets
Character Arc Parallels
Both films explore Superman’s journey from beloved hero to controversial figure, though they handle his emotional response differently. The trajectory from public adoration to political scrutiny follows nearly identical paths, with Superman questioning his place in the world while maintaining his moral compass.
Box Office and Critical Reception Analysis
Audience Response to Familiar Territory
Early box office performance suggests audiences are responding positively to Gunn’s Superman, despite the narrative similarities to Batman v Superman. This reception indicates that execution and tone matter more than originality in superhero storytelling, particularly when dealing with established characters and conflicts.
The positive response also suggests that audiences either haven’t noticed the parallels or don’t mind them, focusing instead on character development, action sequences, and emotional resonance.
Critical Evaluation of Remake Strategy
Critics and fans must evaluate whether retelling similar stories serves the DC Universe’s long-term interests. While James Gunn’s execution appears more successful than Zack Snyder’s divisive approach, the question remains: Should the DCU explore entirely new narrative territory, or perfect existing concepts?
The Future of DC Storytelling
Implications for Universe Building
The similarities between these films raise important questions about the direction of James Gunn’s DC Universe. If successful familiar stories guide future projects, audiences might see updated versions of other DCEU narratives rather than completely original approaches.
This strategy could provide stability and fan satisfaction while allowing creative teams to improve upon previous attempts. However, it might also limit opportunities for genuinely innovative storytelling within the superhero genre.
Balancing Familiarity with Innovation
James Gunn’s approach demonstrates that familiar frameworks can support fresh perspectives and improved execution. The challenge moving forward involves determining when to revisit established concepts and when to break entirely new ground.
The success of this Superman film will likely influence how DC approaches future projects, potentially establishing a template for reimagining previous storylines while maintaining core character integrity.
Conclusion: Similarities as Strength or Limitation?
The extensive parallels between James Gunn’s Superman and Batman v Superman reveal a fascinating approach to superhero filmmaking. Rather than avoiding controversial previous attempts, Gunn appears to embrace the challenge of improving upon existing narratives through better execution, clearer character development, and more accessible storytelling.
These similarities don’t diminish the new film’s achievements but rather highlight how the same narrative elements can produce vastly different audience reactions depending on their implementation. The question for DC’s future involves whether this approach represents a sustainable strategy or a stepping stone toward more original storytelling.
The ultimate measure of success will be whether audiences continue supporting films that revisit familiar territory or eventually demand entirely new directions for their beloved characters. For now, James Gunn’s Superman demonstrates that sometimes the best way forward involves perfecting the past rather than abandoning it entirely.
