When you’re building an intricate cinematic universe, you expect to field questions about Batman casting rumors, continuity across rebooted timelines, or a multitude of other lore that comes with the territory of putting together new superhero movies. However, every now and then, the internet comes through with a question so oddly specific and hilarious, you almost don’t expect an answer. And yet, James Gunn delivered. How do prisoners poop in Lex Luthor’s pocket universe, which we saw in the 2025 movie schedule release, Superman? Yes, there's an answer for that.
In a recent post on Threads, a fan posed the very important (and slightly unhinged) question while rewatching Superman (which you can stream now with an HBO Max subscription). They said, “[James Gunn], this is just a question I had while I was rewatching Superman. Are the prisoners in Lex’s pocket universe watching each other go to the bathroom, or do they get some privacy? 😂”
The director of the Superman film, as well as the officially announced sequel, Man of Tomorrow, replied with classic bluntness. He wrote:
No privacy. Those things in the back left corners of each cell are toilets.
That is a pretty straightforward answer, letting our imaginations fill in the rest. That would be enough for most directors, but not Gunn, who’s long been known for obsessively thinking through even the weirdest world-building details. Naturally, a follow-up question emerged about where that waste actually goes, which led to this answer:
Into the bottom of the toilet and there are slots where the waste can be removed (likely by Mr. Handsome, and probably not often). You might think we don't think about this stuff, but we really do.
Cool. Cool, cool, cool. Gunn really does think of everything, doesn’t he?
Also, if you need a refresher on who Mr. Handsome is, you’re not alone. He’s one of the freakiest additions in the rebooted Superman movie, a gray-skinned, black-eyed creature who chauffeured Lex through his own pocket universe. Gunn previously explained that Lex created him in a petri dish (because, of course, he did).
That origin story is already nightmare fuel, but realizing Handsom also handles toilet duty inside his creator’s extradimensional prison? That’s a whole new level of absurd—and a darkly funny reminder of just how twisted Lex (and his corner of the DCU) really is.
This playful back-and-forth with a fan shows what’s quickly becoming a hallmark of Gunn’s time at DC Studios, and that is that he’s thinking about everything. Yes, even the plumbing. He’s taking the time to answer questions none of us (well, almost none) knew we had, like how prisoners poop and where it goes when you’re stuck in a pocket universe. The answer? Tiny corner toilets in full view, and Mr. Handsome, more than likely, tasked with cleaning them.
Comic book movies, folks. Welcome to the golden age of new DC movies—where even the weirdest fan questions get answers, and I’m 100% here for it. The first chapter of the DCU, Gods and Monsters, kicked off with Superman, now streaming on HBO. The next installment, Supergirl, lands on the 2026 movie schedule on June 26, 2026.
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