I Went To See Superman As A Non-Superman Fan, And I'm Genuinely Shocked At How I Feel About Him After

I guess I’m hoping on the upcoming DC movies bandwagon because Superman was not what I expected.

Before I get into this, I haven't really ever been a fan of the character in general. When it comes to DC movies, it's been few and far between when it comes to ones I really like and will genuinely enjoy rewatching as time goes on. But most of the time, none have really stuck with me.

However, when it was announced that James Gunn was taking over the DCMU (the DC Movie Universe) and would start an entirely new saga with new movies, I became curious. I have always enjoyed James Gunn's movies, and he brings a new level of heart to superhero films, as evident in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.

So I decided to give the new Superman a shot, and I'm honestly surprised by how I felt afterwards. I should add here that there are spoilers ahead!

I Wasn't Expecting Much Going Into Superman

So, it's not just the influence of past DC movies that has diminished my enjoyment of Superman over the years. It's an amalgamation of various aspects from both film and comics over the past few decades.

With the rise of the MCU, I've certainly dived a lot deeper into that universe. I'm the kind of girl who looks forward to any upcoming Marvel movie, or any new Marvel TV show, and will full-on defend most of the heroes no matter what people say. I felt a stronger connection to them.

With Superman, I never felt connected because, well, he's Superman. He's the most powerful hero of all time and is pretty much immune to everything except kryptonite; to me, that never makes a great hero. I want someone complex and not just this unbeatable alien. That kind of hero just never did it for me.

And while I've shared many of the same interests in superheroes as my dad, such as Batman and Spider-Man, we just never clicked with this one. But even then, I still went to see the new movie because I enjoyed seeing the first trailers for Superman, even if I didn't expect much.

However, I Didn't Think I'd Walk Away Truly Loving The Character

I really, really loved Superman in this movie.

First off, let me give praise to David Corenswet for his portrayal of Clark Kent and Superman, because he really knocked it out of the park. I recall when Corenswet was first cast, there was a lot of chatter online about whether he could bring the same level of suaveness to the character that Henry Cavill did, and I can understand why.

That's not what Gunn was gunning for (pun intended) with Superman this time around. Superman in this felt almost like a little kid, if that makes sense, even if he's clearly an adult. He's still somewhat new to the whole "hero" concept, as we see at the beginning of the movie, and he has his moments of vulnerability. He's more prone to accidents, messing up, and feeling emotion than we've ever seen him before.

And that, right there, is what made this movie so much better than any other Superman iteration I've seen. David Corenswet perfectly captured that.

Gunn Somehow Made The Alien Humanized In A Way I Didn't Know I Needed

As I mentioned in the introduction, my biggest gripe with the original Superman is that he feels too out-of-this-world, literally, as an intergalactic alien from space. He's out of this world and not the kind of hero I can connect with.

Spider-Man, I can connect with. Black Widow, I can connect with. Heck, even Daredevil, I can connect with, because their stories, powers, and more feel grounded in the everyday world, and they are relatable as humans. They are not invincible.

But what James Gunn does with Clark Kent and Superman is that he somehow humanizes this extraterrestrial superhero. He gives him more doubt about who he is and what he is meant to do. He shows how he makes mistakes and gets angry just like everyone else. He shows how he struggles to take care of a dog, of all things, even though Krypto is the best boy.

He's more human than we have ever seen Superman. Even the way he interacts with Lois Lane, whom we will get to in a minute, is so much more relatable because they aren't just this perfect love story. She challenges him in a way we don't often see in this film, and I love that. I love this.

The Side Characters Felt Actively Involved In The Plot, Something It Lacked In Former Films

While I ultimately grew to love Superman more and more in this film, I must also admit that the side characters were fantastic in numerous ways. I would give my heart and soul for them, full stop.

First, let's discuss the incredible female cast for Superman. Rachel Brosnahan was an inspired pick for Lois Lane, and she is my favorite iteration of the character. She's intelligent, quick-witted, and clearly cares so much not only about her job but about Clark, and will do anything to help. Not only that, but she's just funny. She has these little moments of humor in the film that stand out and make me snicker.

Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl was also fantastic, as someone who really was not expecting much from that character at all. She brought this sort of humor and sass to the hero, making it so much better. Mikaela Hoover was great, Sara Sampaio was so funny – really, the whole female cast knocked it out of the park.

As for the others, well, again, I wasn't expecting much, but they blew my world away. I'm going to write an entire article on Mister Terrific because he genuinely was terrific. Still, as for Nathan Fillion's Green Lantern, Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor, and so many others – I would gladly watch them again in another film.

I Could Easily See This Version Becoming A Favorite For Many

This was how Spider-Man fans felt when they got to see Tom Holland as Spider-Man for the first time.

I was pretty young when he first popped up as Spider-Man – seventeen at the time – but I still recall the shouts and cheers and how everyone was deeming him as one of the best since he perfectly captured the comic book character. Now, I can actually see myself thinking the same thing about Superman.

This is the kind of Superman that I've been looking forward to for years. The kind where, yes, he's still pretty unbeatable, but he can get his ass handed to him time and time again. The kind where we actively see the human that he's become underneath all of his armor. That's the kind of Superman I need to see going forward.

And now, I see this becoming many people's favorites, because it's become mine.

This is a fantastic way to begin the new DC universe, and I, for one, cannot wait to see where it goes next, especially with these characters.