James Gunn requested one change to Supergirl's script for a very good reason. Supergirl was a major test for the DCU, as it marked the first project not written or directed by James Gunn, though he remained involved as an executive producer in his role as DC Studios co-CEO. Unfortunately, even a cameo from David Corenswet's Superman wasn't enough to save Supergirl from its trial by fire, and the Milly Alcock-fronted spin-off was torn apart by critics and bombed at the box office, possibly losing over $100 million for Warner Bros. and DC Studios.
While explaining how James Gunn is "protective of Superman" in an interview with Brandon Davis, Supergirl scribe Ana Nogueira pointed to moments when the DCU boss questioned the Man of Steel's dialogue, with criticisms like "he wouldn't say that to [Kara]." For the most part, it seems that DC Studios and Gunn were high on the Supergirl script, and seemingly didn't foresee issues with the Superman spin-off until post-production:
"He is protective of Superman. There is like a couple things in other moments where he was like, 'He wouldn't say that to her.' And I was like, 'Okay, cool.' But, mostly we had the same idea."
Davis also questioned Nogueira on her philosophy behind writing Superman dialogue for David Corenswet, to which she described the Man of Steel as "the best big brother you've ever had," who is always looking out for his cousin:
"Well, David helps so much because he just is like so clearly Superman in my head right now. Obviously, there have been many Supermans, but in this moment, he's in my head whenever I'm doing it. So, what is the key to writing Superman dialogue? Just the best big brother you've ever had. He's like very aware of just making sure [Kara's] okay in like so many different scenarios."
The DCU writer singled out Kara and Clark's first meeting on Earth as "one of [her] favorite scenes in the movie," and also the first scene they shot. She explained how Kara and Krypto's exit from their pod was when she was "most like a fish out of water" as she was yet to experience Earth's culture and language:
"It's one of my favorite scenes in the movie... I think it was the first scene that they shot in the movie, period. Which I think is really cool, that like Milly's first scene was her most out of step scene. It's the moment when the character is most like a fish out of water, right? She first got here. And so I think that was her first scene, which probably adds a little something to it."
This isn't the first time fans have heard about Gunn exerting his influence over Supergirl's development. After the movie's disastrous release, The Hollywood Reporter claimed that Gunn and Craig Gillespie were "not creatively aligned," with the DCU boss taking a "slowly heavying hand" and calling in the cavalry to develop the studio's own cut after poor test screenings.
Why James Gunn Is So Protective Over Superman
It's natural that James Gunn would be so "protective" of David Corenswet's Superman, as he is not only the frontman of the DCU and one of the world's Big Three superheroes but also the star of the exec's first two DC Studios movies. The blue brand exec reads and offers feedback on all DC scripts before greenlighting, but he is bound to take particular investment in those featuring his characters.
Ultimately, Gunn succeeded in protecting Corenswet's portrayal of Superman, as the character undeniably feels consistent across his DCU appearances thus far, despite being led by different writers. That consistency is crucial in building a larger connected universe, especially given that the Man of Steel is currently the main character of the DCU, and will continue to be for the forseeable.
Gunn opened his DCU tenure with three vastly different projects: Creature Commandos, Superman, and Peacemaker Season 2. However, it seems that the streaming TV shows of the three were primarily holdovers that Gunn was working on before he was promoted to DC Studios co-CEO and, going forward, his directorial focus will be on the Superman Saga.
Provided next year's Man of Tomorrow is successful enough and Gunn's DCU survives the looming but currently in danger Paramount acquisition, he will likely continue that tale into a sequel of sorts. That said, as Man of Tomorrow's superhero cast keeps growing, Gunn looks to be preparing more of a DCU crossover event movie than an actual Superman sequel.
