DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn explained that his reason for nerfing Superman ties back to his bigger plan for the DCU. While David Corenswet's Man of Steel is a hero who can fly, catch buildings, blast heat vision, and blow freeze breath, Gunn has admitted his Superman is "weaker" than other versions, for a very good reason.
The DCU's Superman may have been nerfed, but he still had some rather impressive feats of strength in his 2025 debut. Among Kal-El's biggest exhibitions of power under Gunn were holding up a kaiju foot, catching buildings, and using his freeze breath to propel him and three others out of a black hole's grasp.
During an interview with CBS, Superman director James Gunn commented on the perspective that the Man of Steel was uninteresting because he was too powerful to be beaten, before explaining why he nerfed Big Blue for his 2025 movie.
First up, Gunn noted that he "[understands] the point of view" that Superman can be too powerful, as that itself is why he preferred Batman growing up:
"Yes, I understand that point of view. Now, there are some writers in the comics like Grant Morrison who took the idea of the all-powerful Superman and told great stories with it. But for me, yes, as a child, the reason I like Batman better than Superman was because Superman was just too strong at times."
Circling back to his youth in the '70s, he pointed out that "Superman's powers have ebbed and waned over the years," progressively getting stronger to the point he could rewind time by "twisting the world around:"
And as a child in the '70s, Superman's powers have ebbed and waned over the years. So, he started out in 1938 as pretty much just a strong guy. Bullets bounced off him, he could jump pretty high, but he wasn't the Superman we know and love. The radio serial came along and suddenly he could shoot beams out of his eyes and fly. And then all of a sudden, he got stronger and stronger until his peak of his powers when he's punching planets in half and then the 1978 movie making time go backwards by twisting the world around."
Explaining his decision to nerf Superman's insane power levels, Gunn explained how, as he builds the DCU, he didn't want to have "one guy who was so much stronger than anybody," leaving weaker heroes feeling insignificant:
"And then he was brought back down to earth a little bit with John Byrne in the '80s and he's always had that sort of ebb and flow of, 'How powerful is he?' And I think that this is... We're building a whole universe of characters and I didn't want to have one guy who was so much stronger than anybody else that a guy with a bow and arrow didn't matter."
While he pointed out that Superman has always had weaknesses in Kryptonite and magic, he wanted to portray the Man of Steel in a "different angle" than previous adaptations, where he has been almost godlike:
"Well, we've always had Kryptonite... Kryptonite and magic, those are the two things that can affect Superman. But in the comics, he's faced Doomsday and characters who were of equal and opposing force and has had his ass whooped. So it's happened. But I do think I thought it was important to show him in a a different angle than we've seen him previously in films."
David Corenswet leads the way in Superman as the most powerful metahuman of all, but there are others, such as Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner/Green Lantern, Isabela Merced's Hawkgirl, and Anthony Carrigan's Metamorpho. Premiering on July 11, 2025, James Gunn's latest superhero affair has set the DCU up for success. Peacemaker Season 2 directly follows on from the movie's events and a few of Superman's cast members have already been confirmed for the sequel movie, Man of Tomorrow.
Why Nerfing Superman Was Smart for the DCU's First Movie
Superman has always held an intriguing place at DC as an overpowered, godlike hero who just so happens to be one of the most righteous, embodying his recently updated slogan, "Truth, justice, and the human way."
While David Corenswet's Superman may not be as godlike or all-powerful as some hope, there's no denying he is still immensely overpowered. Notably, the movie's intro text still recognizes the Man of Steel as "the most powerful metahuman of all," meaning he will still stand atop the DCU when all is said and done.
It should be noted that, while he has been active for three years already, this is only the first appearance for this new Superman. On top of keeping his DCU balanced, James Gunn may also be leaving room for his blue boy scout to grow in power over the years, reaching new heights for some time to come.
This is especially true with Man of Tomorrow seemingly giving Lex Luthor an upgrade if its promo images are anything to go by. Perhaps the Man of Steel will have to power himself up to match what his nemesis has cooking up.
DC Studios' move to nerf Superman is bound to be controversial, but Gunn may be onto something in wanting to keep his heroes balanced, at least at first. After all, when the Justice League inevitably assembles, why would the likes of Green Arrow need to chip in when his abilities are nothing against Superman?
That said, Marvel Studios has been perfectly capable of building a connected world where not all heroes are created equal. Even in The Avengers, Thor is a literal Asgardian god who wastes no time showing off his power, while Hawkeye still manages to make an impact with his bow and martial arts skills.
Ultimately, Superman is Clark Kent's first movie in the DCU, so he has plenty of time to grow. Man of Tomorrow will mark David Corenswet's return as the hero, which could bring a whole manner of foes to the table who could enable Superman to show his full power potential.
