After Henry Cavill, David Corenswet is all ready to take over Superman’s mantle and the expectations are obviously quite high. While James Gunn’s fans have completely put their faith in the DC Studios’ co-CEO and filmmaker, there are some who are doubtful of his every move. Recently, James Gunn surprised the Netizens by revealing the first full look of David Corenswet’s Superman.
Naturally, the Internet was divided and had varying opinions on the suit. Keeping the opinions aside, we cannot help but notice a similarity between the new Superman’s first look and All-Star Superman’s iconic image that has a great story behind it. Of course, it helps the case that James Gunn’s Superman is kind of inspired by All-Star Superman.
Does James Gunn’s Superman Pay a Homage to the Story Behind All-Star Superman?
A few days ago, James Gunn took to Threads where he revealed the first look of David Corenswet’s Superman with the caption, “Get ready. Superman 7.11.25.” In the image, we can see Clark Kent calmly suiting up as the city behind him is attacked by an alien entity.
This takes us back to when Grant Morrison, the creator of All-Star Superman, revealed the inspiration behind his Superman. In an interview with Newsarama (Via X), Morrison recalled how his visit to the San Diego Comic-Con led to an unplanned encounter with a cosplayer dressed up as Superman. The mystery man’s calm and composed posture inspired Morrison to create his story where Superman wouldn’t be puffing his chest out and asserting his dominance. Rather, he would just be “chilled out” as he knows that there is nothing that can really hurt him.
“He was perched with one knee drawn up, chin resting on his arms. He looked totally relaxed… and I suddenly realized this was how Superman would sit. He wouldn’t puff out his chest or posture heroically, he would be totally chilled. If nothing can hurt you, you can afford to be cool.
A man like Superman would never have to tense against the cold; never have to flinch in the face of a blow. He would be completely laid back, un-tense. With this image of Superman relaxing on a cloud looking out for us all in my head, I rushed back to my hotel room and filled dozens of pages of my notebook with notes and drawings.”
Coming back to Gunn’s Superman, we can clearly see some similarities between him and the laid-back Superman on All-Star Superman’s iconic cover photo.
James Gunn’s Superman is Inspired by All-Star Superman
Gunn has taken inspiration from quite a few Superman projects that have been released over the years. When a fan wrote to the filmmaker on Threads asking, “Besides donner Superman, what were your other inspirations for making your version of Superman?” Gunn replied with a ton of photos from previous Superman projects that were a part of his vision board for Superman.
The second photo posted by Gunn was from Morrison’s comics where Superman swoops in to save a teenager who was one step away from taking her life. The post also had photos from Action Comics #1035, A Superman for All Seasons, Superman: The Animated Series, and more.
It looks like Gunn spared no expense for his film and now, all there’s left to see is if his hard work pays off in the end or not. After all, all eyes are on him at the moment.
Superman releases in theatres on July 11, 2025.
