Summary

• Set photos from James Gunn's Superman promise a more classic version of the character.
• Set photos show Clark Kent as a man who simply wants to help, from saving children and animals to interacting positively with civilians.
• The DCEU's Superman had his morals questioned more often, with a lack of attention shown to him saving people with joy, kindness, and goodness visibly present.

Superman's costume and character reveals have been at the forefront of DCU updates of late, adding anticipation to the 2025 film.

Another exciting element of the costume reveals is simply getting to see Superman's cast of characters assembled as the promise of the DCU becomes more real than ever. Taking the expected spotlight is David Corenswet's Clark Kent/Superman, as audiences are getting the first look at the figurehead of Gunn's DC Universe. Already, without seeing official footage from the film, James Gunn's movie is proving to fix an issue that was found in the DCEU's version of the Man of Steel, building on a promise from the filmmaker when Superman was first announced.

Superman Set Photos Show Clark Kent As A Guy Who Simply Wants To Help

Superman's Interactions With Civilians Stand Out Amid Many Set Photos

Despite the more surface-level reveals of costumes, characters, and sets being exciting, it is what some of the set photos show about the DCU's Clark Kent as a character that is more important. In the various reveals, Superman is shown as a man who just wants to help people. Corenswet has been snapped interacting with various extras that resemble the people of Metropolis. In these images, it is clear that Superman is saving various people in the DCU, from young children to a small dog.

Another more recent set video shows Superman walking with the film's other superhero characters through a crowd of people. The children of the crowd rush forward, completely ignoring heroes like Mister Terrific, Hawkgirl, and Guy Gardner. They surround Superman as he interacts with the children of Metropolis, while other set photos show Corenswet's Clark lifting the children and carrying them for a short while. All of this proves that Superman is not an otherworldly alien and that he is just a man from Kansas who wants to help, as evident by his interactions with civilians.

The DCEU Had Issues Concerning Superman Saving Lives

Superman's Interactions With Civilians Were Slightly Different In The DCEU

These set photos highlight a stark contrast between the DCU Superman and Henry Cavill's in the DCEU. It is worth noting that Cavill was a fantastic Superman regarding performance and that most of the characterization issues were the fault of the DCEU's writing teams, not Cavill's. With that in mind, the depiction of Superman saving lives in the DCEU was always somewhat problematic. One of the only scenes that stands out as a positive interpretation of Superman saving civilians was the oil rig scene in Man of Steel.

Besides that, Superman saving people in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was always riddled with controversy. The former movie received a great deal of criticism for its final act in which tens of thousands of people died in Superman's battle against Zod. While this was addressed in BvS, it would have been nice to have Superman be more actively careful about saving civilians while fighting Zod. The only scene in which this happened was again divisive, as Superman had to kill Zod to save a family from destruction.

There was a montage in Batman v Superman of Clark saving people, yet he never looked joyful or happy to be doing so...

Although Batman v Superman directly addressed Man of Steel's destruction, Clark's character arc was dour, cold, and emotionless. There was a montage in Batman v Superman of Clark saving people, yet he never looked joyful or happy to be doing so. It was a noted choice in the script that Superman was becoming disillusioned with the attacks against his character, leading to the incredibly controversial line "No one stays good in this world." Again, it was the point of BvS to explore this conflicted version of Superman, but it does not make the fundamental switch from DC Comics any less divisive.

Superman’s Set Photos Prove Gunn’s Promises Were Correct

The Differences Between The DCU & DCEU Superman Prove Gunn's Assurances Right

Above anything else, Superman's set photos prove that Gunn's view of the character will be depicted in the movie. Since Superman was first unveiled, Gunn has insisted that the movie will depict a more classic version of the character. Instead of the version of Superman seen in the DCEU that had his moral code tested regularly, the DCU Superman will be an unwavering pillar of kindness and goodness in the DCU movie and TV slate.

One line used by Gunn to symbolize the DCU's version of Superman proved this, "He is kindness in a world that thinks kindness is old-fashioned." More so than anything else, the set photos from Superman prove this is being depicted correctly. From helping his fellow heroes to saving children and dogs, and even simply interacting positively with the greater public, the DCU Superman is proving to fix the characterization issues prevalent in the DCEU before the movie has even finished production.