Kevin Feige Reached Out to James Gunn About ‘Superman’ & the Character He Wants To See

James Gunn has shared some fun behind-the-scenes details about his 2025 Superman movie and the character of Ultraman. In a recent interview, Gunn talked about how different ideas inspired this new version of Ultraman.

He said the character felt a bit like Bizarro from the comics but also reminded him of Nuclear Man from the 1987 movie Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.

Gunn said that even Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige reached out to him about the character. “It’s funny, Kevin Feige wrote me yesterday. He says he hopes his old pal Bizarro… He wants to see Bizarro,” Gunn shared, laughing.

He explained that Ultraman is a mix of many influences but is mainly just “this messed-up version of Clark”. Gunn admitted that he had wanted to include some darker and sadder parts of Ultraman’s story but didn’t have enough time to fit everything into the film.

When asked about the sad parts, Gunn explained, “Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I don’t know if you noticed… David’s got prosthetics on [as Ultraman]. He’s got a chin that’s jutting out, his ears poke out, he’s got one eye kind of going in a little direction. [Luthor] took him out of the oven a little too quickly or something.”

Gunn also talked about a specific scene where Ultraman falls back into the pocket universe. He said that while it reminded the interviewer of General Zod in Superman II, he didn’t plan it that way, but admitted that all kinds of references can sneak in without him realizing it. “I can see where you would see it. I didn’t think of it, but who knows? Those things all affect you. You don’t know where things come from, but, yeah, I like to think about where he’s going and what he’s going to do next.”

The new Superman movie, written and directed by Gunn, is part of DC Studios’ fresh start. It stars David Corenswet as Superman, along with Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, and Isabela Merced. In the story, Superman tries to help solve a big conflict started by Lex Luthor but ends up facing serious consequences. He has to work to win back the trust of the people, with help from Lois Lane and other heroes.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of critics gave the movie a positive review. The site says the film “pulls off the heroic feat of fleshing out a dynamic new world while putting its champion’s big, beating heart front and center.” On Metacritic, it scored 68 out of 100, showing generally good feedback. Viewers praised the film’s fun and hopeful tone, as well as Corenswet’s and Brosnahan’s performances, though some thought the movie felt too packed.

CinemaScore reported that audiences gave it an A− rating, matching the score for Man of Steel. According to PostTrak, 86% of viewers enjoyed the film, and 74% said they would recommend it to others.

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