Originally posted on Project-Nerd.
Since its early July release, the far alt-right crowd has been crying online about Superman. After an incredibly busy start to the month, I finally carved out time to see James Gunn’s new film, and I’ll say it outright: those far-right critics are right. The movie is incredibly woke. And I’m here for every bit of it.
After years of playing second fiddle to Disney’s Marvel, Warner Bros finally admitted their DC theatrical universe was headed in the wrong direction. Whether you loved or loathed Zack Snyder, Henry Cavill, Joss Whedon, and the others from recent DC projects, it’s undeniable that Warner’s strategy wasn’t working. So, on October 25, 2022, they made a decisive move and named James Gunn and Peter Safran co-chairmen and co-CEOs of DC Studios.
Gunn, still juggling television projects somewhat associated with the DCEU, quickly announced that the first film in the new DCU would be Superman, and he’d be writing and directing it himself.
Now, in July 2025, Gunn’s Superman has finally hit theaters. And while the president is neck-deep in a self-made Epstein scandal (yes, trump’s obviously on that list), tanking the economy, pushing racist immigration agendas, and supporting genocide abroad, his voting fanbase seems more focused on a fictional superhero with a strong, positive message.
Warning: Spoilers for Superman (2025) Ahead
Instead of celebrating Warner Bros. and DC’s triumphant return with a compelling Superman, the internet is swirling with debates over whether Gunn’s film is “woke” along with whether the film contains a statement on Israel’s invasion of Gaza.
Gunn hasn’t confirmed any of that. He’s mostly dismissed the noise. But after watching the film, I’ve formed my own opinion: the far right is correct. Gunn’s Superman is woke. And I love it.
David Corenswet portrays Superman, already three years into his heroic journey. There’s no origin story, no costume montage, no fumbling for an identity. Superman and Clark Kent are fully formed, and Lois Lane (played by Rachel Brosnahan) is completely in the know.
With the origin story out of the way, Gunn dives straight into his original plot, loosely drawing from existing comic arcs. The film opens with Superman intervening in the Boravia Conflict—an invasion between fictional nations Boravia and Jarhanpur. Gunn wrote this plot well before the current administration took office, but its eerie similarities to real-world events, much like Andor, have angered the far right.
Remove politics for a moment, and the facts remain: James Gunn did exactly what he was hired to do. He revitalized DC’s cinematic universe and made Warner Bros a boatload of money.
And more simply, he made a great movie. Gunn’s Superman is fantastic.
Corenswet brings depth and humanity to Superman. The supporting cast shines. Gunn’s emotional mastery is in full force, drawing us into powerful moments as Clark wrestles with whether his true self might disrupt his closest relationships.
Yes, the film has its flaws. But Gunn delivered a big movie with complex characters and intertwining themes that crescendo beautifully. When The Teddybears and Iggy Pop’s “I’m a Punkrocker” explodes near the end, the emotional impact is undeniable. That happens because the story parallels real life, through both Superman’s internal battles and the broader socio-political undertones.
Gunn didn’t appear to set out to make a political statement. Rather he made a movie that is real. And in 2025, “real” automatically becomes political. Because basic human rights, war crimes, and compassion are now contentious talking points on the American political spectrum.
Superman poses a powerful question: how does one responsibly use unmatched power to protect lives? In one scene, Superman defends his intervention in an ally’s invasion simply by saying, “people were going to die.” It’s that raw, simple moral compass, protect those in danger, regardless of political red tape, that drives the plot. And yes, the fictional Boravia-Jarhanpur war Gunn conceived in 2023–2024 now echoes Israel’s real-life conflicts and trump’s increasingly authoritarian rhetoric.
To be blunt, Gunn’s fictional world, where Lex Luthor would gain control of half of Jarhanpur if the invasion succeeded, mirrors trump’s very real aspiration to eradicate and privatize Gaza. Gunn didn’t write this in response, he wrote it prior to trump’s public statements. But are any of us surprised that reality caught up to fiction?
I have decided to believe that Gunn did intend to make a statement, whether subtly or not, against maga culture and its leader. But even if he didn’t, the movie reflects the world we live in. And that reflection alone makes it “woke” in the eyes of conservatives.
But let’s be honest, “woke” isn’t a real thing. It’s a hollow label wielded by crooked politicians and echoed by blind followers to distract from harmful, narrow-minded policies.
So no, James Gunn didn’t make a “woke” Superman movie. The far right simply decided that basic human decency is now “woke.” That may render their arguments about the film accurate, but it’s at the fault of their own bidding.
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