James Gunn's Superman looks to one of the best Superman comics for inspiration, and is better for embracing its weirdness

Ever since James Gunn's Superman was announced back in 2022, it's been linked to a specific run of DC comics. We're talking about Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's 12-issue All-Star Superman (which we talk about more here). That series, which exists outside of the mainstream DC comics continuity, is a gorgeous encapsulation of everything that is great about the Man of Steel. It's a big, bold, colorful comic that has a lot of fun with the gentle madness of Superman's world, while also telling an emotional story that's focused on the character's inherent kindness and compassion.

You could say the same about the new film. Now that we've seen it, it's clear that the debt Gunn's movie owes to All-Star Superman is less direct and more tonal. The plots are different, but in terms of character, structure, aesthetics, and overall vibes, there's a clear lineage between the two projects.

We're going to break all that down now, but be warned, we're going to get into spoilers for the new movie from here on in, as well as the comic. Turn back now if you've not seen Superman yet.

The labors of Superman

In All-Star Superman, Lex Luthor pulls off his greatest scheme by finally finding a way to successfully kill Superman. He concocts a scenario that leads to Superman's body being flooded with massive amounts of solar radiation. The result is that the hero's powers increase exponentially, but at the cost of his lifespan.

With just weeks left to live, the Man of Steel sets out to complete a series of tasks – the so-called "Twelve Labors of Superman" – that will help humanity, all while also dealing with encounters with Bizarro, a Chronovore, and of course putting his affairs in order with Lois, who has only recently discovered that Clark Kent and Superman are the same person. There's a sense that this version of Supes has been around a good while and has had a long and storied career.

James Gunn's Superman, by contrast, is about Lex engineering and profiteering from a conflict between Boravia and Jarhanpur, all while ruining a much younger Superman's reputation in the eyes of the general public. In terms of story, the two projects are quite distinct.

Even so, there are still some similarities. In both, Superman is already a well-established hero. The new movie tells us the backstory of metahumans on Earth with just a few captions, while All-Star Superman famously compresses Kal-El's origin story into a single page and eight words: "Doomed planet. Desperate scientists. Last hope. Kindly couple."

Both also make use of an episodic structure. In All-Star's case, that's quite literal – it's a 12-issue series with an overall arc, but with each issue also telling a complete tale. In Superman's case, the film moves from fighting the Hammer of Baravia, to Superman's fall from grace, to Lex's pocket universe prison, Kal-El's eventual escape and recovery in Smallville, and finally to the conflicts in Metropolis and Jarhanpur and the showdown with Lex.

Speaking of whom, Nicholas Hoult's furious, envy-fuelled take on the supervillain is very different from the more comical version played by Gene Hackman and Kevin Spacey, or from Jesse Eisenberg's unhinged tech bro. This version of the character, as in the comics, is the smartest man in the world – a genius-level intellect who has become blinded by insecurity to the point where he can open pocket universes, but not see the obvious truth that Clark Kent is also Superman. He is brilliant, but unstable, willing to risk not just his own life, but everyone on Earth, purely because of his all-consuming hatred of Superman.

Comics are weird – and great

Where Superman and All-Star Superman definitely align is in the depiction of the casual bonkers-ness of Superman's world. The high point of that, for me, in the film is when Lois and a downbeat Clark discuss the state of their relationship while an "inter-dimensional imp" (Mister Mxyzptlk, perhaps?) wreaks colorful havoc in the background. Clearly this sort of thing just happens all the time here.

All-Star Superman is littered with similar examples. This is a world where time-travelling strongmen Samson and Atlas show up in the present day to battle Krull – a humanoid dinosaur from the Earth's core – in Metropolis. Or where Jimmy Olsen is able to have the words "I love Lucy" carved into the surface of the moon, simply to impress his girlfriend. (And speaking of Jimmy, Skyler Gisondo's more louche portrayal of Superman's pal is a perfect match for the flame-haired playboy we see in All-Star Superman, to the point where I was waiting for him to bust out his Signal Watch.)

Basically, comics are weird. Traditionally, modern superhero movies have tended to tone that weirdness down, but Superman embraces it. That can seem silly, sometimes, but Gunn makes it clear that there are still things at stake here. Thousands of lives are jeopardised. Innocents like Mali do die because of Lex and there are echoes of contemporary politics littered throughout the movie. It's a consciously daft film, but it's not weightless.

Bright and bold

Most notable, however, is the shared look of the two projects. Superman comics are always bright and bold in our imaginations, but there's something about Frank Quitely's art and Jamie Grant's coloring in All-Star Superman that has a gorgeous hyper-real, dreamlike quality. It pops with vivid blues, reds, golds, and greens. One character has a rainbow coat while Lex dons a green and purple suit reminiscent of his classic Warsuit armor. It's a really beautiful-looking book.

Gunn's film isn't quite so refined, but it does bring color back to Superman on the big screen following the more muted palettes of Superman Returns, Man of Steel, and Justice League.

The film's production designer, Beth Mickle, has pointed to this being a deliberate choice. In an interview with The Nerds of Color, she said, "Frank Quitely's work in All-Star Superman was by far and away our guiding light for this... A lot of the color palette and notes I had early on came from that. I spent three weeks devouring it, screenshotting it, grouping colors together, lines and shapes together, and there is the most beautiful, vivid and simple design language in it… upbeat, bright, but simple, not overworked, not stuffed with color. That became our main source."

So no, Superman and All-Star Superman are not a 1:1 match, but there's enough commonality between the two projects to satisfy fans. The new film marks a fresh start for DC Studios and for the Man of Steel on the big screen. By looking to one of the best Superman comics for inspiration, James Gunn has created a film that's as wild, funny, eccentric, and emotional as the character that inspired it.

Superman is released in theaters on July 11. For more comic book movies, check out our guides to all the upcoming DC movies, and how to watch the DC movies in order, as well as our guide to the best Superman comics and how strong Superman is.