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It\u2019s a bird, it\u2019s a plane\u2014it\u2019s the definitive pop culture representative of American exceptionalism!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Kal-El\u2014the Last Son of Krypton masquerading as a mild-mannered reporter by the name of Clark Kent, best known to all as Superman\u2014is back in a major Hollywood movie. (Again? Yes, again. These mega-franchises will be with us forever. There will never be Star Peace<\/em>.)<\/p>\n The latest version, released to theaters around the world on July 11, is a big bet for Warner Bros. Discovery\u2014the cornerstone of what it hopes will be a series of money-making films and television shows exploiting characters from DC Comics, mirroring the success enjoyed by their eternal rival Marvel (which is owned by Disney). It\u2019s the second recent attempt to launch a DC Extended Universe, following the franchise launched by Man of Steel <\/em>in 2013, which petered out in 2023 following some less-than-stellar movies. (That year\u2019s Blue Beetle<\/em> wasn\u2019t that bad, as these things go, but it hardly caused a box office sensation.) By contrast, Marvel\u2019s expanded web of theatrically released films, which began in 2008 with Iron Man<\/em>, shows no sign of slowing down. Six of the top 20 highest-grossing movies worldwide come from the post-2008 Marvel franchise.<\/p>\n Writer-director James Gunn, who shepherded the Guardians of the Galaxy <\/em>trilogy through the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe, leans into Superman\u2019s <\/em>\u201cBig Blue Boy Scout\u201d persona\u2014a superhero pure of heart though perhaps a little naive\u2014with a tongue planted ever-so-lightly in cheek. It\u2019s an upgrade from previous filmmaker Zack Snyder\u2019s dark, brooding spin, but still begs the question: How is it that an 87-year-old comic book character is at the center of an enormous corporation\u2019s billion-dollar earner?<\/p>\n
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