Despite the falling box office numbers of superhero movies in the past five years, James Gunn’s 2025 summer box office hit “Superman” has grossed $500 million globally, making it the biggest superhero movie of 2025 so far.

Though its success in theaters is notable, “Superman” has not just been a box office hit. Audience members have genuinely connected to the film, with social media users posting and reposting about the film. A common theme within all of these posts is that “kindness is the new punk rock” (a reference to David Corenswet’s Superman’s love of “punk rock”).

“I’ve seen a lot of edits and promotional stuff on top of that too. That’s definitely made me want to watch the movie. A mixture of Superman stuff on Tik Tok and Instagram recently,” Ava Downey ‘26 said.

So what exactly has set Superman apart? Afterall, the movie isn’t wildly different from the super movies that have come out the past few years. It is packed with CGI action sequences, a comic book villain, and doesn’t stray from the superhero movie formula.

The Man of Steel Remains a Man of Relevance 

Superman is a character that has resonated with audiences and comic book fans since 1938. While there have been hundreds of popular superhero characters that have resonated with us, no single superhero has been able to remain a lightning rod of inspiration and compassion like Superman has.

Why has Superman remained a character that has remained relevant, but yet, many people cannot connect with? After all, he is nearly perfect, always choosing to do the right thing, help others, and it is very rare that he does something wrong. For many of us, this is not the reality of who we are.

But that doesn’t stop little kids from running around the playground with Superhero t-shirts, or feeling a spark of hope when John William’s iconic score to the 1978 “Superman” film plays. It doesn’t stop us from continuing to plaster the Kryptonian’s face on hundreds of comic books and movie posters, and kids‘ lunch boxes. It doesn’t stop us from seeing his face whenever we hear the word “superhero.”

“I think Superman’s character is really important right now because there is a lot going on in the world. And we kind of need somebody to look up to who keeps their morals, works on them and acts on them for not just the betterment of themselves but for the betterment of society,” Madi Baker ‘26 said.

What Sets David Corenswet’s Superman Apart 

While Superman is not the character that many can resonate with, he is the character that we aspire to be. He is the superhero that makes little kids want to do the right thing, to be a superhero. He teaches us how to access the best parts of ourselves, to embrace compassion. That is why we have continued to embrace him for nearly 90 years.

That is why James Gunn’s “Superman” has connected with audiences, despite not being different from other superhero films. Where Superman is different is the nature of the main character.

There has been a trend the past few years of having complex superhero characters, or characters that just did not connect with audiences. Marvel in particular has focused more on “the multiverse” than the actual arc of the characters, and DC has just not been able to produce a solid script.

That is why Henry Cavill’s Superman fell through. It wasn’t a version of the character that people wanted to be or connected to, because that version of Superman was written in a way that strayed from the character.

In recent films, the characters felt too distant or there just wasn’t a reason to care about them. But Superman is a character that is built on the best parts of humanity. It is why people connected with Christopher Reeves’ Superman in 1978 and why audiences today are connecting with David Corenswet’s Superman.

”I think he really did a good job. I think he was a good fit for the role. I guess in a way he brought more character development. He lost a lot, but he kept fighting,” Stella Petruzzelli ‘29 said.

The 2025 “Superman” has produced a superhero that isn’t just fun to watch, but makes us want to be better people. That is what has set the new “Superman” apart. It opens our vision to a character that is a symbol of compassion, and wanting to see that same compassion in ourselves. Superman is not a character that we see ourselves in, but he is the character that we strive to be.