Superman 2? Think A Little Bolder — What James Gunn Could Be Planning For His Next Superman Film
July 17, 2025
With James Gunn's DC Universe officially underway, it's only natural to start thinking about what could come next for Superman. It certainly helps that Gunn has already started teasing the next Superman project, albeit in the most vague way possible. But hey, that's more than enough information to start speculating. The three words "Define Superman 2" convey plenty.
The Superman sequel looks set to be somewhat unconventional, but that's to be expected with James Gunn at the helm. His teasing seems to heavily suggest that an interesting team-up could be in play. With that in mind, here are four possible directions a Superman sequel could take:
World's Finest — Batman AND Superman
An adaptation of the well-lauded World's Finest (2022) run would be an excellent choice for the DCU, but it's still too early for something like that. The Batman of this new universe needs to be thoroughly established before any crossover events start happening. What makes World's Finest work so well is that it has a strong grasp of the characters and how their personalities complement each other, very much respecting their distinct backgrounds. The obvious problem is that Batman doesn't even have a defined personality yet. And there's no contrast in experiences either. An adaptation this early just wouldn't be that productive, as a result.
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is a great example of what the DCU shouldn't do. Both Batman and Superman are characters that need to grow on their own. There's no need to rush them into a crossover project. Trying to speed up their development would be a service to no one, especially not in a universe that hopes to span over a decade. Once Batman and Superman have a more expansive history, only then would it be worth pursuing a World's Finest movie. It's simply not time yet.
Super Family — Adventures With Supergirl
Considering that Superman and Supergirl are the two main pillars of the early DCU, a new film with them working together would make plenty of sense. Many iterations of Supergirl have needed the guidance of Superman — or rather, Clark Kent. What differentiates the two characters is their sense of belonging. Clark Kent may have been born as Kal-El, but, by all means, he considers himself a human. His home is Earth. Supergirl is very much not the same. She actively grieves the destruction of Krypton, which has left her a lot less optimistic than her cousin.
Supergirl is capable of handling her trauma on her own. She doesn't always do it well, but she's still capable. Her standalone movie will make that plenty evident. Some more time next to Superman wouldn't hurt, though. The two have a lot that they could learn from each other. A big film would give them plenty of time to bond, helping them both come to terms with their present, past, and future. Don't know what villain could be used, but there are plenty of characters that can go toe-to-toe with two Kryptonians.
Superman And The Authority — Dealing With Anti-Heroes
The Authority have been a topic of conversation in the DCU for years now. It's clear that James Gunn is very open to their formal introduction. The Authority are even expected to get their own movie, but, with what appears to be writing issues, are not currently a priority. One way to instantly push them to the forefront would be to pit them up against Superman, but would that really work?
Superman's relationship with The Authority changes from story to story, but his appearances are usually a direct response to their personalities. He's a good foil for those characters. A movie with Superman in the lead role, however, likely wouldn't be very effective at exploring The Authority. What makes them interesting is their status as anti-heroes. Superman is just too morally good for a movie audience to ever really see the positives in a team like The Authority. I don't know how you could even resolve their differences in less than 3 hours. Tonally, it would also probably be too dark for a follow-up film.
A crossover between The Authority and Superman in the current early stages of the DCU would probably make more sense in a TV show, a medium where the director could afford to show off two totally different perspectives.
The Daily Planet — Classic Superman Stories
James Gunn's Superman did an exceptional job of establishing the main crew at the Daily Planet. They are very likable. So much so that fans want to see more of them, whether Clark Kent is there or not. Now, focusing on the Daily Planet wouldn't really work for a movie — the stakes would likely be too low — but it could make for a nice show. And if Clark were to be an important character, in a sense, you could consider a project like that as a Superman 2.
Seeing more of Clark in his everyday, non-superhero life would be pretty fun. David Corenswet portrays the character very well. Of course, audiences would love to see more of Superman in action, but a theoretical show wouldn't need to rely heavily on that. Diving deeper into the world surrounding Clark Kent and Superman would be just as enthralling to see. There are a lot of preestablished relationships that could use more attention. Focusing more on the journalism work at the Daily Planet could offer a refreshing, grounded perspective on Superman.
Predicting what James Gunn is going to do with Superman is an impossible task, let's be honest. It's not like Superman is some niche hero. There are so many different ideas to draw from that can be incorporated into a Superman sequel. The next Superman-related project might not even be in live-action. Gunn is very open to using animation, so that's also something to take into account. But anyway, speculating is fun. It's nice to actually feel optimistic about DC's upcoming projects again.
