New Superman conquers bullies

Turns out the next-generation Man of Steel, in his red cape, boots and undies, is just like us: he feels pain, battles to communicate with his lover and is just so tired of the world's horrifying injustices.

- By Noelle Adams

There are multiple hot takes that the character of Superman just doesn't appeal to modern audiences. According to these critics, an unbreakable, overpowered goody two-shoes isn't interesting.

With the new Superman, filmmaker James Gunn finds an angle that works: that Superman isn't perfect despite all his capabilities and desire to do good.

Gunn's film opens, shockingly, with Superman (David Corenswet), aka Kal-EL, aka Clark Kent, beaten and bleeding.

Again, the hero is not perfect and indestructible, despite being three years into his hero career, and despite his Achilles heel, Kryptonite, being absent from the picture. As an alien, Superman can be healed through concentrated exposure to the rays of Earth's yellow sun, but that's a painful process. Still, he goes through it to get his job done: defending the city of Metropolis (including its squirrels) from any threats.

Superman tries and tries again, but in Gunn's film, this is someone who cannot control an unruly superpowered dog; who struggles to communicate with his girlfriend; who loses his temper when he's forced to defend his good-intentioned actions; and who must still endure awkward, shouted calls from his tech-unsavvy parents about a visit to a burrito bar. We've all been there in some way or another.

A vein of recognisability runs through Superman, which we can hope is the tone-setter for the new onscreen DC Universe under the stewardship of Gunn and DC Studios' Peter Safran.