Superman isn’t even close to being the first superhero in James Gunn’s DC universe, with the existence of metahumans being public knowledge for centuries.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Gunn mentioned that in the DCU, superheroes are more akin to musicians and celebrities than figures obsessed with keeping their work hush-hush.
“If you saw a shark-man walking down the street, you’d probably vomit and shit yourself to death,” Gunn says. “If [people in the DCU] saw one, it would be more like if you saw Paul McCartney on the sidewalk in New York.”
Ironically, a couple of DC’s heaviest hitters – Superman and Batman – are lumbered with secret identities, but they will only be the latest in a long, long line of heroes and villains by the time they arrive in the MCU.
By contrast, the MCU largely kept the idea of superheroes away from the public consciousness. Eternals had been roaming the planet for millennia, but the concept of a ‘superhero’ didn’t arrive in that universe until Captain America surged onto the scene during World War Two.
All told, it’s a fascinating world for the likes of Superman to enter. The planet may be jaded or used to the idea of heroes, especially if they’ve become a tool for capitalists like Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, and Mister Terrific have with Maxwell Lord in the upcoming July release.
Superman, meanwhile, is set to kick off the live-action portion of DCU Chapter One. Gunn, who is co-CEO of DC Studios alongside his writer-director duties on Superman, also confirmed that a Wonder Woman movie is now in the works.
For more, check out the upcoming DC movies flying into cinemas very soon.
