Superman (2025) has landed, and James Gunn has given us yet another take on the Man of Steel—one that feels both familiar and fresh. With a title as simple as Superman, this film stands in a long line of reboots that have stretched from George Reeves in the 1950s, to Christopher Reeve’s classic 1978 portrayal, to Dean Cain in Lois & Clark, and Henry Cavill’s darker modern version. Every generation seems to get its own Superman, and this one is tailored for a digital society.
As Eve says in the episode, this upgrade reflects the themes that matter most to a 21st-century audience—media, politics, and social perception. And that’s what makes this reboot worth a closer look.
In episode 164 of Are You Just Watching?, we’ll share our first impressions of Superman (2025)—what made us laugh, what made us raise our eyebrows, and how it compares to past versions. We’ll also highlight the music composed by David Fleming and John Murphy, which draws on John Williams’ unforgettable 1978 theme, and the performances that give this film its heart.
More importantly, we’ll dive into the deeper themes. What happens when Superman acts without legal authority? How does Lex Luthor embody the love of money and the corruption that Scripture warns against? And what can Christians learn about discernment in a story shaped by digital spin and curated “truth”?
That’s what you can expect from this episode—critical thinking for the entertained Christian, applied to the latest reboot of the world’s most recognizable superhero.
First Impressions
Superman (2025) was not a film Eve approached with enthusiasm. She was honest right up front: DC movies haven’t won her over, and even Marvel has started to lose its shine. On top of that, by the time she sat down to watch, the entire movie had already been spoiled by reviewers on YouTube and through various podcasts she follows. Every twist and turn, both good and bad, had been dissected in detail. That meant nothing in the theater caught her by surprise. For many of us, spoilers dampen the fun, and Eve admitted that was the case here. Still, she gave James Gunn credit—he knows how to make a movie entertaining, and despite her low expectations, she found herself enjoying it. Gunn’s trademark mix of humor and heart kept the film from becoming too heavy-handed, even if a few preachy notes crept in. Overall, she was relieved to say it was fun.
But Eve was also clear: this is not the Superman of her generation. Those who grew up with Christopher Reeve’s 1978 classic, or who remember Dean Cain in Lois & Clark in the 90s, or even the younger crowd that followed Smallville on the WB, will find this Superman startlingly different. Vulnerability defines him. In the opening act, he’s seriously injured—a far cry from past versions where only kryptonite could draw blood. Eve said plainly: This Superman belongs to a new generation. That doesn’t make him bad, but it makes him unfamiliar to those who expect invincibility. She found some comfort in the fact that Gunn kept him moral. Unlike Superman Returns (2006), which frustrated her with its depiction of Superman as less upright—complete with a child out of wedlock—this version still upholds goodness, even if in a fresh way.
She also flagged a theme we’ve covered in depth before: nature versus nurture. We’ve discussed it at length, especially in Gemini Man. This Superman’s story brings that theme strongly to the surface, but Eve suggested we gloss over it this time since we’ve already “beat that horse.” The issue is there, and she wanted to acknowledge it, but she preferred to spend our time on fresher ground.
Another notable observation from Eve was how Gunn firmly set Superman in our modern world. Just like Spider-Man: Homecoming updated Peter Parker to match today’s New York City, this Superman exists in a world shaped by cell phones, social media, and cultural flux. For Eve, that upgrade was necessary. Superheroes need to inhabit the same world as their audiences; otherwise, they risk feeling like relics. She admitted that she once struggled with Spider-Man’s modern diversity, but she has come to see that authenticity isn’t about clinging to a 1960s comic book vision—it’s about reflecting the world as it is now. That realization helped her accept Gunn’s Superman as right for 2025.
I took a different route walking into the theater. I worked hard to avoid spoilers because I knew I wanted to see both Superman and Fantastic Four eventually. One detail I did hear ahead of time, though, made me grin: David Corenswet, our new Superman, is geek royalty. His grandfather invented the Choose Your Own Adventure books I devoured growing up. That little connection, which I heard mentioned on the Today Show, delighted me. It gave Corenswet a kind of “geek bloodline” that felt strangely fitting for the role.
I also appreciated Gunn’s tone and direction. After years of DC films that leaned too dark, I was glad to see humor return. The Snyder cut of Justice League had its moments, but the gloom overshadowed the spectacle. Gunn balanced things better. This Superman felt closer to George Reeves’ early portrayal—still powerful, but not so untouchable as Henry Cavill’s version. That rollback made him a hero you could believe in again. He also worked as part of a team, interacting with other heroes in a way that felt both natural and funny.
Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner deserves special mention. Anyone familiar with the Green Lantern comics knows Gardner is egotistical, arrogant, and obnoxious. Fillion captured that perfectly. He became the jerk-humorous soul of the film, the kind of hero you can’t stand but also can’t stop laughing at. His presence added levity without derailing the story, and his interactions with the rest of the Justice gang felt authentic.
Not every element worked for me. I’m tired of mid-credit and post-credit scenes, and these didn’t help. The Krypto subplot, in particular, rubbed me the wrong way. I love dogs, but this version of Krypto was undisciplined and irresponsible. The mid-credit scene, which revealed that he actually belonged to Supergirl, portrayed as a shallow party girl, redeemed him somewhat, but it felt like a throwaway teaser rather than meaningful storytelling.
Still, in the end, I walked out with a smile. The film was funny, heroic, and even thoughtful without being overly preachy. Gunn wove in social and political commentary with a light enough hand that audiences across the political aisle could each feel it was “on their side.” That rare balance gave me plenty to think about, and it left me eager for this conversation.
Lex Luther or Satan?
In Superman (2025), James Gunn gives us the darkest Lex Luthor yet. In earlier films, Luthor was certainly a villain—wealthy, arrogant, and constantly scheming—but still recognizably human. This time, he seems more than human. He is manipulative, cruel, and demonic in tone and imagery. The film pushes him past the role of rival and casts him as a Satan figure, tempting and corrupting everyone around him while building a “hell” of his own.
This shift is important because it takes a familiar villain and magnifies him into something far more universal. Luthor isn’t just Superman’s opponent; he is the embodiment of greed, deception, and destruction. In this way, the film taps directly into biblical truth. Scripture tells us that the love of money—not money itself, but the idolatry of it—is a root of all kinds of evil. Luthor is a case study in that corruption. He is wealthy and powerful, and he will do anything to maintain control. His obsession with riches and domination plunges him and those around him into ruin.
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out. If we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:6–10)
The imagery the filmmakers use only heightens that effect. The pocket universe that Luthor controls looks and feels like hell. It is a place where he imprisons people he has deceived or betrayed, and it is guarded by a Charon-like ferryman pulled straight from mythology. When we see this on screen, it is hard to miss the symbolic weight. Luthor doesn’t just kill his enemies; he curses them. He traps them in his personal inferno and plays the Mephistopheles role of promising them what they want while ensuring their ultimate destruction.
Woe to those enacting crooked statutes and writing oppressive laws to keep the poor from getting a fair trial and to deprive the needy among my people of justice, so that widows can be their spoil and they can plunder the fatherless. What will you do on the day of punishment when devastation comes from far away? Who will you run to for help? Where will you leave your wealth? (Isaiah 10:1–3)
This also connects to another theme we have often explored: counterfeits. Satan does not come to us with horns and a pitchfork. He comes disguised as an angel of light, offering what looks attractive and promising what seems harmless. Luthor is written the same way. He presents himself as a protector, warning governments about the dangers posed by metahumans. At first glance, it sounds reasonable. However, as the story unfolds, the mask slips, revealing the rotten core beneath. His “gospel” is a counterfeit—it looks like progress, but it is a lie.
Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world. (1 Peter 5:8–9)
I know your affliction and poverty, but you are rich. I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will experience affliction for ten days. Be faithful to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. (Revelation 2:9–11)
But I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may be seduced from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if a person comes and preaches another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or you receive a different spirit, which you had not received, or a different gospel, which you had not accepted, you put up with it splendidly! (2 Corinthians 11:3–4)
Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. (Ephesians 6:10–11)
Little children, let no one deceive you. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who commits sin is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the devil’s works. Everyone who has been born of God does not sin, because his seed remains in him; he is not able to sin, because he has been born of God. This is how God’s children and the devil’s children become obvious. Whoever does not do what is right is not of God, especially the one who does not love his brother or sister. (1 John 3:7–10)
One of the dangers of a villain like this is that he makes evil seem powerful, even inevitable. We are tempted to think Luthor—or Satan—is in control. But Scripture reminds us that their power is limited. They can deceive and they can hurt, but they are not sovereign. God alone rules, and His purposes are never thwarted.
Gunn’s Luthor, then, works as both a frightening villain and a sharp reminder. He mirrors Satan’s tactics: greed, deception, intimidation, and counterfeit promises. He even builds his own false hell. But just as Scripture promises, even the devil’s apparent victories are temporary. His schemes cannot stand against the sovereignty of God. Seeing Luthor in this way prepares us to think carefully about the broader political questions raised in the film—the questions about power, responsibility, and where true authority lies.
Great Power=Great Responsibility
In Superman (2025), James Gunn puts before us a theme that comic fans usually associate with Spider-Man: “With great power comes great responsibility.” It’s a phrase that captures the heart of this story. The movie challenges us to wrestle with what responsibility looks like when someone has the power to prevent disaster—but no official mandate to act.
The clearest example comes in Lois’s “mock interview.” She presses Superman on whether he asked permission before intervening in a foreign conflict. “Did you confer with the State Department? With the President of the United States?” Her question frames the dilemma: was Superman right to bypass governments and act against an invading force, even one claiming to be “benign”?
This puts moral obligation and legal obligation in tension. On one hand, Paul writes:
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. (Romans 13:1–2)
But we also see the apostles facing human authority that commanded them to stop preaching Christ.
And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:27–29)
Superman embodies this same tension. He had information no court could accept—he could see and hear what others could not—and he chose to act. It was not legally sanctioned, but it was morally necessary.
That leads to the question of inaction. If Superman had stood by, millions would have suffered. Scripture is clear:
So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. (James 4:17)
Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work? (Proverbs 24:11–12)
If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. (Ezekiel 33:8–9)
Responsibility means more than avoiding harm—it means stepping in when you have the ability to stop it.
Yet Superman’s case also highlights the question of identity. Is he an American acting on behalf of his government, or is he an alien acting on behalf of humanity as a whole? Scripture reminds us that believers share this tension:
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. (Philippians 3:20–21)
Superman may be alien, but his allegiance is to what is right. For Christians, our highest allegiance is not to nationality but to God’s kingdom.
Finally, the movie shows how the public perceived Superman’s actions. News commentators split: some praised him as protector, others condemned him as vigilante. It echoes Peter’s counsel:
Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. (1 Peter 2:12)
Doing right will not always earn applause. Sometimes it earns suspicion or hostility. That’s part of what makes this theme so timely. And it’s precisely what opens the door into the next discussion—the power of perception in a digital world, and how easily truth can be manipulated.
Social Science of a Digitally Focused World
In Superman (2025), the final theme that stood out to us was the way James Gunn highlighted the fragility of truth in a digital age. Lex Luthor’s weapon of choice wasn’t only technology or brute force—it was perception. He harnessed social media, curated information, and even an army of literal cybernetic monkeys whose sole purpose was to smear Superman online. It was absurd on screen, but it made a profound point: in a world shaped by digital algorithms, the loudest voices are often lies dressed as truth.
What made Luthor’s attack so effective was that his claims were “factually accurate” but incomplete. The missing context turned partial truth into a full-fledged lie. Experts confirmed his data, but they were blind to the bigger picture. That distortion of reality is one of the defining problems of our age. Information without context is not truth—it is deception.
Christians are not immune to this danger. Like everyone else, we live inside curated bubbles of content shaped by clicks, searches, and algorithms. We see what we want to see, or what others want us to see. And too often, we mistake this echo chamber for reality.
Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding irreverent and empty speech and contradictions from what is falsely called knowledge. (1 Timothy 6:20)
This warning could not be timelier. What the world calls “knowledge” may be nothing more than cleverly packaged error. We saw this vividly during the pandemic, when dissenting voices were silenced in the name of public safety. Regardless of one’s stance on those specific debates, the deeper truth remains: voices can be suppressed, data can be curated, and entire populations can be nudged toward falsehood by selective reporting.
Advertisers have exploited the same tactics for years. One click on a clickbait headline floods the screen with dozens of ads, each counted as a separate “view.” One person can become hundreds of views, inflating numbers, creating illusions of popularity, and generating revenue from metrics that mean nothing. This is the heart of what some have called the “dead internet theory”—the suspicion that much of today’s online engagement is artificial, bot-driven, and manipulated. Whether or not the conspiracy angle is valid, the everyday reality is plain: numbers lie, and lies shape public behavior.
The deeper problem isn’t just misinformation—it’s misplaced trust.
This is what the Lord says: Cursed is the person who trusts in mankind. He makes human flesh his strength, and his heart turns from the Lord. He will be like a juniper in the Arabah; he cannot see when good comes but dwells in the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land where no one lives. (Jeremiah 17:5–6)
When we put our confidence in human systems—whether media platforms, algorithms, or AI—we are bound for disappointment. These tools cannot deliver truth because they are designed to serve profit and power. Even artificial intelligence, for all its usefulness, cannot escape the limitations of its sources. A large language model can sound confident while presenting errors with confidence. Truth is not measured in likes, shares, or search rankings.
That is why the body of Christ is given teachers, pastors, and one another—to hold us steady when deceit and confusion swirl.
And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ. (Ephesians 4:11–15)
Discernment has always been critical, but never more so than now. The world around us is filled with counterfeits—half-truths spun as whole truths, curated perceptions that become reality in the minds of millions. Gunn’s portrayal of Superman under attack from weaponized “truth” is a cultural mirror. It reminds us that even facts can be wielded as lies, and only the Word of God can anchor us in what is real.
Conclusion
As we close our look at Superman (2025), I’m struck by how well James Gunn gave us a story that works on two levels. On the surface, it’s a fun superhero adventure with humor, action, and colorful characters. But under the hood, it invites us to wrestle with themes that matter: the seductive pull of evil dressed as power, the weight of responsibility when silence would mean complicity, and the fragile state of truth in a digital world where perception is often stronger than reality.
Each of these threads ties back to what Scripture reminds us again and again: Satan counterfeits truth, governments can be resisted when they oppose God, and discernment is not optional for believers. Luthor’s manipulations, Superman’s decisions, and the online smear campaigns may seem like movie fantasy, but they mirror our daily lives more than we’d like to admit.
That’s why critical thinking, anchored in God’s Word, is so vital. Stories like this remind us to keep our eyes clear, our faith firm, and our responsibility to act rooted not in fear of man but in obedience to Christ.
Are You Just Watching? is listener supported. Special thanks to our current patrons: Isaias Santillano, Craig Hardee, Stephen Brown II, and David Lefton, for their generous support. We can't continue to share critical thinking for the entertained Christian without your financial help, so please head on over to our Patreon page and become one of our supporting patrons! What did you think of Superman 2025? We would like to know, even if just your reactions to the trailer or the topics we shared in this episode. Or what general critical-thinking and entertainment thoughts or questions do you have? Would you like to suggest a movie or TV show for us to give a Christian movie review with critical thinking?Please support the podcast!
Share your feedback!
Please connect with us
