James Gunn has made it pretty clear that his latest film, Superman, is not an origin story — not for the title character, at least. The DC reboot drops us smack in the middle of Superman’s (David Corenswet) latest adventure as the defender of Metropolis, neatly bringing us up to speed with exposition that never feels too clunky. Still, this is the beginning of a new DC Universe, and though the Man of Steel might not need another origin story, Superman still serves as an unexpected, even terrific, introduction to a hero long overdue for the spotlight.
Superman is chock-full of scene stealers, from Krypto the super-dog to Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner. Since his days working in Marvel’s sandbox, Gunn has specialized in taking lower-tier comic book characters and turning them into fan favorites — and nowhere is that better depicted than with Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi). Cheekily classified as the “third smartest man in the universe,” Terrific has always been underrated. The same goes for Gathegi, who’s delivered solid turns in action, comedy, and drama for years, but hasn’t exactly broken out. Superman provides the platform that both character and actor have long deserved.
