Hope Returns to the Sky: Superman Soars Above Societal Division

The new Superman (2025), directed by James Gunn, marks a striking shift away from the recent depictions of superheroes in Hollywood that have focused more on dark, brooding characters with murky pasts that they have to overcome to access their true potential. While Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel (2013) leaned into existential dread and the consequences of destructive powers, Gunn’s rendition wholeheartedly embraces vulnerability and kindness, delivered in a way that is as emotionally charged as it is culturally relevant. The core message of the film is one of radical optimism: Superman is driven by kindness and a deep commitment to justice and peace. This echoes the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: the pillars of a just society, many of which are being eroded today by various undemocratic regimes and dictatorial leaders

David Corenswet’s Superman is physically indomitable. He flies faster than a missile, can crush a tank with ease and rescues people without leaving a single scratch. When I was younger, I would wonder: what’s the point of an invincible being incapable of being harmed? What risk is he facing? These thoughts were largely vindicated after watching Man of Steel. Snyder’s cynical approach explores the alienation that comes with being a superhuman caught between two worlds, never truly fitting in. 

In this film, Superman isn’t empowered by his abilities; they haunt him. The film echoes the pervasive sense of societal pessimism and apathy, bombarded by headlines of global injustices and deliberately made to feel that our actions make no difference at all. The new and improved Superman, however, challenges this paralysis with a defiant optimism: if those in power prefer you to feel hopeless against the machinery of the system to avoid its change, hope and empathy become rebellious acts. They guide us towards justice and liberation. 

Superman is unchallenged in his strength: he has conquered the Earth and sky, but struggles to balance compassion with principle. His invincibility is juxtaposed with his naive outlook on the world: he believes in the goodness of all people, even when it’s unreciprocated. This contrast is most evident when Lois Lane confronts his moral absolutism and forces him to understand the geopolitical complexities of intervening in foreign conflict zones, explaining the recklessness of acting alone. However, given the interests of the US government to facilitate the Boravian invasion against the innocent Jarhanpurians, most would justify his involvement against the encroaching militarized state, regardless of the entrenched power structures.

Superman is unchallenged in his strength: he has conquered the Earth and sky, but struggles to balance compassion with principle. His invincibility is juxtaposed with his naive outlook on the world: he believes in the goodness of all people, even when it’s unreciprocated. This contrast is most evident when Lois Lane confronts his moral absolutism and forces him to understand the geopolitical complexities of intervening in foreign conflict zones, explaining the recklessness of acting alone. However, given the interests of the US government to facilitate the Boravian invasion against the innocent Jarhanpurians, most would justify his involvement against the encroaching militarized state, regardless of the entrenched power structures. 

These themes resonate powerfully as an allegory for the devastation of the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, where governments and international institutions have either stood by passively or actively abetted the devastation. Superman’s struggle isn’t solely with villains: it’s with the ambiguity of making the right choices in a complicated world that rarely conforms to binaries. 

Superman saves others because he genuinely cares for all humans alike. He isn’t afraid of appearing weak or resentful about being saved. Superman -an otherworldly being - still makes mistakes, questions his origins, and unhesitatingly chooses Earth despite being sent to rule it. All of his trials, miscalculations, triumphs and achievements prove his vulnerability, and subsequently, his humanity. It cements his cultural status as a symbol of hope, capable of showing restraint even when it harms him. He serves as a guideline for our actions in the real world, putting faith in our collective instincts when we can’t trust corrupt politicians or sycophantic media personalities. 

Gunn’s Superman delivers a message of empathy; a rebellious act against the prevailing sense of cynicism and social division in society, which Snyder embodied with his portrayal of Superman as a tortured God. In an era of deep instability, being kind is the new punk rock because hope demands itself to be felt, even in despair.