James Gunn Says ‘Superman’ Is About ‘Basic Human Kindness’ and the Pro-Immigrant ‘Story of America’

The director tells the Times of London “obviously there will be jerks out there” who are offended, but adds, “Screw them”

David Corenswet as Superman in “Superman” (Warner Bros.)

James Gunn’s “Superman” will be a little different, the director told The Times of London in an interview published Saturday; this version of the superhuman hero’s story will likely resonate with American audiences, given the political turmoil surrounding immigration in the country.

“I mean, Superman is the story of America,” he explained. “An immigrant that came from other places and populated the country, but for me it is mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost.”

Gunn added that the movie also contains a 10-minute scene that features Clark Kent and Lois Lane discussing geopolitics and whether or not it’s okay to kill others in the name of justice — or at all. “Yes, it’s about politics,” Gunn said.

“But on another level it’s about morality. Do you never kill no matter what — which is what Superman believes — or do you have some balance, as Lois believes? It’s really about their relationship and the way different opinions on basic moral beliefs can tear two people apart.”

The story of Superman has always been about immigrants, the director also noted. The comic’s original writers were from immigrant families: Joseph Schuster was born to a Jewish family from Canada, and Jerry Siegel to Jewish Lithuanian immigrants. In 2018, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) released a book titled “Superman Was a Refugee Too” in Italy.

While Gunn admitted the movie will “play differently” depending on what city and/or state audiences are in, he also said, “But it’s about human kindness and obviously there will be jerks out there who are just not kind and will take it as offensive just because it is about kindness. But screw them.”