James Gunn’s run of the DC universe has been nothing short of a smash success, which all culminated with his highly anticipated film, Superman. In the era of the DCEU, Superman was often depicted as gritty and dark, which was not typically what the character was about. Gunn’s Superman raced to fans’ hearts faster than a speeding bullet, but not everyone was impressed. Typical of the director, Gunn broke away from the mold, this time concerning the post-credit scene of the film. Many viewers felt as though the humorous ending of the film was not in line with previous superhero films.

The scene in question takes place after Superman (David Corenswet) and the Justice Gang save the world from the dimensional rift that Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) caused. The aptly named Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi) used his prowess over technology to seal Metropolis back up, though there was some contention about that. Superman notices that the cracks where Metropolis was put back together are slightly uneven, causing a humorous exchange between the two heroes. Mr. Terrific is rightfully frustrated at the playful criticism, while Superman, in classic form, never meant to hurt his feelings. This was the perfect tack onto the end of the film, but strayed from the typical MCU formula that would use these sequences to set up further movies. Once again, Gunn has set himself apart, and it should be for the betterment of the DC world.

James Gunn Won’t Be Making the Mistakes of Marvel

It may be a little too easy to compare James Gunn’s DC universe and Marvel under Kevin Feige’s stewardship. The MCU has been pumping out content for over a decade and trying to make a cohesive world at the same time. In the early days, everyone had nothing but support for this endeavor, which is the boat that Gunn is in now. However, Marvel admittedly got too big for its own brand, making promises that it couldn’t keep. While post-credit sequences initially set up initiatives like The Avengers, it later lost the plot. There were many characters and plans set up in post-credit sequences that still have not come to fruition. Brett Goldstein’s Hercules has not been heard of since the disastrous Thor: Love and Thunder film. Even more devastating was Kit Harington’s sequence in the unfairly maligned Eternals still not coming to pass. The Black Knight was supposed to take up his sword in the troubled Blade movie, which seems closer to official cancellation than ever.

These forgotten characters could be chalked up to the nature of the business, but that is perhaps why the MCU shouldn’t put all its eggs in the post-credit scene basket. Gunn’s credit sequence in Superman did everything that it was supposed to. It added context to the relationship between Mr. Terrific and the Man of Steel while also adding a fun, punchy end to the story. There is no concern that Gunn has set up an unfulfillable promise because no promises were made. This is the defining difference between Marvel and DC as it is now.

With the oversaturation of comic book movies, taking things slow and steady is the way to go. Gunn has been careful not to hint too much about what is to come. Fans can get excited for his version of Kara Zor-el, played by the talented Milly Alcock, almost because so little content has been released. All DC fans know at the moment is that Supergirl and Man of Tomorrow are on the horizon. Gunn is steering this ship into the harbor and has made it clear that there is no better person to do this. Though fans have to wait another year for Supergirl to hit the skies, they can still watch Superman and its clever post-credit sequence, currently streaming on HBO Max.

Release Date

July 11, 2025

Runtime

130 minutes

Director

James Gunn

Producers

Peter Safran