2026 is a big year for DC Studios. Next week marks the official premiere of Supergirl, with Lanternsset to debut in August on HBO Max and Clayfacerounding things out in October. Not only does this trio of projects see a wide range of different genres that just so happens to feature superheroes in the lead roles, but it also marks the first collection of projects that isn’t written or directed by DC Studios co-head James Gunn. Judging from the early reactions to Supergirl, it’s safe to say that DC Studios is here to stay…and it also explains why the very first DC Studios project is skyrocketing on streaming charts.

At the time of writing, Superman— which Gunn wrote and directed — is currently the #1 movie on Prime Video’s Top 10 movie charts, according to FlixPatrol. This isn’t a major surprise, as Milly Alcockmade her debut as Supergirl during Superman‘s final scene and trailers for Supergirl have showcased David Corenswet‘s Man of Steel trying to offer his cousin some advice. Yet it also shows that even a year after its release, Superman is still a major draw for general audiences and longtime comic book fans alike. That’s the kind of energy that Gunn and Peter Safran should definitely lean more into for future projects.

‘Superman’ Embraces Everything that Makes The Man of Steel Great

At first glance, Superman features all the trademark elements of Clark Kent’s life, including his career at the Daily Planet, his status as the world’s most powerful superhero, and his budding rivalry with billionaire genius Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). But over the course of the movie, Gunn starts to take some wild swings that nobody expected. Rather than building up the romance between Clark Kent and Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), Gunn has them three months into a relationship and reveals that Lois knows about Clark’s double life. While Clark was still sent to Earth from the doomed planet Krypton, it’s revealed that his parents had less than noble motives for sending him to a world that would grant him godlike abilities. And in perhaps the most surprising twist, the movie opens with Superman, bleeding and bruised, crashing to Earth. Gunn previously discussed his approach to Clark Kent prior to Superman‘s release, saying he wanted to explore a side of the Man of Steel that other Superman projects hadn’t.

“This movie, at the end of the day, is not about power…This movie is about, in the loose sense of the word, a human being struggling with his day-to-day life. And we see a different aspect of him at the beginning.”

True to Gunn’s words, anyone who watches Superman will get to see that Clark Kent has his own hangups despite being an immensely powerful superhero. It shines the most in two scenes: where Lois and Clark are having an interview about Superman’s actions in a geopolitical conflict, and when Superman finally corners Luthor after his attempts to sink Metropolis into a black hole. In the former scene, Clark shouts that he was trying to save lives and wasn’t concerned about political borders; in the second, he delivers a powerful speech about how his humanity is his greatest strength. These moments show that Superman’s best power isn’t flight, being bulletproof, or his laser vision, but rather in the way he uses those gifts.

James Gunn Is Bringing Superman Back To the Big Screen Next Year

Superman was a surprising success, not only gathering critical acclaim but also becoming one of 2025’s highest-grossing movies. As a result, James Gunn announced a sequel in September titled Man of Tomorrow, which features yet another unexpected development: Superman and Lex Luthor will join forces to battle the malevolent artificial intelligence Brainiac (Lars Eidinger). Man of Tomorrow will also feature Luthor donning his iconic Warsuit from the comics, and is gathering an ensemble cast that includes Lanterns’Aaron Pierrereprising his role as John Stewart and Adria Arjonain a mystery role.

Superman‘s theatrical success, and its current success on Prime Video, proves that “superhero fatigue” is less of a thing and that people want good superhero movies first and foremost. Hopefully, Supergirl and future DC Studios projects will keep this in mind.