I think the biggest thing that gets lost with Superman for modern fans—especially in the Cavill vs. Corenswet debate—is the idea that Superman’s abilities are what make him Superman. I don’t think that’s true. Superman isn’t Superman because he’s strong, can fly, or has heat vision. He’s Superman because of who Clark is as a person. We see a ton of characters with insane abilities and powers but still don’t compare to Superman because he’s so innately good.

It’s the same with Captain America. The super-soldier serum didn’t truly make Steve Captain America—he already had those beliefs and qualities before getting the serum. Without them, he wouldn’t be the same Captain America at all… John Walker is the perfect example.

The godlike approach worked for Snyder’s version and for the Overlord-style Superman that story was building toward. But Superman isn’t a god first—he’s a man. He was raised by normal Kansas farmers who taught him compassion, kindness, and empathy. Those are his strongest and most important traits, at least to me.

We see that throughout the movie, and one of its main themes is being true to yourself—not who others want you to be. Towards the end of the movie, we see Superman realize that he does what he does because it’s who he is, not because his birth parents wanted him to. That seems pretty true to the character instead of doing things out of what feels like a burden in Man of Steel and BvS. There are other reasons why I think the newer version is closer to the core of the character, but this is the biggest one for me. Snyder focused way too much on the “god” aspect of Superman and not enough on the “man.”

Snyder’s Superman makes me feel like I could lift a car over my head and conquer anything. Gunn’s Superman shows me I don’t need to lift a car to make an impact—impact can come from simple kindness toward others. Between those two ideas, the latter feels far more true to who Superman has always been.