A return to kindness and humanity may be the most punk rock thing of all in 2025.

By Daniel Paiz

Superman: A Cypher Flicks Review could go down so many different roads of discussion. Kindness and humanity are a different rarity these days. The main character isn’t as unbeatable as he’s been made out to be in previous installments. There’s the overall perspective about the big two comic book warehouses; Marvel has been at the forefront of comic book movies over the years, but DC has just righted their movie ship.

The Daily Planet won’t appreciate this, but all of these are in the overall headline for this film.

2025 Has A Different Meaning For Punk Rock Today

Director James Gunn penned a version of Superman (David Corenswet) that is so necessary for today’s world, and it’s a version that isn’t what you initially expect. For decades, the man with the “S” on his chest has been a cheat code. Faster than The Flash, eye lasers perhaps better than Cyclops, strength beyond every other comic book character around, Superman had been almost boring to watch. Gunn has audiences witness the Man of Steel inner struggle of reconciling his place on Earth.

That constant search for place in a blue marble reeking of cynical disengagement due to earnest attempts going awry is palpable. You don’t have to be a Kryptonian to have such a struggle today. So, when one decides to approach others with kindness, compassion, and humanity, that’s not the norm right now.

Not in popular culture and not in everyday life. The aesthetic of punk rock is running counterculture to what’s the tone of the day, and Superman does well in following that lineage. The earnest happiness big blue depicts with kids in this film is a sign of that.

The interactions with his Earth parents. Folks around Metropolis such as a food stand worker or a doorman. These little relationships that aren’t vital for the overall plot do add to the makeup of the titular character. By doing so, viewers get invested bit by little bit as the story continues.

A Fantastic Supporting Cast

Fleshing out a supporting cast can be a hard thing to do, and not everyone is going to get a lot of screentime. This film has screentime for the necessary people. One person who gets plenty of notice is Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan). Lane is shown to be the best reporter at the Daily Planet while also just starting to kindle something with Clark.

What really sticks out about Lane is how much time is focused on her all-around character. She’s not just a go-getter journalist, not just a love interest to Kent, but those things and more. There’s depth here that seems lacking in other iterations of the Daily Planet’s top writer. Humans are complex beings and showing the good and bad sides to Lane enriches the overall story.

Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi) has been doing his thing, coming off as the veteran of the Justice Gang (JG). Green Lantern Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) feels he’s a rival to Clark while attempting to be JG’s leader. Hawkgirl (Isabel Merced) seems uninterested getting involved in bigger battles, although when in combat is quite keen to takedown folks while cawing away. Each character has a role that fulfills each aspect needed for a super team: smarts, experience, and a willingness to get after it. Mr. Terrific absolutely steals the show, but not in a way to outshine Superman.

Some characters are going to have quieter roles because fleshing them out further would drag the pacing. This version of Jimmy Olson (Skyler Gisondo) works pretty well. Same goes for these iterations of Perry White (Wendell Pierce) and Cat Grant (Mikaela Hoover). The side stories that concurrently take place add to the bigger picture without demanding disruption from what’s going on.

Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan), Rick Flagg Sr. (Frank Grillo), The Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría), and the robots (Alan Tudyk, Grace Chan amongst others) all add elements to punch up the story as well.

Final Verdict

Superman has always been a struggle for me because of how untouchable he seems in previous DC films. It’s likely why so many people enjoy Batman; odd as it may sound, people appreciate or connect to Batman because of how broken he is. This iteration of Superman gives that same humanity, that same vulnerability that had been lacking. Man of Steel (2013) did a good job of a vulnerable Superman as well, but for some reason didn’t feel as accessible as this version.

I also appreciated how this wasn’t an origin story movie. There are some characters (Superman, Batman, etc.) who do not need another movie showing how things started out. Gunn delivers a movie to audiences that shows a time where Clark Kent is early into his Daily Planet career alongside his superhero gig.

One small flaw for this viewer is the level of anger hate that Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) has for Superman. Luthor has always been someone opposed to the alien being, but that hatred spewing from this iteration feels a bit much. It ties in well to his shenanigans overseas of course but otherwise feels over the top. Gunn clearly decided to show how self-centered, greedy, and lacking in empathy billionaires are; Luthor portrays that and more. Several key political figures of today can be found in Luthor, although billionaires being bad is nothing new. It was a great acting effort, just too much for me at certain parts.

Comic book movies can be eye-rollers sometimes, but they can also have a lot of fun while having an important takeaway as well. For an out of this world being to do that while showcasing how well he’s learned humanity, that’s a journey worth checking out. This one will be remembered for eons.

**Bonus Content**

This is the biggest spoiler of the article; if you haven’t watched the movie, avoid this part. Don’t scroll down, don’t do it! This one goes out to all the punk rockers out there: