In James Gunn’s latest take on Superman, the iconic hero portrayed by David Corenswet is presented with a deeply human side, despite his alien origins. The film culminates in a powerful confrontation where Kal-El, Superman’s true name, faces off against his archenemy Lex Luthor, played by Nicholas Hoult. This climactic moment reveals a message from Superman’s birth parents, Jor-El and Lara, voiced by Bradley Cooper and Angela Sarafyan, respectively, setting the stage for a critical debate on identity and purpose.
During this intense scene, Superman acknowledges his vulnerability, revealing that being human—making mistakes and feeling fear—is his greatest strength. Corenswet’s Superman confesses to Luthor,
“I love, I get scared. I wake up every morning and despite not knowing what to do, I put one foot in front of the other and I try to make the best choices I can,”
and adds with conviction,
“I screw up all the time. But that’s being human, and that’s my greatest strength.”
This exchange serves as a turning point in the narrative, confronting the notion that Kal-El might be destined to rule Earth by the decree of his biological parents.
Rekindling Hope with a Father’s Wisdom in Smallville
Before the climactic showdown, Superman experiences doubt upon hearing the message from his Kryptonian parents. This moment of uncertainty is contrasted by an emotional visit to Smallville, where he meets with his adoptive father, Jonathan “Pa” Kent, portrayed by Pruitt Taylor Vince. Pa Kent offers a heartfelt reminder that personal choices define who we truly are.
In this quiet but significant moment, Pa Kent tells Clark,
“Your choices, your actions, that’s what makes you who you are.”
This supportive conversation reinvigorates Superman’s spirit, allowing him to embrace both his heritage and humanity.
Behind the Scenes: The Creative Clash Over Superman’s Climactic Speech
The dramatic intensity of Superman’s climactic speech sparked a candid debate between director James Gunn and actor David Corenswet during filming, as revealed in the documentary Adventures in the Making of Superman, included on the movie’s digital release on August 15. Gunn, confident in the speech’s importance, reflected on its impact by stating,
“This speech, if it works, the movie works. If this speech doesn’t work, we’re going to have a problem with the ending of our film.”
Corenswet delivered the speech with skill from the start, which pleased Gunn. However, when the director encouraged the actor to try it louder and more intense, the actor hesitated during the third take, leading to a deeper conversation about the scene‘s emotional purpose.
Gunn described his admiration for Corenswet, highlighting the actor’s thoughtful approach:
“I love David. [He’s] one of my favorite actors I’ve ever worked with. He is wonderful. He also questions everything.”
Corenswet’s dedication to exploring each word and punctuation is rooted in his Juilliard training, which sometimes led to tensions on set.
David Corenswet’s Search for Emotional Clarity
Corenswet felt challenged by Gunn’s direction, which asked for more emotional intensity. The actor recounted a moment of frustration where he expressed to Gunn his struggle with the idea that the character should yell the line, saying,
“I feel that this isn’t giving the intensity at the level you want, to go low. I feel weak with me yelling at [Luthor].”
He wanted to ensure that the performance made sense emotionally and served the narrative realistically.
Gunn explained the scene’s emotional core as one of vulnerability and acceptance, where Superman acknowledges his own weaknesses and feelings. He detailed this to Corenswet:
“It’s a moment of you acknowledging your own weakness, your own hurt feelings, so that everyone who hears Superman knows that that’s okay for all of us to feel that way, and it’s not okay for the Lex Luthors of the world to be telling us, ‘We shouldn’t feel this way, we shouldn’t do that, we shouldn’t think this.’ That is what makes you different from the other heroes.”
Resolving the Emotional Tension Through Dialogue
Corenswet challenged Gunn by questioning whether Superman should still feel vulnerable after hearing Pa Kent’s reassuring words. He asked,
“Don’t I feel better now that I’ve heard that thing, that really important moment that happened earlier with my adopted father? Didn’t that make it better? Didn’t that make me immune to this? Isn’t that the whole point?”
This led to a thoughtful exchange captured on film and presented in the documentary.
Gunn responded by emphasizing that while Pa Kent’s words offered support, they weren’t a cure-all. He insisted vulnerability remains essential to Superman’s humanity and heroism:
“I think it’s not a magic bullet. Pa Kent told you that you are who you are, that’s what makes you human.”
The discussion continued as Corenswet vocalized his doubts on set, leading to a passionate debate with Gunn. Corenswet worried that yelling the line suggested Superman was trying to prove something, asking if it was wrong for the character to feel bad about himself. Gunn maintained that such feelings were valid, explaining,
“There are feelings and there are thoughts. Your feelings about feeling bad are okay. It’s not wrong for you to feel that way. You should just, it’s not right or wrong anything — none of it is right or wrong — but all of it is being vulnerable and being a human being.”
The Breakthrough and Final Performance
This exchange helped Corenswet understand the scene‘s emotional demands more clearly. He credited a key sentence from Gunn for clarifying the character’s motivation:
“The sentence that James said to me at the end of that conversation perfectly clarified what the character was doing in that moment and what I should be doing in that moment.”
Motivated anew, Corenswet returned to the set and delivered the line with renewed confidence. Reflecting on the moment, Gunn recalled,
“I just remember hitting his chest, is what I remember. Like, ‘You’re feeling this!’”
Corenswet added,
“I went out there, I did it, and it was right.”
Gunn’s emotional reaction to the final take highlighted the scene’s significance.
Why Superman’s Humanity Resonates Beyond His Powers
James Gunn shared that what makes Superman compelling is less his incredible strength and more his innate goodness and vulnerability. Gunn said,
“I got emotional a second ago because I really do think that what this movie is about is, why do we love Superman so much? Is it because he can punch planets or pick up skyscrapers? I don’t think it is.”
He continued,
“I think it’s because of his innate goodness and his humanity, even though he’s an alien. And it’s okay that he’s being optimistic, it’s okay that he’s vulnerable. That’s what the scene was about.”
Corenswet also expressed appreciation for the collaborative process, saying,
“All of the credit goes to James for saying that sentence, and for sticking with me and the conversation long enough to get to that sentence. Because I didn’t make it easy for him.”
Gunn emphasized the absence of ego in the creative dialogue:
“There’s no anger in any of this at all. There’s no ego. There’s a reason why he’s asking these questions, because it makes it better.”
The Enduring Impact of the Actor-Director Collaboration
After the day’s work, Corenswet sent Gunn a message, sharing his feelings about the experience:
“David wrote me that night, he texted me, he said, ‘That was my favorite day ever on set with a director.’ I said, ‘I think that was my favorite day, too.’”
The mutual respect and open communication between the actor and director were central to delivering the emotional gravity of the scene.
The film’s digital release on August 15 allows audiences to witness this defining moment of Superman’s journey, one that balances his alien origins with the human emotions that ultimately define him. The intense on-set discussions behind the “David Corenswet Superman scene debate” underscore the care taken to portray the hero’s greatest strength: his humanity.
