James Gunn's Superman movie swooped into theaters Friday, offering thrilling battles, big-hearted heroes and an amusingly untrained canine sidekick. You might want to see the superhero epic if you're into other films written and directed by Gunn (such as Suicide Squad and Guardians of the Galaxy) or want to catch the cinematic start to the new DC Universe.

James Gunn recently revealed that he went on to reject directing Superman and picked The Suicide Squad over it in 2018. Gunn, who now took up the director’s chair for the 2025 film, also disclosed the reason behind doing so back then.

In 2021’s The Suicide Squad, marksman mercenary Bloodsport (Idris Elba) is imprisoned for putting Superman in the ICU with a kryptonite bullet — and that’s as close as writer-director James Gunn wanted to get to the DC Extended Universe’s Man of Steel.