STACK #252 October 2025

FEATURE MOVIE

FROM TROMAVILLE TO METROPOLIS... Y ou may have seen The Toxic Avenger playing

THROUGH THE YEARS

brute force and violence to compensate for his lack of actual super-skills. Of course, in addition to these superhero endeavours, Gunn made a name for himself writing films such as Scooby-Doo , Dawn of the Dead, and Slither . He is undeniably an authority on pop culture and was always destined to bring Superman back to the screen.

in cinemas recently, but did you know it has a tenuous connection to Superman ? It’s a co-production with Troma Entertainment, the trashy independent studio behind the original 1984 Toxic Avenger movie. James Gunn got his start with Troma in 1996 when he co-wrote the cult classic Tromeo & Juliet , a grotesque take on Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet . At Troma, he received a crash-course education in filmmaking, taking on various roles including writing and directing Tromaville TV and writing Terror Firmer . From there, he created his first superhero movie,

Kirk Alyn

George Reeves Johnny Rockwell

Bob Holiday Christopher Reeve John Haymes Newton

James Gunn

the unconventional comedy The Specials , a mockumentary following the world’s sixth – or

Gerard Christopher

Ron Ely

Dean Cain

seventh – most popular group of superheroes on their day off. His next entry in the genre was the

Tom Welling Brandon Routh

Henry Cavill

graphic, R-rated Super , starring Rainn Wilson, about an ordinary man who becomes a superhero, relying on

Tyler Hoechlin Nicolas Cage David Corenswet

FUN FACT: Superman fought Godzilla first… sort of. In the 1942 animated short The Arctic Monster , Superman takes on a city-destroying dinosaur - predating Godzilla by 12 years.

A BOLD NEW ERA FOR DC STUDIOS

the DC Universe (DCU). This represents a fresh stylistic approach, a tonal shift, and a complete reboot of the interconnected storytelling. During the transition, some projects already in development were released as part of a soft-launch – such as Blue Beetle and The Flash – though these remain within the DCEU canon. The exception is the TV series Peacemaker , which was cleverly retconned into the DCU. Superman is DC Studios’ first true release and marks the beginning of this new era. It introduces a distinct aesthetic that’s clearly separate from the previous era. Compared with Man of Steel , for example, it’s lighter in tone, more playful, and almost family-friendly. And this is only the start. Already in the pipeline are Supergirl , Clayface , and Man of Tomorrow (essentially Superman II ). To add another layer, DC Studios has also introduced a separate continuity called DC Elseworlds – inspired by the comic book imprint of the same name – to house stories outside the official canon. This sub-division will include projects that stand apart from the main DC Universe.

I f you’re wondering why Superman marks the start of a new DC era – given how many DC films already exist – let us break it down in the simplest terms… because yes, it really is complicated. Previously, movies like Man of Steel , Wonder Woman , Aquaman , and others connected to the Justice League came from DC Films, which was essentially just a division of Warner Bros. After diminishing returns from the DC Extended Universe

(DCEU), DC Films was dissolved and replaced with a new entity. That entity is DC Studios, headed by James Gunn and Peter Safran. As the name suggests, it’s a fully-fledged studio in its own right. It represents a clean break from DC Films and now oversees all DC-branded content, including films, television, games, and more. The DCEU was scrapped in favour of a carefully constructed new continuity:

KRYPTO

FUN FACT: Krypto first appeared in Superboy #210 back in 1955 – making him nearly as old as the modern Superman himself.

7