James Gunn's Superman brought cinema's newest take on the Man of Steel to life in the DC Universe , with David Corenswet portraying the iconic superhero. One of the casual nods to other Superman media that influenced Gunn's 2025 installment was Smallville , specifically in relation to the DCU's Lex Luthor, with Nicholas Hoult's iteration running LuthorCorp, which originated from The WB/CW drama.

Gunn responded on Threads after sharing a post from the Man of Tomorrow art department, with Stephen Blackehart's Sydney Happersen sporting a shirt with LuthorCorp on it. The user shared how they were relieved about the DCU going with that branding instead of LexCorp:

James Gunn On Using Smallville Influence In Superman

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