Before James Gunn Set Out To Reboot Superman, He Produced A Brutal Horror Movie That Eviscerated The Very Concept

DC Studios dropped one hell of an announcement this week when it was made public that James Gunn was hard at work on a new "Superman" film, specifically a movie centered on a younger version of the character than previously seen in the DCEU. It's an exciting time to be a fan of DC, because after the success of "The Suicide Squad," the refreshing spin-off series, "Peacemaker," and his "Guardians of the Galaxy" work over at Marvel, Gunn has more than proven he's exactly what Warner Bros. needs to usher in the new era of superhero entertainment. Most are familiar with Gunn's pre-Marvel/DC work on horror films like "Tromeo and Juliet," "Slither," "Dawn of the Dead," and the live-action "Scooby-Doo" movies, but Gunn has been making superhero films outside of the two major companies for a very long time.

His second-ever written feature, "The Specials," is a superhero comedy about the sixth (or seventh) most popular group of superheroes on their day off. A decade later, and the last film Gunn directed before nabbing "Guardians of the Galaxy," was "Super," a pitch-black comedy starring Rainn Wilson and Elliot Page about a divorced fry cook who becomes a costumed vigilante, shutting up crime by emulating what he sees on TV.

Superhero films are as intrinsic to Gunn's filmography as horror, which is why he was the perfect person to produce the 2019 superhero horror flick, "Brightburn." Directed by David Yarovesky and written by Brian and Mark Gunn (brother and cousin of James), "Brightburn" takes the formula of every "Superman" movie ever made, but instead of a young Kal-El becoming the greatest hero known to mankind, little Brandon Breyer becomes a superpowered villain hellbent on destroying all of humanity ... and it rules.

Long before multiverses became the norm, "Brightburn" delivered the "Superman" story as if it were taking place in the most cursed alternate universe imaginable. A spaceship crashes into a Kansas farm, which fortunately happens to be owned by a young couple desperately trying to have a baby. Inside the ship is an infant — one that looks and acts human — but is most certainly not a human. Unlike the baby that would become Clark Kent — who struck the adoption lottery with Jonathan and Martha — Brandon (Jackson A. Dunn) has Tori (Elizabeth Banks) and Kyle Breyer (David Denman), who despite their efforts are ill-equipped to handle their baby supervillain.

To be fair, I doubt John and Martha Kent would have known what to do if baby Clark was suddenly chewing on metal forks or slaughtering chickens for fun, but Tori and Kyle are a far more realistic look of "parents trying their best" than the comic-book idealized approach to parenting. "Brightburn" is terrifying not only because it presents a nightmarish reality, but because this supervillain origin story is also grounded in the horrors of how legitimately hard it is to raise a child. At one point Tori and Kyle find Brandon's stash of bra ads pulled out of magazines, and are petrified when they find images of human viscera between the more "conventional" masturbation material. Superpowers or not, how the hell do you approach your pre-teen son about the possibility of him jerking off to images of gore?

An evil version of Superman does exist in the overall DC universe, the Earth-3 variant known as "Ultraman" (no relation to the Japanese superhero of the same name). Similarly, plenty have drawn parallels between Homelander on "The Boys" and DC's Peacemaker as a version of "evil Superman." While Homelander, Peacemaker, and even Ultraman certainly fulfill the role of "Superman but bad," all three would be absolutely pulverized by a fully realized Brightburn. Brandon's villainy wasn't made over time or the result of an unchecked ego — it's intrinsic to his entire being. His emotions are completely unregulated, he's operating purely out of instant gratification, and he doesn't have a grasp on the permanence of his violence ... it's as if he's acting like a 12-year-old boy.

There's no bargaining with someone like Brightburn, who revels in the destruction of others and is choosing to "take the world," because he feels like he's superior to the rest of us. And the scary thing is? He's right. We can't fly, shoot lasers from our eyes, or whip a lawnmower 100 yards with our bare hands, and that makes us all susceptible to Brandon's power. "Sometimes when bad things happen, it's for a good reason," he says. Talk about redefining "truth, justice, and the American way."

What makes Brandon so dangerous is not just his superhuman abilities, it's the pairing of those powers with the cocktail of hormonal unpredictability of a pre-teen. Maybe it's because I used to teach junior high, but I could hold my own with Homelander or Peacemaker. Hell, I could probably even rock out to some hair metal with the latter. Brandon "Brightburn" Breyer? Nah. Hard pass. I'd like to keep all of my limbs attached, thank you.

Obviously, James Gunn is not going to make his Superman movie some gritty origin story, but his involvement on "Brightburn" should be another reason to be excited in addition to the obvious history with Marvel and DC. While there were plenty who couldn't get on board with "Brightburn" (likely because the film is much more of a horror film than it is a superhero film), the film is an unflinching, inventive approach to the reality of raising a superhero. With Gunn looking to focus on a less-seasoned version of Superman, it's clear that he'll have no problem incorporating the complicated elements of coming-of-age while becoming a hero.

David Yarovesky, Brian Gunn, and Mark Gunn made something special (and underrated), but considering the project was first introduced as "Untitled James Gunn Horror Project," it's clear that his influence helped bring the project to light. "Brightburn" is a grim subversion of the "Superman" mythos, but in order to subvert something or break convention, you've gotta know the material inside and out. While Gunn's superhero ventures have mostly focused on "alternative" heroes like the Guardians of the Galaxy or Peacemaker, his involvement, support, and faith in "Brightburn" is proof that he knows Superman better than most, and we're in for a fun ride.