Past Kryptonians had to move over on July 11, as James Gunn’s Superman, starring David Corenswet as the titular superhero, landed in theaters. The offering has been impressing viewers and critics collectively since Friday, and it now has a revered filmmaker from an alternate superhero universe weighing in on its success and the vision that the director mentioned above breathed into DCU’s most iconic IP.

Joe Russo, the Marvel heavyweight, has commented on James Gunn’s latest leap, and it is the kind of comment that could rightly send shockwaves through both universes.

Joe Russo picks James Gunn’s Superman over franchise classics

Taking to his official X handle on Saturday, July 12, Joe Russo posted a poster of Superman kissing Lois Lane while being airborne. Alongside the image came a comment from him that left the micro-blogging platform reeling. “Gunn to head, SUPERMAN is not just better than MAN OF STEEL, it is better than Richard Donner’s original,” Russo wrote, adding, “What James Gunn accomplished is not just super, it is a marvel.” Man of Steel, for the record, starred Henry Cavill and was helmed by Zack Snyder. Donner, on the other hand, directed the Superman film in 1978 with Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent. Both titles, needless to say, have their own cult following, who tried to speak in Russo’s comments section, only for the filmmaker to double down on his claim.

When an X user opined that he would not go to the lengths of calling James Gunn’s Superman the best of all time while noting that the flick could climb higher on his chart of preferred Superman movies with time, Joe Russo confidently commented, “It will.” As another X user commented that Richard Donner’s films were downright revolutionary and the new film, though good, does not hold a candle to it, Russo fired back, saying, “Revolutionary does not mean better.” It looks like there is no convincing Russo about the significance of other Superman films now – the director has his perspective defined. Well, the stern salute from his fellow filmmaker will only boost James Gunn’s confidence, who is reportedly already working on expanding the Superman universe.

James Gunn’s Superman vision might not stop at theaters — if whispers are true, there is more in flight.

Superman universe may expand to TV, James Gunn eyeing spinoff

Apart from David Corenswet receiving acclaim for his portrayal of Superman, much to the dismay of Henry Cavill fans, a few ancillary characters from the DCverse are also gaining traction with this film. The characters are, namely, Mr. Terrific and Jimmy Olsen, on whom James Gunn, per a Wall Street Journal source, is planning TV spinoffs. The outlet, while reporting the conjectured news recently, rightly pointed out that such expansions echo Marvel’s age-old strategy of churning as much juice from its most popular properties as possible.

Additionally, the publication also cited Dan DiDio, a former executive editor and co-publisher of DC Comics, saying that if Superman works well, the notion among the public is that DCU is working well, and that lays the groundwork for any spinoff series or sequels to debut over time. Meaning, James Gunn’s Superman movie and his broader vision concerning the IP are not only limited to making the titular superhero soar, but also expand to shaping how fans view DC at large. Well, with Joe Russo rooting for Gunn, the sky should be the limit for him.

What are your thoughts on Joe Russo praising James Gunn’s Superman as the best ever? Let us know in the comments.