It Wasn’t David Corenswet: The DC Star Who Gave James Gunn a Tough Time in an Improvised Superman Scene
David Corenswet lost it on the Superman set when Alan Tudyk, playing 4, delivered the line about being renamed Gary, turning a supposed tearjerker into a laugh-out-loud blooper.
Here is a very on-brand Superman tidbit: a serious scene got derailed because Alan Tudyk made a throwaway joke, David Corenswet completely lost it, and James Gunn said, basically, yup, that stays in. Also, Corenswet initially felt like the suit was trying to hug him to death. Let me break it down.
The line that cracked Superman
Alan Tudyk plays a character literally named '4' in Superman. During a slightly emotional moment, he tossed out a line about his name being changed to 'Gary' — an unexpected riff that blindsided Corenswet, who broke into full-on laughter in the middle of the take. The improv was such a perfect little curveball that Corenswet and Gunn agreed it had to make the final cut. A clip about the moment made the rounds on Instagram via FilmFactsX, which tracks with the vibe: it is exactly the kind of left-field beat Gunn likes to keep.
Corenswet vs. the suit
Corenswet told People that his first day in the Superman suit was... a lot. The thing is tailored within an inch of its life, and that compression hit him hard at first.
"You hear actors who play superheroes talking about squeezing into the suits. I got kind of claustrophobic in the suit the first time just being constricted in all those places at the same time."
He adjusted quickly, partly because he opted out of the padded muscle underlayer, which opened up a little breathing room. After that, it was game on — and the audience response suggests the choice paid off.
Why Gunn's DCU tone is landing
There is comedy throughout Gunn's DCU, but it is not the wink-wink glaze that has worn thin elsewhere. In Superman, you can feel the Golden Age inspiration Gunn talked about from the start — classic heroism without getting syrupy. And when you look at Peacemaker, the mature, gnarlier stuff is still there, but the jokes don’t bulldoze the heavier moments. That balance seems to be working right now, both with critics and at the box office.
- Movie: Superman
- Director: James Gunn
- Main cast: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Nathan Fillion
- Rotten Tomatoes: 83% critics, 90% audience
- Box office: $616 million
- Streaming: HBO Max (US)