Stan Lee Wanted a Vulnerable Superman—Here’s the Version He Would Have Written

We have a new Superman, a fresh DC Universe, and a suit that actually looks like it belongs to a guy who saves cats out of trees. James Gunn and David Corenswet are going bright and classic, with an old-school vibe and even a nod to the Fortress of Solitude. That shift makes an old Stan Lee interview suddenly feel very timely.

Stan Lee once explained how he would have done Superman

Back in 2006, Stan Lee was asked which DC character he wished he could write. He said he could write anything, sure, but if he got Superman, he would not do the invincible-god routine.

"If I had done Superman I would have done him differently. I would have made him more vulnerable. I think the idea of being able to do anything makes you a little uninteresting."

Context check: Stan was, well, Stan. Co-creator or key architect behind Marvel icons like Spider-Man, Iron Man, the X-Men, and the Hulk; he received the 2428th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in January 2011; he passed away on November 12, 2018. When he talked about superheroes, he knew the assignment: flaws make them human, and humanity makes them interesting.

Zack Snyder tried that playbook with Man of Steel

Whether you love it or not, 2013's Man of Steel went hard on the idea that Clark Kent should feel like a person first and an alien second. The movie never won over all the critics, but the core theme landed, and Henry Cavill's take became a fan favorite for a reason beyond the punching and the cape flapping. The film put him in real-world dilemmas and kept bumping him up against the question of what kind of man he wanted to be.

The parents matter in that version: Martha helps young Clark cope when his powers overwhelm him; Jonathan drills into him that he has to choose who he is, because whoever that person becomes will change the world. Cavill's Clark falls in love, holds down a job, and lives among people. Bruce Wayne even says at one point that Clark is more human than he is. When General Zod shows up, Clark does not fight him for Krypton pride; he fights for Earth and the people on it.

Where James Gunn seems to be steering now

Gunn's made it clear he loves the classic, almost retro charm of Superman. The new suit and the overall presentation lean into that: brighter, cleaner, more hopeful. That can be great. It can also go flat if you lean so hard into the icon that you forget the man. A 'perfect' Superman tends to feel like a screensaver; a vulnerable one, the kind Stan was talking about, feels alive.

Gunn does not need to copy Snyder to make that work, but threading more everyday texture into Clark's life would help: real choices, real costs, and the nagging sense that staying good is hard work. There has been talk that the upcoming film pits him against Brainiac and even lines him up for a temporary team-up with Lex Luthor. If that sticks, it is the kind of setup that could push Clark into complicated, very human decisions. That is the sweet spot.

Quick catch-up

• Man of Steel (2013): Directed by Zack Snyder; produced by Legendary Pictures, DC Entertainment, and Syncopy; Henry Cavill leads. Reception sits around 7.1/10 from IMDb users, 57% on Rotten Tomatoes, and it pulled in about $670 million worldwide.
• Superman (2025): Directed by James Gunn; produced by DC Studios, Troll Court Entertainment, and The Safran Company; David Corenswet takes over as Clark Kent. The approach is notably more classic in look and tone, with Fortress of Solitude nods. There has been chatter about Brainiac as the villain and an uneasy alliance with Lex Luthor. Ratings and box office will be what they will be once the dust settles.

The bottom line

Stan Lee's decades-old note about vulnerability is still the best north star for this character. Give us the classic suit, sure. But also give us a Clark who can stumble, doubt, and still choose to do the right thing. That is the version people connect to, cape or no cape.