There are technically three after-credit scenes in Superman. The first is at the end of the movie itself: we get our glimpse of Milly Alcock as Supergirl, and she looks great (Although kind of partied-out). Short, sweet, and hype-worthy. The second one drops mid-credits, and it’s pure vibes: Superman and Krypto just chilling on the moon, enjoying the view. No dialogue. Just a superhero and his superdog, in space. That’s art.
But the final scene - the one after everyone else has already walked out - is where things get interesting.
We see Superman and Mr. Terrific standing in Metropolis, looking at a building with a giant, ugly crack running through it. This crack is clearly the aftermath of Lex Luthor’s whole pocket-universe stunt. Mr. Terrific is understandably proud of the fact that he, you know, REASSEMBLED AN ENTIRE CITY. Superman, ever the boy scout, casually points out that the building still has a crack in it.
Terrific turns, deadpan: “What? You want me to dismantle the entire city and put it back together again?”
And that’s when it hit me - this is James Gunn talking. Not just as a writer, not just as a director. This is Gunn, the new architect of the DC Universe, looking directly at the camera without looking directly at the camera. It’s him saying, “Hey. I just took your broken cinematic universe and pieced it back together. It might not be flawless, but it’s standing. It works. Can we not focus on the crack in the wall right now?”
I found that hilarious, sincere, and honestly kind of perfect.
Because let’s be real. When James Gunn stepped in, the DC Extended Universe was... not in great shape. Years of tonal whiplash, inconsistent casting, creative exits, and box office disappointments left Warner Bros. holding a cinematic bag full of half-finished ideas and fan infighting. Snyder’s vision divided fans. Justice League became a behind-the-scenes disaster movie. Multiple Batmen. A semi-canceled Flash. The Rock trying to power pose his way into reshaping the hierarchy. Two Suicide Squad movies who were not connected to each other (but had some of the same cast) It was a mess.
So what does Warner Bros. do? They go to James Gunn and say, “Please fix it. Make it fun. Make it work.”
And to his credit, he did. Superman doesn’t just reboot a character - it reboots a tone. It brings optimism back into the genre without turning everything into quips and catchphrases. It has weirdness, depth, flying dogs, and a Superman who actually feels like Superman. You know, truth, justice, the American way, and not just “punch harder.”
The big picture? Gunn took the fragmented ruins of a franchise and rebuilt it into something worth watching again. He didn’t need to erase what came before. He didn’t mock it. He just made something new, something better, and something that feels like it has a future.
Compare that to what Joss Whedon did when he was brought in to Frankenstein Justice League into existence. Remember that weird moment where his co-directing credit shows up over a shot of a homeless man holding a sign that says “I Tried”? Yeah. Not subtle. Not clever. Not particularly respectful to anyone involved. It was a shrug in cinematic form.
But Gunn’s “crack in the wall” moment? That’s how you do it. It’s cheeky. It’s meta. It’s honest.
It’s the kind of wink that says: “I know this isn’t perfect. But it’s better. And we’re just getting started.”
And honestly? I’m on board.
