There are plenty of things to look forward to in James Gunn’s upcoming Superman film. The film marks the true start of the DCU in the form of a reboot starring David Corenswet as the new Man of Steel. The first trailer released last month offered fans a first true look at what to expect, teasing the return of some quintessential elements mixed with a modern feel. Gunn’s Superman will also feature plenty of new additions from the DC Comics lore never seen in a live-action film before, like his pet superdog, Krypto.

After the DC Extended Universe handled Henry Cavill’s Superman, many are looking forward to seeing the character brought back to his roots as well. For the DCU film, that’s seen immediately with a lighter tone and the return of the red trunks. Bringing back a more traditional Superman instead of reinventing him too much for a modern audience is a good idea to get audiences back on board after the controversial Zack Snyder version. However, as Gunn looks to get the DCU off to a dream start with Superman, there’s one classic trope the film should leave behind.

Kryptonite Has Played a Role in Most Superman Films

Kryptonite first appeared in The Adventures of Superman radio serial in 1943.
Villains such as Lex Luthor, Metallo, Titano and others have often used Kryptonite to defeat Superman.

Superman is arguably the most powerful superhero there’s ever been, and in some cases, that has plagued the character because it’s difficult for some to connect to him. Superman is almost invincible, but his most famous weakness is Kryptonite, the green rock that has been part of the character’s history since the ’40s. Therefore, the Man of Steel’s Achilles heel has gone on to play a role in many live-action versions adapting the character as a result.

Whenever Superman is around the green rock, it instantly diminishes his power and it’s a tool Lex Luthor often uses to defeat him. So many Superman films have used Kryptonite as a way to give the villain the upper hand, ranging from the 1978 Richard Donner film to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. There are a lot of classic Superman elements Gunn should take advantage of to stay true to the character, something he’s seemingly doing in his DCU film. Nonetheless, reintroducing Kryptonite is a tired trope that has been used repeatedly in the films at this point. Everyone knows what Kryptonite is, and many audience members will expect it, so Gunn has an opportunity to do something different to add some suspense.

Man of Steel Was Creative With Its Use of Kryptonite

Man of Steel is one of the few Superman films that does not feature Kryptonite.
However, Kryptonite becomes a major plot point in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice due to the events in Man of Steel.
In James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, Bloodsport mentions he shot Superman with a Kryptonite bullet before, which could become canon in the DCU.

While most Superman films have used Kryptonite as a storytelling device to put him in harm’s way, one in particular did a nice job putting a twist on the classic weakness. To this day, Man of Steel is a very controversial Superman film because it took some major narrative swings. For starters, the 2013 film doesn’t feature Kryptonite, but it still finds a way to weaken Henry Cavill’s Superman in the film. Instead of a simple radioactive green rock weakening Superman, Krypton’s atmosphere is what does the trick.

This occurs in Man of Steel when Superman enters General Zod’s ship and later as he takes down the world engine attempting to terraform Earth into Krypton. The failed terraforming of the world engine in Man of Steel eventually led to Luthor’s discovery of Kryptonite in the Indian Ocean. Despite other mistakes made with the DCEU, Snyder was smart to leave it out of the first film then and Gunn should do something similar in his Superman film to add another wrinkle to the franchise in its latest reboot.

Superman Has Other Weaknesses Besides Kryptonite

One of the great advantages of having Gunn as the writer and director of Superman is the deep knowledge of comic books that comes with him. The Superman trailer notably opens with Corenswet’s Man of Steel lying in the snow bleeding, meaning something will take him down at some point in the film. Kryptonite isn’t in the trailer, so it’s unclear if it will play a role in the film. However, there are plenty of other weaknesses from the comics and media Gunn can easily pull from to give Superman a tough battle to overcome. Superman is also seen fighting a mysterious black costumed figure in the trailer, who’s rumored to be Ultraman. Another superpowered with the same level of abilities as General Zod is one easy way to threaten Superman, but Gunn can also go a step further with Luthor as the main villain.

“This movie, at the end of the day, is not about power. This movie is about, in the loose sense of the word, a human being struggling with his day-to-day life. And we see a different aspect of him at the beginning. I thought it was a cool place to start the trailer—and the movie, frankly.” — James Gunn on the weakened Superman at the start of the teaser trailer.

Using some sort of magic would be an exciting way to do something no other Superman film has done before and would line up with Gunn describing Luthor as a sorcerer. Based on comments from Gunn about the film, the threats to Superman could also have more to do with those around him in an attempt to make him as relatable as ever. For instance, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice saw Luthor capture Martha Kent, which led to a surrender. Whether it’s civilians or his loved ones, putting Superman in a tough position can compellingly challenge him. Since Superman will do a lot of world-building for the new DCU, making Kryptonite a rare commodity also adds more significance to it. Therefore, leaving it out of the first Superman film and introducing audiences to a new type of threat is a far more interesting direction to go in as it looks to reignite general audience excitement for the legendary superhero.

Based on the first teaser trailer, Gunn is looking to strike a balance between the classic interpretation of Superman and blend it into a modern context. Hints of the John Williams theme and Superman’s “S” curl will be present, but Gunn needs to be careful not to include everything. Gunn is skipping the origin story because so many Superman films have covered it up to this point. Kryptonite is another familiar Superman trope that could end up hurting the DCU film because it can impact the story by making it predictable.

Gunn is also evidently leaning on unexplored parts of Superman lore in live-action film like Krypto to give audiences a fresh experience, and introducing a new weakness for Superman is another way he can achieve this. Superman’s comic book history is full of other methods villains have been able to use to go up against him. Moreover, Snyder’s Man of Steel proved it’s possible to leave the green rock out of a film in 2013. Gunn’s Superman has a difficult task ahead to not only resonate with those who love the classic version of the character, but also appeal to many who find him outdated or uninteresting. There are many ways Gunn can make a successful Superman film, and one small way is to keep the character’s greatest weakness away.