He Chose Us: Why Superman 2025 Redefines True Strength

Jor-El, Superman’s biological father, doesn’t send his son to Earth as a beacon of hope this time.

Nope.

He basically leaves a galactic voicemail telling Kal-El to conquer the planet and carry on the Kryptonian bloodline. Not “inspire them,” not “protect them” CONQUER them.

Yeah. That changes things.

This revelation… which is delivered via a hidden message discovered by none other than Lex Luthor, throws Superman into an identity crisis.

Suddenly, the boy who thought he was sent to Earth for a noble purpose is confronted with a darker, more imperial truth. It’s the kind of twist that forces him to question everything… From his origins, his mission, even his right to call Earth home.

Now here’s where the controversy hits like a heat vision blast to the gut.

For decades, audiences have understood Superman as a symbol of Hope…. Or even a messianic figure.

His story is looked at in ways as the ultimate immigrant story.

He was sent here not to rule, but to inspire. To be the best of both worlds. Alien in power, human in heart. And this film dares to challenge that foundation. It paints his origin not as a hopeful gift, but as a ticking time bomb buried in his DNA.

Naturally, people are split. Some fans see it as a bold reimagining. Others feel like it’s a betrayal or a slap in the face to everything Superman represents.

YouTube is already flooded with heated takes. “They ruined Superman!” some have shouted.

However, James Gunn didn’t just throw this twist in to stir the pot… He used it to refine the mythos.

See, the point isn't that Superman was meant to conquer us. The point is that he chooses not to. That’s the story. That’s the whole ballgame. He hears the message. He understands what he was “meant” to be. And he flat out rejects it.

Why?

Because of Jonathan and Martha Kent. Because of Smallville. Because of the billions of people he’s saved, the strangers who’ve lifted him up when he was down.

There’s even a moment in the film… a damn powerful one… where an ordinary citizen helps Superman off the ground and says, “You’ve helped us so many times. Now let us help you.” And that right there is one of the emotional spokes of this film.

Superman is more human than Kryptonian. More Man than god.

This film goes out of its way to separate Clark Joseph Kent from Kal-El of Krypton.

And no, that doesn’t mean he denies where he comes from. But it does mean he defines himself by where he grew up. By who raised him. By the choices he makes, not the destiny someone else handed him.

And that’s what makes this version of Superman resonate so damn hard. He's not driven by a cosmic prophecy or a royal Kryptonian legacy. He’s driven by empathy. By love. By a belief that being powerful doesn’t mean being superior.

I am as human as anyone. I love, I-I get scared. I wake up every morning, and despite not knowing what to do, I put one foot in front of the other, and I try to make the best choices that I can. I screw up all the time, but that is being human, and that's my greatest strength.

He could level cities. Instead, he plants roots. He listens. He protects. Not because Jor-El told him to… but because it’s the right thing to do.

In the end, this Superman doesn’t conquer Earth. He earns his place on it.