Superman spoilers follow.
Superman writer/director James Gunn has explained his approach to the film’s post-credits scenes, sharing that he wanted to eradicate “mistakes” he made during his time at Marvel.
Such scenes, whether in the middle or at the end of the credits, have become commonplace in superhero films over the past decade, with small snippets often teasing the events that are to come.
The post-credits scenes in Superman are markedly different from typical superhero fare, however, namely in the fact that they don’t tease any information regarding future instalments or the wider DC Universe.
Gunn, who directed the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy as part of the MCU, told EW that this was a conscious decision, explaining: “I have a philosophy about post-credit scenes – it’s somewhat related to my own mistakes in my time with Marvel.”
Warner Bros.
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The filmmaker explained that he “did not like” the post-credits scene from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 involving Will Poulter’s Adam Warlock, adding that it was “not easy” to “work” the character into the follow-up.
“The way a post-credits scene works is a punch to the face… At times when you’re using it just solely to set something up, sometimes you’re screwing yourself over,” he continued, adding that he was fitting a “weird square peg into a round hole”.
Gunn, who is the co-CEO and co-chairman of DC Studios alongside Peter Safran, previously explained his thinking in an interview with ScreenRant, saying: “I don’t want to set up stuff just because it’s a shocking post-credit scene that we’re never going to pay off.
Warner Bros.
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“However, I do like giving the audience something for having stuck around through the credits and seeing who all the hardworking people are on the film. Giving them something, I think, is fun, [so] that’s what I did.”
Superman, the first film in the rebooted DC Universe, sees the titular superhero (David Corenswet) attempt to rebuild his reputation following a smear campaign by arch-nemesis Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), all while balancing his work at the Daily Planet.
Superman is in cinemas now.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.