James Gunn's 'Superman': What Do the Post-Credits Scenes Mean?

CNET

5 hours ago

The new Superman movie continues to rule the box office after its second weekend, leading the pack with $57 million from US audiences, and this relaunch of the DC universe is only getting started.
Superman stars Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor and David Corenswet as the Man of Steel. The movie isn't an origin story; it picks up when Superman is already well-known (and moments after he loses any fight-winning streak he previously had). I won't provide any more details than that, though.
This Superman presents a wholesome hero who inherently believes in humankind. CNET reviewer Aaron Pruner found the film to be "extremely fun, uplifting and filled with joy." The cast also includes Edi Gathegi, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Anthony Carrigan, Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio and María Gabriela de Faría. Keep reading if you want a spoiler-free answer to your post-credit queries (and then a spoiler-packed explanation of what happens after the movie).
Are there post-credits scenes in Superman?
James Gunn's film includes two additional scenes after the end of the movie. You should plan to stick around for about 10 minutes to catch both.
If you missed the clips or just want all the spoilers, we'll unpack what happened below. Don't read any more unless you want to know what happens in the bonus scenes.
While Superman has mid- and post-credits scenes, they're similar to Deadpool and Wolverine's after-credits scene in that they don't provide a big tease of future projects. However, that might not matter to you as the movie devotes plenty of time to characters we'll undoubtedly see down the line. Superman showcases piles of heroes outside of Clark Kent's alter ego, including the Justice Gang: Mister Terrific (Gathegi), Green Lantern (Fillion), Hawkgirl (Merced) and the latest member, Metamorpho (Carrigan).
Milly Alcock even briefly appears as Supergirl before the end of the movie. She's the star of the next DC Studios movie, due out in June 2026.
The mid-credit scene in Superman is brief and appears slightly more than two minutes after the film ends. The wordless clip captures a sweet moment between Superman and his disobedient pal Krypto the Superdog. Superman, with his back to the camera and arms around Krypto, looks at Earth from the moon. Krypto and Superman have had some rocky interactions, but some moments -- like when Clark wakes up and finds the pooch lying on top of him, and this little interlude -- are just adorable.
Warner Bros. Pictures
Wait seven or so minutes more and you'll catch the post-credits scene, which includes a comedic exchange between Mister Terrific and Superman. During the film, the heroes teamed to reverse damage to Metropolis caused by Lex Luthor and a dimensional rift. The post-credits scene finds them staring at a wonky-looking building after the ordeal. Superman points out that "it's just a little off," causing Terrific to storm off. The ever-humble Superman reflects, "I can be such a jerk sometimes."
What do the Superman mid-credit and post-credit scenes mean?
That image of Kal-El and Krypto on the moon, aside from being peaceful and cute as all get out, is a reference to one of the Superman comic storylines that informed James Gunn's movie. That visual refers to All-Star Superman No. 6, from Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. This isn't the only comic book iteration of the Man of Steel that Gunn pays homage to in the movie.
That said, production designer Beth Mickle revealed to IGN that it is the movie's "guiding light." From the color palette to the movie's overall vibe, look no further than All-Star Superman.
Cut to the movie's end. This post-credits scene finds Superman and Mister Terrific bantering over the state of Metropolis after Mister Terrific saves humanity, thwarting an attempt by Luthor to destroy the world -- and Superman.
It's a fun interaction that further colors these characters in Gunn's unique vision of the world. Does this scene set up any bits for the future of the DCU? Not really, at least not specifically.
From the opening moments of the movie, it was clear that this was a standalone story for Superman. The post-credits scene gives no hint as to what iconic DC hero or villain will appear in the next project or how it will connect to this one, and that's by design.
Simply put, Gunn is cautious about using a tag at the end of his movies that teases what comes next, until the next script is completely finished. He explained his philosophy to EW, saying this stance is "somewhat related to my own mistakes in my time with Marvel."
He points to the tease of Will Poulter's Adam Warlock at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as a big reason for this. There was all this setup, which led to fan expectation, that, as he revealed, he "didn't necessarily plan on."
Putting the proverbial cart before the horse is no longer a choice Gunn wants to make with his movies. He's the head honcho of DC Studios and has, on more than one occasion, stated no further DC projects will be greenlit until its script is finished. So, throwing in a big tease at the end of Superman, just for the sake of building buzz, was never in the cards. It takes the pressure off, creatively.
Back to the sequence between Superman and Terrific. Considering the explanation I just laid out, it's pretty easy to see that Gunn is telling the audience that this DC film universe will be different from what was built before.
It's a subversive way for the filmmaker, the new Commander in Chief of the DCU, if you will, to tell the audience to buckle up. We don't know where things will go, but by the looks of things, it's sure going to be fun.