“Superman,” which flies into theaters nationwide Thursday, is a bit of a change in tone for the writer and director who brought a mischievous playfulness and snark to the chaotic worlds of “Suicide Squad” and the “Guardians of the Galaxy.” But this wasn't some fringe misfit: It's Superman. And a certain amount of optimism was necessary.

James Gunn's reboot of the DC Universe kicks off with deep-cut superheros and a sensibility that captures the Silver Age version of the Man of Steel.

The iconic Superman is back, entrusted this time not just to save the world from itself as usual but also probably Warner Bros, DC and comic book movies themselves. It is the first production for Warners under its newly minted DC Studios and the new management of writer-director-producer James Gunn and producer Peter Safran,

That means returning from the moon, the Artemis astronauts will be traveling at around 0.0037% the speed of light. Assuming a constant top speed for Orion leaving Earth, it would take about 1.14 million years to reach Krypton. Ouch! But let's give the Kryptonians some credit here and make some generous assumptions.

Superman became an American symbol during World War II and a political lightning rod, making adapting him a heavier lift than Batman.

Nicholas Hoult co-stars as criminal mastermind Lex Luthor, who twists public opinion to turn the world against the superhero, while pitting him against metahuman adversaries.

With his “Superman” reboot, new DC Studios head honcho James Gunn is singing a different tune: Happy days are here again.

The quintessential superhero has always stood for truth and justice, but the final part of his catchphrase has morphed to match a more connected world—and his place in it