So much of the debate revolving around superhero movies ties to their accuracy to the comics they are based on. Casting hires in particular are heavily tied to this, as is discussion of tone, aesthetic aspects like costuming and visuals, and basic story structure and character behaviour.
Of course, films are adaptations in a different medium, so some things have to be translated to work in the real world. Sometimes that translation works great, sometimes not so much, but whatever the case there will always be someone vocally talking about how it’s not true to the source material.
Recently YouTube channel Go Read Some Comics With Jenna posted a video titled “We Need to Talk About Brainiac” which goes into this somewhat as in regards to the Batman villain character and his expected depiction in the upcoming “Man of Tomorrow” film.
The clip drew the attention of quite a few people, including DC Studios chief James Gunn, who offered his take on Threads.
The basic point of the discussion is that people assume that the particular version of a character that they favour is the ultimate representation of said character, even if that character has had multiple different incarnations over the years (eg. Batman)
The discussion also touches upon ‘fandom flanderization’ which is the progressive exaggeration of a single trait or set of traits for a fictional character until it overshadows all their other personality and character traits. Gunn says in his response endorsing the video:
“Great video. Yes, the Brainiac stuff is cool (don’t read too much into that part of me reposting), but what I love is @heyitsjennalynn talking about ‘Fandom Flanderization’ [and] how many fans believe some aspect of a character is the only ‘true’ version, usually dependent on when they first came upon the stories (think yellow oval on Batman’s chest, all-powerful Superman, Wonder Woman made from clay) [and] how that potentially diminishes our enjoyment of stories outside of what we expect.”
Ultimately it’s argued that is why it’s impossible for any one vision to please everyone. You can see the video for yourself below, while the next instalment in the DCU is the “Supergirl” movie, which will fly into cinemas on June 26th 2026.
