Contains spoilers for “Superman”

Even as “Superman” presents a fresh and optimistic story of the iconic hero from Krypton and expands the DC universe, it remains closely aligned with the comic book origins and appearance of Superman. However, writer-director James Gunn introduced a significant change to the canon that is likely to stir debate among comic enthusiasts.

In the film’s early scenes, Superman (played by David Corenswet) views a recorded message from his biological parents, Jor-El (Bradley Cooper) and Lara (Angela Sarafyan), sent along with him to Earth. In this recording, they convey their love for him and urge him to take care of his new home. Although part of the message is lost due to damage during Superman’s journey from Krypton, it still deeply inspires him and plays a crucial role in his decision to embrace his superhero destiny.

However, Lex Luthor retrieves the missing part of the message for his own malicious reasons, revealing a much darker intent. The hidden message suggests that Superman’s parents actually intended for him to dominate Earth and take multiple wives to perpetuate the Kryptonian lineage. This revelation and Superman’s resulting inner turmoil significantly drive the film’s narrative. By the movie’s end, this shocking change in lore remains unaltered, implying that, within this new DC universe, Superman’s parents are portrayed as having sinister motives.

In the DC Comics universe, Superman’s real parents were a mystery for quite a long time. Readers got to know Ma and Pa Kent, the humans who raised Clark Kent, at the very beginning of Superman’s story, but they had to wait years to meet his birth parents. Jor-El and Lara were finally introduced in a story called “The Origin of Superman,” which came out a full 10 years after Superman’s first appearance.

In the comics, Jor-El and Lara don’t send their only son to dominate the Earth. They really are just trying to find a way for their son to survive the fall of Krypton. Because Jor-El is a scientist, he’s able to commandeer one last spaceship to get his son away from the planet in time. This truly good-hearted version of Superman’s parents is the one that audiences have gotten to know in all of the other “Superman” movies. 

Aside from creating some tension in this new “Superman” film, the big change could also set up some intriguing future storylines. Comic fans are likely to have a hard time adjusting to an evil Jor-El and Lara, so some of them are probably hoping that the DCU produces a retcon down the line. For now, Superman’s Kryptonian parents in the DCU are part of an origin story that comic readers don’t have all the answers to.