At the start of James Gunn’s new Superman film, the title of most powerful documented superbeing belongs to the Man of Steel. This shifts rapidly. Not only does Superman suffer an early defeat in the film’s opening sequence, but Gunn further implies that a different hero in the mix might defeat him.
Behind-the-Scenes Insight
In the Q&A segment of the fourth installment of Peacemaker: The Official Podcast, comedian Tim Meadows received a question about which comic book character he would like his role, arrogant A.R.G.U.S. agent Langston Fleury, to fight. True to Fleury’s ego, he suggested Green Lantern. Gunn replied, “Whoa, you’re going to get killed, dude.”
“I’m not sure Superman would beat Green Lantern. I highly doubt Langston Fleury’s going to beat Green Lantern. He’s Superman, but it’s still a fight. It’s a real fight.”
Past Encounters
Superman and Green Lantern have clashed in various DC Comics crossovers before, with the match-up typically favoring Superman’s advantage. In the Elseworlds tale Red Son, the Soviet version of Superman defeated an whole squad of Green Lanterns. Meanwhile, Hal Jordan was able to knock Superman out in a mid-90s comic of Green Lantern, though he was benefiting from a power boost due to being possessed by the evil parasitic entity Parallax.
Co-Stars’ Picks
Meadows’ co-stars had far less ambitious goals. Jennifer Holland mentioned she wanted Emilia Harcourt to fight Rick Flagg Sr., though Gunn joked that Frank Grillo’s ego might not handle it. Harcourt suggested they could team up to fight another opponent as a compromise.
Steve Agee commented that his character, John Economos, clearly isn’t beating anyone in a physical altercation, but he could participate in a eating competition with Matter-Eater Lad—where Economos ate a pie and the Legion of Super-Heroes member devoured an whole restaurant. Gunn also revealed that the time-traveling hero is canon in the DCU, hinting we may see him and some of his teammates in a future project.
