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In the opening of James Gunn’s Superman, the status of most powerful known superbeing belongs to the Man of Steel. This shifts swiftly. Not just does Superman lose his first fight in the movie’s initial sequence, but Gunn also implies that a different hero in the mix could overcome him.

Behind-the-Scenes Insight

During the mailbag section of episode four of the Peacemaker podcast, actor Tim Meadows received a question about which superhero he would like his role, arrogant A.R.G.U.S. agent Langston Fleury, to battle. Living up to Fleury’s bravado, he proposed Green Lantern. Gunn responded, “Whoa, you’re going to get killed, dude.”

“It’s uncertain 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

The Man of Steel and the Emerald Knight have faced off in multiple comic book storylines in the past, with the conflict usually favoring Superman’s advantage. In the Elseworlds tale Red Son, the Communist iteration of Superman dispatched an whole squad of Green Lanterns. However, Hal Jordan was able to render Superman unconscious in a 1995 issue of Green Lantern, though he was benefiting from a energy enhancement due to being controlled by the evil cosmic being Parallax.

Co-Stars’ Picks

Meadows’ co-stars had far less ambitious goals. Jennifer Holland stated she wanted Emilia Harcourt to fight Rick Flagg Sr., though Gunn joked that Frank Grillo’s ego might not survive it. She proposed they could team up to fight someone else as a middle ground.

Steve Agee commented that his character, John Economos, obviously can’t beat anyone in a physical altercation, but he could compete in a pie-eating contest with Matter-Eater Lad—where Economos ate a dessert and the Legion of Super-Heroes member devoured an whole restaurant. Gunn also revealed that the futuristic character is canon in the DCU, suggesting we might see him and some of his teammates in a future project.