DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn recently spoke about Superman’s moral code and how it applies to extreme ethical dilemmas, including a hypothetical scenario involving Adolf Hitler. In a recent interview, Gunn explored the character’s strict principles, the philosophy behind his decisions, and how this version of Superman differs from past portrayals.
James Gunn says Superman would probably ‘save Hitler’
During an appearance on the Armchair Expert podcast in July 2025, James Gunn discussed Superman’s moral code in a conversation with Dax Shepard and Monica Padman. Gunn stated, “He’s an idealist…never kill no matter what.” In response, Shephard said, “Maybe you don’t save Hitler?” to which Gunn replied, “He’d probably save Hitler.” Shephard then stated, “He would have to. That’s his code.”
The exchange occurred during a segment about Superman’s ethical stance and how it shapes the character’s decisions. Gunn said, “[Superman] believes…very distinctly that you cannot let people die if you have the opportunity to stop it from…no matter what.”
The conversation referenced the trolley problem, a moral dilemma involving the decision to save lives under specific circumstances. Gunn described Superman as someone who would find a way to save everyone. “The thing with the…if there’s a train coming at five people…he would figure [out a way to save all of them],” he said.
The topic came up as part of a larger discussion about Superman’s characterization in the upcoming movie. Gunn said, “Superman is Superman. He’s a good-natured guy who’s an alien, and it’s got the same backstory as everybody else.” He added, “I wanted to focus on a moment in his life that we hadn’t really focused on…his early career as Superman and as Clark Kent.”
Gunn did not expand further on the Hitler example during the podcast. The comments were made during a discussion of Superman’s fictional code of ethics in hypothetical scenarios.
Originally reported by Anubhav Chaudhry on SuperHeroHype.
