A Seemingly Throwaway Line in James Gunn’s Superman Sets Up One of the Man of Steel’s Greatest Failures

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James Gunn presented a fresh vision for Superman, drawing significant inspiration from the character’s Silver Age. The new take also incorporated elements from classic stories like Kingdom Come and All-Star Superman, and updated some of Superman’s long-standing friends. The Daily Planet news staff specifically pointed to a period in the character’s history – the Triangle Era – as a key influence. Notably, a member of that era subtly hinted at a potentially darker storyline for Superman in the 2025 movie.

Mikaela Hoover was the first actress to play the comic book character Cat Grant in a movie, but the character has appeared on television for many years. Tracy Scoggins originally played the gossip columnist in the ’90s TV show Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and that same decade featured one of the most heartbreaking stories for Cat Grant. This storyline, which hasn’t been adapted for film yet, also represents a major personal setback for Superman and could significantly change the direction of the DCU’s Superman character.

The DCU’s Cat Grant Confirmed An Important Detail

Cat Grant, created by Hoover, works as a gossip columnist at the DCU’s Daily Planet, but her job has evolved over time to focus more on celebrity and entertainment news. Although she doesn’t have as prominent a role in the newsroom as Lois or Jimmy, she clearly has a good relationship with the reporting team-often called the ‘scoop troop’ in the animated series My Adventures with Superman-as shown through her frequent interactions with them. This is especially noticeable when she celebrates Clark Kent’s success with a front-page story, and through her friendship with former competitor Lois Lane.

Fans discovered a key detail about this character during a casual conversation between Cat Grant and Lois Lane at the Daily Planet. However, it’s likely many viewers missed it because of everything else happening at the time. While Superman was fighting Luthor’s giant monster distraction, Lois and Cat were talking at the Daily Planet, watching the battle on the office TVs. Lois was flipping through papers, only half-listening to Cat as she watched the fight.

Had Lois paid a bit more attention, she would have overheard Cat discussing how her former partner spent a lot of money on concert tickets for his new girlfriend, but wasn’t keeping up with his payments for their child. Though it seemed like a casual remark, it actually revealed that this Cat Grant is a single mother. This detail aligns with the character’s comic book background, and also hints at a heartbreaking story that deeply affected the Daily Planet team and forced Superman to confront the consequences of even a brief absence from his responsibilities in Metropolis.

Everything Changed When Toyman Took His Darkest Path

In the comic books, Cat Grant became well-known as a journalist, which ultimately led to her becoming the host of her own show on WGBS TV. This happened after a difficult period where she struggled with substance abuse. During this time, she was separated from her son, Adam, but she eventually overcame her challenges and reunited with him.

When Cat Grant reconnected with her young son, Adam, her life was transformed. She discovered a renewed determination to build a positive future for him, even while facing difficulties with her boss, Vincent Edge, at WGBS. One ordinary day, Cat took Adam to a Halloween party, where he was dressed as his favorite hero. Sadly, this would be the last time Cat saw her son alive.

Winslow Schott, also known as The Toyman, was a consistently dangerous criminal, but he became particularly sinister during the Triangle Era. He’d previously kidnapped multiple children when he spotted Adam at a Halloween party, noticing he was wearing the symbol of Toyman’s old rival. Disguised as a dinosaur mascot, Toyman seized the opportunity to kidnap young Adam while his mother was distracted. He then imprisoned Adam alongside the other children in a disturbingly twisted amusement park. Taking inspiration from his hero, Adam nearly managed to liberate the other kids and guide them to safety. Sadly, Toyman discovered them and tragically killed them, leaving their bodies abandoned in an alley.

Jimmy Olsen stayed with Cat Grant during the entire situation, but they were puzzled that they couldn’t reach Clark Kent or Lois Lane. What they didn’t know was that Superman had surprised Lois Lane with a romantic trip to Paris that morning to celebrate being back from the brink of death. It was a last-minute decision to enjoy a day with the person he loved after such a harrowing experience, and it was understandable why he’d want to. However, when Clark and Lois got back home later that night, they soon discovered the unexpected problems that can arise when you take a day off.

Just because Superman was in Metropolis after Toyman kidnapped Adam doesn’t mean the situation would have turned out any better. Still, Superman quickly figured out it was Toyman, tracked him down, and arrested him as soon as he could focus on the case. This meant he realized he *could* have prevented it if he’d been available. This hit Superman particularly hard because he’d been involved in the difficult custody dispute between Cat Grant and her former husband, which led to him becoming friends with Adam as well.

Superman finally took a day to relax with the person he loved, but things quickly went wrong for those around him. Cat Grant nearly relapsed into her old addiction, struggling deeply with her emotional pain. She even considered taking matters into her own hands and killing Toyman while visiting him in prison. Fortunately, she resisted the urge for revenge and found the inner strength to keep going. Later, Toyman tried to explain the terrible events by saying a broken robot copy of himself was responsible, insisting he would never harm children. However, this explanation wasn’t verified and offered little solace to anyone at any rate.

How This Dark Storyline Could Impact the DCU’s Superman

In James Gunn’s Superman, the main character wrestled with feeling accepted by people and dealt with some tough challenges. However, some viewers thought the movie didn’t present him with high enough stakes. Given that Superman is DC’s strongest hero, he needs a truly formidable threat – like Darkseid – or a deeply personal crisis to be genuinely tested. The loss of a close friend’s child, especially if Superman could have potentially prevented it, is a personal blow that would affect him far more than any attack on his reputation.

As a gamer, I’m really worried about how this new storyline could mess things up for Superman. It feels like it’ll create a rift between him and his friends at the Daily Planet, especially the Scoop Troop – they’re actually getting close in James Gunn’s movie, and it’d be a shame to see that ruined. When Clark and Lois finally come back to the iDaily Planet and find out what’s been going on, Jimmy Olsen totally loses it, yelling at both of them for not being there when they were needed. Even Cat Grant loses her faith, blaming Superman for her son’s murder. The first movie really built up his image as a hero, but something dark like this could make even the people closest to him start questioning the Man of Steel.

Even Superman’s strong belief in his powers could be broken, in ways that Lex Luthor and his elaborate attacks couldn’t. The villain finally made a real impact only when Malik Ali, a friend of Superman’s civilian identity, was shockingly killed during Luthor’s questioning of the Man of Steel. Viewers witnessed how deeply Superman was affected by this needless death, a tragedy he might have been able to prevent.

The genuine human emotion shown by David Corenswet in those moments of James Gunn’s Superman really emphasizes how a simple exchange between colleagues might hint at one of the Man of Steel’s most troubling comic book arcs. Though it might just be for building the character, Superman’s vulnerability to personal tragedy could make adapting Cat Grant’s darkest story a compelling path for James Gunn’s DCU to explore down the line.

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2025-10-01 20:25