Superman and the Question of Who Holds Power

At the beginning of the year, James Gunn released the script to Superman (2025) to public. I've been waiting until we got to the end of our craft analysis of the Oscar scripts to talk about what is probably my favorite scene of the year. 

On the surface, the Clark Kent and Lois Lane interview scene is a conversation about geopolitics around the world and Superman's role in it. But underneath the journalism, it's a scene that exposes the cracks in Lois and Clarks relationship. At face value, that seems like two impossible subjects to balance in a single scene. But Gunn solves that choice by building the entire scene around one object that dictates the power int he scene and how it moves between Lois and Clark. 

A digital recorder. 

Setting the Terms of the Interview

In the moment before, Clark enters the Daily Planet newsroom where there is a news story on the television involving a mysterious attacker tied to Boravia. Lois is skeptical about the situation and begins questioning the narrative. Clark claims he has insider knowledge from an "interview" with Superman. She doesn't buy it. 

That brings us to the incredible interview scene in Lois' apartment. 

After Clark jokes about how funny their argument in the Daily Planet earlier was, Lois scolds him the unethical ramifications of interviewing himself as Superman. Clark confidently offers Lois to interview him on the record then and she jumps on it. 

What follows in the scene is a discussion on geopolitics and the role Superman has in it as the tension in their personal relationship begins to seep through.  A complex balancing act that Gunn navigates using the interview as the framing device and a digital recorder as the power lever. 

Lois starts by asking about the events on the television at the Daily Planet earlier and Superman's interactions with the President of Boravia. Clark almost immediately breaks characters and speaks to Lois as Clark. Lois stops the tape. 

Clark breaks character to call foul on the role play they were doing in the Superman interview. But Lois holds him accountable saying she would be asking Superman that questions whether Clark had told her or not. Lois presses the button again and Clark jumps back into super character. 

Shortly after, the interview heats up again. Clark grows frustrated by the questioning of Lois because he knows she shares his same opinion. But Lois is keeping opinions out. This time, Clark shuts off the recorder to call timeout. After a beat, Lois turns the recorder back on. 

Trying to prove her point about the unethical integrity of interviewing himself as Superman, Lois asks if he thinks it is going well. Clark insinuates he thinks Lois is doing a poor job. She turns the recorder back on and the interview continues. 

It isn't long before Lois brings up the public opinion online #Superspy #Supershit and Clark breaks character. Louis turns of the recorder and the interview ends for good. 

What I love about the power lever of the digital recorder is that it is used differently three different times throughout the conversation. 

The first time, Lois stops it and then starts it again. 

The second time, Clark stops it and then Lois starts it again. 

The last time, Lois stops it. 

The interview format creates a built-in escalation with each question. Lois controls the rhythm of the scene by asking the questions as Clark tries to deflect and reframe. But every time the recorder stops, the scene shifts from being about Superman to being about Clark. He can hide behind the Superman persona. But when he's with Lois, there's nowhere else to go. So he leaves. 

The Recorder Controls the Truth

The geopolitics of the scene and the tension in Lois and Clark’s relationship are feeding into the same underlying questions: Should power act unilaterally? Is intention enough to justify action? Who holds power accountable? It forces our characters to argue both sides. Clark defends his actions not as justified, but as necessary. Lois isn't arguing the outcome, but questioning the cost. 

Neither is clearly right or wrong. Yet, the ambiguity creates a complexity in our characters and their relationship moving forward. What begins as an interview about Superman ends as a defining moment between two people who don't see the word the same way but still need to find a way to still see each other. 

Below you can find a script to screen version of the scene: