Brightburn: Hero Gone Wrong

As Superman returns to the big screen this week under the direction of James Gunn, it’s worth rewinding to a much darker twist on the Man of Steel mythos: Brightburn.

While Gunn is known for his blockbuster superhero hits, this 2018 horror-sci-fi flick — produced by Gunn and written by his brother Brian Gunn and cousin Mark Gunn — flips the Superman origin story into a disturbing nightmare. Directed by David Yarovesky, Brightburn asks one chilling question: what if a super-powered alien child didn’t grow up to be Earth’s savior… but its doom?

Jackson A. Dunn: The Anti-Superman You’ll Never Forget

Before he briefly popped up as young Scott Lang in Avengers: Endgame, Jackson A. Dunn delivered a haunting performance as Brandon Breyer — a boy with powers like Superman but none of the heart.

At first, Brandon seems like a normal kid. But as soon as he discovers his abilities, he turns into something else entirely — cold, brutal, and inhuman. There’s no justice in his attacks, no logic. Just raw, unchecked power. Dunn’s performance makes Brandon feel like the embodiment of childhood gone wrong. One look from him, and you know no one is making it out alive.

Elizabeth Banks Brings the Heart — and the Hurt

Elizabeth Banks plays Tori Breyer, Brandon’s adoptive mother, and she’s the emotional core of the film. Her journey from loving mom to helpless witness of her son’s descent is gut-wrenching. She tries to believe in him, even when every sign tells her not to.

Banks puts it best: “Tori's heart is the last thing to break, and by then, it’s too late.” That quote says everything about the hopelessness at the center of Brightburn.

When Hope Dies, Horror Begins

Critics were split — some felt the movie didn’t go “full horror.” But look closer, and Brightburn delivers something even more unsettling: a world with no one strong enough to stop the monster. No Kryptonite. No Batman. Just pure dread.

The movie teases that Brandon wasn’t sent here by mistake. He has a purpose, and it’s not saving the world. It’s conquering it.

While Gunn’s new Superman promises hope, Brightburn is the mirror that shows what happens when that hope curdles. No sequels. No justice. Just the horrifying thought of what might come next.