Superman actor David Corenswet is being branded a misogynist by some fans after his latest conversation with Jonathan Bailey for Variety‘s Actors on Actors. However, another set of fans arrived to defend him, sharing that he didn’t deserve the hate for his comments.
During the interview, Bailey and Corenswet discussed how they both had kissing scenes in their recent movies while they were levitating. Corenswet’s Superman kissed Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane mid-air, while Bailey’s Prince Fiyero also kissed Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba. The only difference: Elphaba carried Fiyero into the air, while Superman did the carrying in his movie.
Corenswet shared during the interview that Bailey had the bigger challenge because he was the one being carried. He shared, “Every man out there would think there’s no way you look masculine and powerful and in control when you’re being levitated by a woman.” To the last part, Bailey responded, “My greatest privilege.”
Corenswet went on to share that Bailey “somehow maintained [his] masculinity.” Some fans were furious at how Corenswet phrased the definition of masculinity in his conversation. They called out Corenswet’s comment on social media.
“well done for maintaining masculinity while being carried by a woman.” pic.twitter.com/kO0C0eeoTO
— Nitin Singh 🍃 (@Kohlliers) December 7, 2025
Really felt like David was trying to convey how masculinity doesn’t fit in any one box but the wording was certainly poor lmaoooo
— beeve (@eyeoracle1) December 7, 2025
“You maintained your masculinity” and it’s delivered as a compliment but how is it a compliment??? 😭😭😭
— _ikoNick ✨ (@iko_nicho) December 8, 2025
However, many other fans claimed that his comment was being severely misread. They defended the actor, sharing that his comments were not aimed at the broader gender stereotypes.
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its unfortunate how poor david’s phrasing is here because now a simple message of “masculinity is not defined by power and control” is being severely misread as “oh my god is david corenswet a misogynist?” https://t.co/cc6tPhRa1B
— shelster clovorre (@shelfsemporium) December 7, 2025
god people are so weird on this app – literally nothing Corenswet says here is wrong, and it’s important to talk about these things! He’s 100% correct that society would view that situation in that way, and it’s a good thing to address how that is a misconception pic.twitter.com/BRAYToNlRG
— HW (@howdywolfman) December 7, 2025
he worded this really badly but let’s remember he’s an actor and he’s talking about physicality as an actor not making a general statement about gender roles
— elie bo belly 🌱 (@gatchimon) December 7, 2025
However, this controversy did not take away from the productive conversation between the two actors. Fans loved seeing two of their favorite actors enjoy a casual conversation about movies.
David Corenswet’s Superman Is a Non-Toxic Masculine Superhero
Despite what the controversy says about the superhero actor, David Corenswet’s Superman did not fall into the trap of toxic masulinity. According to Jonathan Decker of Cinema Therapy, Corenswet’s character did not shy away from showing his vulnerabilities on screen.
One of the traits that Decker pointed out about the character was his open and honest interactions with Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane. He confesses his honest feelings about Lois, giving her “the safety to explore and sort out her feelings without trying to wonder, ‘Where is he at? What’s he thinking? What’s he feeling?’”
The author also highlights Superman’s interaction with his earth parents, where he gets his non-toxic traits from. The author wrote, “His Kryptonian nature is where all of his powers come from. But his gentleness and his kindness and his regard for human life, this he gets from Jonathan and Martha [Kent].”
Decker also explained that Superman is less aggressive in Gunn’s film compared to the previous outings. He fights not because he wants to but he has to, with the author writing, “Healthy masculinity, when it comes to fighting, is defensive, not aggressive.”
During a press conference, the DC CEO shared that the hero in his movie represented “the basic kindness of human beings” (via ScreenRant). Gunn added that this could be seen as “uncool and under siege” by some of the “darker voices.”
David Corenswet Argued With James Gunn About Mid-Air Kiss
David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan in a still from Superman | Credits: Warner Bros.
David Corenswet and James Gunn disagreed over Superman and Lois Lane’s floating mid-air kiss in the movie. Corenswet opened up about the behind-the-scenes of the kiss with Jonathan Bailey after the latter said, “My favorite moment of chemistry is the chuckle.” Corenswet shared that Gunn didn’t favor the “chuckle” in the movie. Corenswet shared:
James, when I was doing that chuckle when she says, ‘I love you, too,’ he came up to me and said, ‘It’s not working. It needs to be solemn.’ I was like, ‘No! The whole point is, ‘I f**king know that you love me.’
Corenswet and Gunn had several of these creative arguments throughout the movie. Corenswet admitted, “Credit to James. He was right on 90 percent of everything.” However, he shared that he was right about the chuckle and it finally made it to the final cut of the movie.
What do you think about David Corenswet’s comments during his chat with Jonathan Bailey? Let us know in the comments below!
Superman is now available for streaming on HBO Max. Wicked is now available for streaming on Prime Video.