James Gunn’s Superman almost lost one of its most touching moments. An improvised line gave Robot Four a name: “Gary.” he scene stayed in the final cut. It became a fan-favorite moment in Superman 2025.
How Gary Came to Life in Superman
During San Diego Comic-Con 2025, actor Alan Tudyk, who voices Robot Four, revealed that “Gary” was never in the original script. Instead, it was made up on the spot. In fact, Tudyk shared:
“I did! It was like, ‘Why am I Four?’ And it’s a funny reason why he’s Four. It’s that Superman was making robots. The first one is kind of bad, so he perfected it into a two, still not so good. And it wasn’t till Four that he’s like, ‘Okay, this is the leader, this is the one.’ But I was like, ‘I really would like a name.’”
The backstory for “Four” is that Superman built earlier robots that weren’t as good, and Four became the perfected leader.
Co-star David Corenswet supported Tudyk’s idea, encouraging him to pitch it to Gunn:
“And David, Superman, Corenswet, was like, ‘Yeah! You should totally have a name.’ So I said, ‘What about Gary?’ And James, like, ‘I don’t know… Okay, I guess. Let’s shoot it.’”
The Heartfelt “Gary” Moment That Stayed in Superman
Gunn later told Tudyk:
“You won’t believe how many meetings we had about that name.”
There was an internal debate on whether the joke would undercut the emotional ending, with Gunn telling Tudyk:
“We went back and forth and back and forth about whether or not that was a time for a joke… should we just be all heart at the end?”
Ultimately, Gunn decided to keep it. Tudyk described it as a “heartfelt joke”:
“And luckily, they put it in because I think it was a heartfelt joke… He (Superman) loves that robot. That’s one of the reasons why the robot’s so likable. It’s because Superman loves him. He cares about it, so we care about it as an audience.”
Nathan Fillion informed Tudyk that the affectionate “Gary” line made the final cut — something Tudyk himself missed.
“I didn’t either, and I was there the day when he filmed it, and I remember him saying it, but I missed it, and Nathan Fillion told me.”
This moment added sentimentality, showing Superman’s empathy by honoring the robot’s wish for a human-like identity.
Gary’s Future in the DCU
Initially, fans thought Robot Four was based on Kelex from the comics; however, Gary is an original creation. Moreover, the film has been both a critical and box office success, largely praised for Gunn’s heartfelt approach, Corenswet’s grounded performance, and, in addition, supporting favorites like Mr. Terrific, Krypto, and Gary.
Gary is expected to return in future DCU films, with Gunn teasing that the next Superman story won’t be a “straight-up sequel.”
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