The first major trailer for James Gunn’s Superman reboot has been revealed, showcasing how the hero will be handled in the new cinematic DC Universe. It’s clearly separate from the previous DC Extended Universe, namely in terms of its darker depiction of the Last Son of Krypton. From the trailer alone, however, one of the more understated divergences with Superman in the DCEU is made even more obvious.
David Corenswet’s new Superman clearly has a strong, firm support system, which is something that Henry Cavill’s Superman completely lacked. While the world seems to be against both of them, the DCU Superman actually has people to lean on in his life. Far from a brooding loner, this new take on Superman has all the elements of the best era of Superman comic books.
The First Superman Trailer Shows a Wider DC Universe
Superman Is Seen Alongside Other DC Heroes In the Movie’s Teaser
In the first trailer for James Gunn’s DCU Superman movie, the character is far from the only superhero seen. Also present are Mr. Terrific, Metamorpho, Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern and Hawkgirl, all of whom are shown in battle. While their relationship with Superman isn’t established in the trailer, it’s very likely that they are at least somewhat allies to the Man of Steel.
This broader superhero community will definitely be necessary given the somewhat rough treatment that Superman is given, with angry crowds and protesters shown bemoaning his presence and throwing trash at him in one scene. Similarly, the new Superman trailer itself begins with him falling into a snowy field, seemingly after a brutal fight. Calling for his dog Krypto, he asks the latter to take him home at super-speed, proving that the Kryptonian canine is Superman’s best friend.
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Beyond these allies, Superman is shown talking to his father, Jonathan Kent, not to mention romancing Lois Lane. While he’s somewhat aloof in his Clark Kent persona, he’s clearly confident with Lois as Superman. This all equals a firm support system, which he’ll clearly need to establish himself in a fairly cynical world.
It also provides a good balance of Superman’s own mythos and world being developed, all while the broader DC Universe is also added to. That’s needed in order to develop the DCU without rushing things, as in the previous DC Extended Universe. Of all the issues with the DCEU, however, it seems that giving Superman a supporting cast to actually bounce off is the biggest and most important of them.
The DCEU Superman Was Something of a Loner
Henry Cavill’s Superman Was On His Own
First seen in 2013’s Man of Steel, the DC Extended Universe version of Superman was a lot different from what fans were used to. Clearly meant to distance the character from the Christopher Reeve and Brandon Routh incarnations of Superman, the version played by Henry Cavill was a far different take on the Man of Tomorrow. Moodier and broodier, this Superman was a true outcast in an incredibly cynical world.
While Cavill’s Superman was still heroic, there wasn’t the same warm or gentle aura surrounding him as in usual portrayals. Not only was this shown in how the world reacted to him, but even in how Superman reacted to the world in response. With very few people truly in his corner and the world at large not shown in a hopeful or inspiring way, Superman’s own heroic light only shined so brightly in the DC Extended Universe.
Henry Cavill’s Superman had very few people to call his friends, which is why he was so withdrawn and sullen. All he had was Lois Lane and his mother, Martha Kent, with his father having died during a tornado storm when he was younger. Likewise, he was a veritable unknown to even his coworkers at the Daily Planet, disappearing on and off and being something of an enigma. In terms of other superheroes, he was antagonized by a paranoid and unhinged Batman as much as he was Lex Luthor.
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The trailer for James Gunn’s Superman takes flight and it promises imposing villains, heartfelt moments, and Clark Kent battling with inner conflict.
Cavill’s Superman only had other major DC heroes to truly befriend and interact with after coming back from the dead. Without a strong support system, it’s no wonder he faced such animosity with a somewhat stone face. Director Zack Snyder put him in as many taxing situations as possible, so it was likely impossible for him to have ever been shown in the traditional manner given these circumstances.
By stripping him of so many wholesome or relational elements, Zack Snyder ensured that huge elements of the Superman mythos were missing in the DCEU. This was notably seen in the infamous death of Jimmy Olsen in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which was a substantial mark on an already controversial movie. On the other hand, Jimmy Olsen is present with the rest of the Daily Planet staff in this movie.
The key ingredient to James Gunn’s Superman reboot seems to be giving the character back the elements that weren’t seen in the DC Extended Universe. By doing so, the version of the hero that both moviegoers and comic book fans are used to is finally back on the big screen. Ironically, this involves adapting elements not from the “classic” era of the hero’s comic books, but from the same time period that loosely inspired Zack Snyder’s adaptation of him.
Post-Crisis Superman Gave the Character the Most Depth
James Gunn’s Superman Pulls from the Late 1980s Era of Comics
Some might consider the classic version of Superman to be the one from the Silver Age comic books, or even the one portrayed by Christopher Reeve in the live-action movies of the 1970s and 1980s. At the same time, while the former introduced several elements and villains to the mix, it’s somewhat synonymous with the “overpowered cypher of a god” mischaracterization of the hero. After Crisis on Infinite Earths, Superman was rebooted and heavily changed, with many fans considering these alterations to have been for the better.
Rewritten by former Marvel artist and writer John Byrne, the post-Crisis Superman gave the character much needed depth and a radically different status quo. The Clark Kent persona was shown as the “true” persona and was much less of a bumbling nerd, and unlike in previous comics and movies, Clark’s adoptive parents were still alive. He had a much more natural romance with Lois Lane that wasn’t based on her trying to discover his true identity, and the villainous Lex Luthor was changed from a generic mad scientist to a corrupt industrialist.
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Vague elements of this era were adapted in the DC Extended Universe, namely the Kelex drone in the Fortress of Solitutde, Lex Luthor owning Lexcorp and aspects of Clark’s characterization. Beyond these, however, it wasn’t a 1:1 parallel with any previous Superman, namely the more welcoming aspects of those incarnations. James Gunn’s Superman reboot, despite taking some visual and musical cues from the Richard Donner Superman movies, seems to be adapting major parts of what made the Post-Crisis Superman work so well.
Chief among these is the aforementioned fact that Clark’s parents are alive and Lex Luthor being a corrupt entrepreneur. These aspects added to Superman’s world, giving him a degree of grit while still keeping the hero himself inspirational. That’s definitely what’s needed after the DCEU, as both audiences and fans in particular seem to want a more traditional take on the hero. The recent ending of the TV show Superman & Lois signaled a passing of the torch, of sorts, with that show being a halfway point between the DCEU and the new DCU. It also combined elements of the Donner movies with Man of Steel and the Post-Crisis comics, with the latter point seen in the character Steel.
Now, a full circle development is being had, but with a twist. There’s clearly a lot more influence from modern and semi-modern Superman comic books in this film than in Superman Returns, which went too far in trying to ape the Donnerverse. Likewise, it doesn’t go completely in the opposite direction like Man of Steel did, and in doing so, it provides Superman with a warm and supportive cast of characters that stand by him as he stands for truth, justice and a better tomorrow. This will hopefully result in a movie that gives a generation the definitive look at the first and best superhero of them all.
Superman flies into theaters on July 11, 2025.
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First Superman Footage Arrives Ahead of New Trailer
Ahead of the first trailer tomorrow, Warner Bros. and DC Studios debut the first footage from the first DC Universe movie, James Gunn’s Superman.
Follows the titular superhero as he reconciles his heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth and justice in a world that views kindness as old-fashioned.
- Release Date
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July 11, 2025
- Cast
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David Corenswet
, Rachel Brosnahan
, MarÃa Gabriela De FarÃa
, Edi Gathegi
, Nicholas Hoult
, Frank Grillo
, Nathan Fillion
, Milly Alcock
, Sara Sampaio
, Pruitt Taylor Vince
, Skyler Gisondo
, Anthony Carrigan
, Wendell Pierce
, Beck Bennett
, Sean Gunn - Distributor(s)
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Warner Bros. Pictures