James Gunn’s first major trailer Superman reboot has been revealed, showing how the hero will be handled in the new DC Cinematic Universe. It is clearly distinct from the previous DC Extended Universe, particularly in terms of its darker depiction of the Last Son of Krypton. However, from the trailer alone, 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 and firm support system, something Henry Cavill’s Superman completely lacked.. While the world seems to be against the two of them, the DCU Superman actually has people to lean on in his life. Far from being a brooding loner, this new version of Superman has all the elements of Superman’s best era. Superman comics.

First Superman Trailer Shows a Wider DC Universe

Superman is seen alongside other DC heroes in the film’s teaser

In James Gunn’s first DCU trailer Superman film, 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 combat. Although their relationship with Superman isn’t established in the trailer, it’s very likely that they are at least somewhat allied with the Man of Steel.

This broader superhero community will certainly be needed given the somewhat harsh treatment Superman receives, with angry crowds and protesters bemoaning his presence and throwing trash at him in one scene. Likewise, the new Superman the trailer itself begins with him falling into a snowy field, seemingly after a brutal fight. Calling his dog Krypto, he asks the latter to take him home at full speed, proving that the Kryptonian dog is Superman’s best friend.

Related

‘It’s a Complicated Relationship’: James Gunn Teases Clark Kent and Lois Lane Dynamic in Superman

Superman director James Gunn explains the relationship between David Corenswet’s Man of Steel and Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane.

Beyond these allies, Superman is shown talking to his father, Jonathan Kent, not to mention his romance with Lois Lane.. Although he is somewhat distant in his character as Clark Kent, he clearly trusts Lois as Superman. All of this adds up to a strong support system, which he’ll clearly need to gain a foothold in a pretty cynical world.

It also provides a good balance between the Superman mythos and the developing world, while also adding in the wider DC Universe. This is necessary to develop the DCU without rushing things, like in the previous DC Extended Universe. Of all the problems with the DCEU, however, it seems that giving Superman a supporting cast to bounce off of is the biggest and most important of them.

The DCEU Superman was something of a loner

Henry Cavill’s Superman was alone

First seen in 2013 Man of SteelThe DC Extended Universe version of Superman was very different from what fans were used to. Clearly intended to distance the character from the incarnations of Superman by Christopher Reeve and Brandon Routh, the version played by Henry Cavill was a very different vision of the Man of Tomorrow. More moody and moody, this Superman was a true outcast in an incredibly cynical world.

Even though Cavill’s Superman was still heroic, there wasn’t the same warm or gentle aura surrounding him as in usual depictions.. This was not only demonstrated in how the world reacted to him, but even 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 has only shone so brightly in the DC Extended Universe.

Henry Cavill’s Superman had very few people to call friends, which is why he was so withdrawn and moody. All he had was Lois Lane and his mother, Martha Kent, his father having died in a tornado when he was younger. Likewise, he was a complete stranger even to his colleagues at the Daily Planet, disappearing from time to time and being something of an enigma. As for other superheroes, he was as upset by a paranoid and unhinged Batman as he was by Lex Luthor.

Related

Everything We Know About James Gunn’s Superman in the Trailer

The trailer for James Gunn’s Superman takes flight and promises towering villains, heartfelt moments and Clark Kent grappling with inner conflict.

Cavill’s Superman only had other major DC heroes to befriend and interact with after returning from the dead. Without a strong support system, it’s no wonder he faced such animosity with a somewhat stony face.. Director Zack Snyder put him in as many trying situations as possible, so it was probably impossible for him to have ever been shown in a traditional way given those circumstances.

By stripping it of so many healthy or relational elements, Zack Snyder ensured that huge elements of the Superman mythos were missing in the DCEU. This was notably seen during the infamous death of Jimmy Olsen in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justicewhich represented a substantial mark on an already controversial film. On the other hand, Jimmy Olsen is present with the rest of the Daily Planet team in this film.

The key ingredient in James Gunn’s Superman the reboot appears to bring back elements of the character that haven’t been seen in the DC Extended Universe. In doing so, the version of the hero that moviegoers and comic book fans are accustomed to finally returns to the big screen. Ironically, this involves adapting elements not from the hero’s “classic” comic book era, but from the same period that loosely inspired Zack Snyder’s adaptation.

Post-Crisis Superman Gave the Character the Most Depth

James Gunn’s Superman draws from the late 1980s comic book

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 films of the 1970s and 1980s. At the same time, while the first introduced several elements and villains into the mix, it’s sort of synonymous with the hero’s misrepresented “superpowered figure of a god”. After Crisis on Infinite EarthsSuperman was rebooted and heavily changed, with many fans considering these changes to be for the better.

Rewritten by former Marvel artist and writer John Byrne, the post-Crisis Superman gave the character some much-needed depth and a radically different status quo.. The character of Clark Kent was presented as the “real” character and was much less of a bumbling nerd, and unlike the previous comics and films, Clark’s adoptive parents were still alive. He had a much more natural romance with Lois Lane that wasn’t based on his attempt to discover her true identity, and villain Lex Luthor went from a generic mad scientist to a corrupt industrialist.

Related

In just 30 seconds, James Gunn already understood one thing about Superman

The first teaser for James Gunn’s Superman showcases a film that clearly has the character in mind, right down to the film’s vibrant color palette.

Vague elements from this era have been adapted into the DC Extended Universe, namely the Kelex drone in Solitutde Fortress, Lex Luthor possessing Lexcorp, and aspects of Clark’s characterization. Beyond these, however, it was not a 1:1 parallel to previous Supermans, namely the more welcoming aspects of those incarnations. James Gunn Superman reboot, despite some visual and musical cues from Richard Donner Superman films, seems to adapt much of what made the Post-Crisis Superman works so well.

Chief among them is the aforementioned fact that Clark’s parents are alive and that Lex Luthor is a corrupt entrepreneur. These aspects add to Superman’s world, giving him a certain degree of courage while still keeping the hero himself inspiring. This is definitely what’s needed after the DCEU, as audiences and fans in particular seem to want a more traditional take on the hero. The recent end of the TV show Superman and Lois signaled a passing of the torch of sorts, with this show being halfway between the DCEU and the new DCU. It also combined elements of the Donner films with Man of Steel and the Post-Crisis comics, the latter being seen in the character Steel.

Today, the circle has come full circle, but with a change. There is clearly a lot more influence from the modern and semi-modern. Superman comics in this film than in The Return of Supermanwhich 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, he provides Superman with a group of warm, supportive characters who support him as he stands for truth, justice, and a better future. We hope this results in a film that gives a generation a definitive look at the first and greatest superhero of them all.

Superman arrives in theaters on July 11, 2025.

Related

First Images of Superman Arrive Ahead of New Trailer

Ahead of the first trailer tomorrow, Warner Bros. and DC Studios release the first images from the first DC Universe film, 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 considers kindness old-fashioned.

Release date

July 11, 2025

Cast

David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, María Gabriela De Faría, 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)

Warner Bros.

Develop