Warner Bros. and director James Gunn released the first teaser trailer for the upcoming Superman movie which aims to kick off a new and revamped cinematic universe of DC movies in 2025. Despite being a teaser, there’s a lot to digest. From our first potential looks at new heroes and villains to a world that has turned against Superman. We thought we’d share some of our excitement, hopes and concerns for the upcoming superhero movie.
While DC is busy cooking up its new universe, it’s also doing Elseworlds stories disconnected from Gunn’s main timeline. Case in point is Matt Reeves’ The Batman which will exist in its own universe and not overlap into the one DC is currently setting up for Superman and beyond. The Batman Part II will release in 2026 so there’s also that to look forward to along with DC’s overhauled universe that aims to compete more closely with the MCU – not that there’s much competition anymore. It might be an easy win for Warner Bros. if the cards are played right.
Exciting Things in The Superman Teaser Trailer
Right off the bat, we see Superman crash-landing in the snow, possibly following a battle against someone or something. He looks pretty beaten up and spitting blood but luckily, Krypto is there to save him. While the beloved superpowered canine is better known in the comics, this might be the first time that the dog is being introduced to mainstream audiences and he looks fantastic. What a good boy.
It’s also clear that this isn’t another origin story. James Gunn knows that we know the origin story of Superman and it’s been done to death, so he’s skipping all of the build-up and throwing us deep into Clark Kent’s career as Superman which is highly appreciated. It’s unclear exactly how long Clark has been Superman but if it’s anything like The Batman (which also gratefully skipped the origin story retelling), then we might be looking at his early career where people haven’t really accepted him as a hero yet.
On that note, there’s a shot of an angry mob surrounding Superman which makes us think that, in his battles against otherworldly foes, he tends to cause a lot more destruction and death than actually saving people. Sure, it’s a plot point already highlighted in Batman v Superman but Gunn has an opportunity here to really dig deep into why society feels so strongly about superpowered aliens being allowed to cause unimaginable collateral damage. After all, who’s gonna stop Superman if he decides to turn against society? That’s a story for another day.
Overall, the tone of the trailer suggests that this won’t be a grounded, darker take on the character like Man of Steel. If the soundtrack cues weren’t enough, this is seemingly going back to Superman’s glory days in cinema when Christopher Reeve wore the cape. It’s hopeful, uplifting and inspiring – we hope the movie delivers those emotions as well. The cast also looks fantastic so far. David Corenswet feels right as Clark Kent/Superman and we’re sure Nicholas Hoult will be a great Lex Luthor.
On a more technical note, we’re just thankful that Superman‘s colour palette and grading is a little more vibrant than many superhero movies today, especially in the MCU, with washed out tones that give it a bleak, uninteresting atmosphere and aesthetic. Good job, cinematographer.
Concerns in The Superman Teaser Trailer
There’s a lot of excitement and hype in the teaser trailer but a few noteworthy things that have us a bit concerned too. The obvious aside first: Guy Gardner’s hairstyle is… no. It might be comic-accurate but it looks a bit ridiculous in live-action.
We also got glimpses of supporting characters that will appear in the movie aside from Green Lantern. We’ll be seeing Hawkgirl, Metamorpho and Mr. Terrific too. That’s not including rumours that the main villain of the movie will be Brainiac. It’s a pretty stacked cast, all things considered. Our biggest worry is that there’ll be too much, especially for the first movie in a blossoming new cinematic universe.
Man of Steel and Iron Man both kicked off their respective universes well. Those movies worked as starting points because they kept it simple and avoided overloading the cast. Understandably, those were also origin stories that didn’t need the fluff whereas audiences will enter Gunn’s Superman in the middle of his escapades like joining a friend group where everyone already knows each other and you have to awkwardly play catch-up. We’re hoping that’s not the case here and Gunn finds a way to balance everything. If Guardians of the Galaxy or The Suicide Squad proved anything, he probably will find the right balance.
Superman arrives in cinemas on 11 July 2025. Watch the teaser trailer below:
Source: DC
