NFL
DC fans have all the buzz they’ve been waiting on since the announcement of the new DCU, led by James Gunn and Peter Safran. We all have a good sense of what Gunn is about with his past projects such as Guardians of the Galaxy, The Suicide Squad, and Peacemaker. Yet no one had any idea how he was going to tackle one of the “big 3” out of DC. Today we got an official/non-leaked first look at the Man of Steel with the Superman teaser trailer:
Here you go: the #Superman trailer. Krypto, take us home.
Watch the teaser trailer now and ❤ this post to get updates from @superman before it hits theaters this July. pic.twitter.com/w77kiKef54
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 19, 2024
There’s plenty to unpack in the teaser alone but there’s plenty to clarify before diving in. First and foremost, if you’ve ever tuned into The Maask Podcast, my co-host Mark will tell you I’m a “DC guy.” With that said, you’ll also notice by tuning in, that we’re both pretty straightforward with our opinions and not going to fill you full of bulls– takes. Then, and most importantly, I loved Henry Cavill as Superman. Man of Steel was epic to me. It was the other films I wished were better. It’s all love with Cavill’s portrayal of Clark Kent. Despite what the Brads and Chads try to spew through their Monster-fueled toxicity, you can like more than one version of the same character. Comic book writers have been facing that for years. Don’t let these “male Karens” destroy your excitement.
Now, let’s dive in. While most people will focus on the action shots, Kyrpto, or color choice in each scene, there are a few key things to point out. First, watch the end of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, then come back and re-watch this trailer. Note the director’s choices between the two. At the end of ZSJL when Superman rips his shirt open to reveal the “S” on his chest, note the crowd around him. Clark is blending in with the crowd with people roughly his height and fades into the crowd.
In the scene where we see David Corenswet’s Clark, he towers over the crowd and the closest to his height comes up to his shoulder. Even the Justice League counterparts from the DCEU are pretty close in size to Superman and there’s nothing wrong with that choice. Snyder’s vision was Clark trying to fit in. Gunn on the other hand, has the city around him much smaller which to some might be an odd choice, but he’s a small-town farm boy in a big city. Have you ever met someone who worked on a farm for a living? They’re not small and would stick out like a sore thumb.
Then there’s the humanity on full display. You see multiple scenes of love and embrace between Clark and Lois. In the scene where he saves the young girl from an explosion and debris. The theme of “hope” is dead center in the middle of the trailer when we see the young kid place a Superman flag begging to be saved. When an angry mob throws something at Superman as he walks into a building, we see the mistrust of his power.
The most important thing to point out is, that you can love both these versions without disrespecting the other. Zack Snyder was choosing to stick closer to an Injustice Superman while James Gunn appears to be taking the more traditional route. There’s no need to have a Superman vs Superman battle. Each character and each portrayal just gives us more stories to love from these characters. You can love one while simply liking the other. Not every superhero movie has to one-up the other. However, this teaser did as it was intended, and got me hyped for the actual trailer and eventually the movie. Is this the start of something great in the new DCU? Maybe, maybe not but it does look damn good to start.
