Superman Trailer Reveals Action, Emotion, and a Fierce Krypto Battle

Pictures and DC Studios are gearing up to usher in a new era of the Caped Crusader later this summer with James Gunn’s reimagining of the iconic character. Ever since Gunn was attached to write and direct the film way back in July 2021, the project has been met with months of considerable anticipation, and now that the first official full trailer has been released, audiences have more than enough reason to cheer.

James Gunn’s Superman trailer

As we are first introduced to a new Clark Kent, a feisty Lois Lane, a who’s who of DC’s heroes and villains, and a new superdog with endless scenes-stealing potential, it is becoming abundantly clear that Gunn is not only aiming to reboot the popular superhero for a modern age but will also ground his Superman reboot with emotional stakes to match.

Superman isn’t Your Typical Origin Story

While fans may immediately be able to compare some of the plot beats and visual elements present in the trailer to those that were established in previous adaptations, Gunn made it clear in the film’s post-credit scene from last year’s release of The Suicide Squad that this won’t be a traditional “boy leaves home on a rocket to go to another planet and that’s why he’s so strong” kind of origin story. So we can breathe a sigh of relief that the hero’s origins will be explored in a new, more nuanced way. The film instead appears to focus on the internal conflict that Clark Kent faces throughout his journey, navigating an existence that finds itself trapped between his Kryptonian royalty roots on one hand and his Midwestern Kansas childhood upbringing on the other.

Pearl’s David Corenswet, who has also been in Hollywood, is set to embody the 25-year-old, battle-hardened version of Superman; an iteration much further removed from the often-given wide-eyed, rookie treatment. And while many of the scenes tease the classic superhero cover-ups that Clark must navigate in balancing his secret identity as the mild-mannered Clark Kent with his larger-than-life Superman alter ego, one relationship in particular appears to be front and center, especially between him and Lois Lane.

Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) stars as Lois Lane in Gunn’s Superman.

Rachel Brosnahan is cast as Lois Lane and the trailer kicks off with the brilliant display of Lois sprinting through a dry run for a character interview with none other than “Superman”—played of course by Superman himself, Clark Kent. Lois immediately sets the tone of the scene by putting Superman/the interviewer on blast by making it clear that she is not “going to let you push it off on me”. Their back-and-forth is dynamic, flirtatious and filled with the sassy banter we all know and love from previous superhero features, but the question is: has Lois already unlocked Clark’s secret yet? Some eagle-eyed fans will vehemently argue that she already has. This author and many others will argue based on the subtle cues we see in the scene and the actors’ facial expressions in particular, she is not in on the secret. You be the judge.

Nicholas Hoult Joins the Lineup

Nicholas Hoult, one of many high-profile talents to join the already stacked cast which includes names like Jenny Slate, Tim Blake Nelson and Marta Milans, joins the lineup of the film as Lex Luthor. In his limited screentime in the trailer, Hoult’s Luthor is a double threat as he deftly wields both his patented cackling villainy and sleek Silicon Valley super-villain-aire executive getup in a rapid-fire exchange with a Senator as he questions the United States government’s level of preparedness for a Superman-related crisis. Hoult isn’t the only DC insider to make an appearance as Luthor’s female lead, Sara Sampaio, plays Eve Teschmacher, and Terence Rosemore appears as Otis.

Krypto, Kaiju, and New Faces to the DC Extended Universe

Who was your biggest breakout star of the trailer? Mine is Superman’s snow white canine companion Krypto, who we first met in the official teaser that dropped in December last year, visibly towing a winded, battered, and gravely wounded Superman back to the Fortress of Solitude. The new trailer doubles down on his impressive credentials, and we find out in a Krypto vs. Lex Luthor matchup, his fighting style and savviness with his teeth and jaws are not to be messed with.

Throw in a devious and deadly cyborg out for blood in the form of Angela Spica/The Engineer, played by Maria Gabriela de Faria and her shield of spinning razorblades (courtesy of some high-level nanotechnology), and you have a full-scale assault on the Fortress and an action-packed fight sequence that all but solidifies Krypto’s Krypton-enhanced superhero status.

In addition to an impressive assemblage of kaiju fights, dynamic hero pairings, and gut-wrenching battle montage, this trailer also makes way for many of the ensemble’s less prominent, yet still interesting DC characters. Nathan Fillion stars as bowl-cut sporting Green Lantern Guy Gardner; Anthony Carrigan is Rex Mason/Metamorpho, the element-bending bodysculptor; Isabela Merced is the winged warrior Hawkgirl, and Edi Gathegi as the intellectual, high-tech genius Michael Holt/Mister Terrific.

A New Kryptonian Cousin for Clark Kent

Filmmaker and producer Gunn also added Milly Alcock (Everything Everywhere All at Once) to the cast as Superman’s cousin Kara Zor-El, otherwise known as Supergirl. Her inclusion points to a potentially expanded family tree of Kryptonians on Earth that have not been lost in the original 52-story Clark Kent’s boat. (Sorry, Kal-El!)

Fleshing Out Clark Kent’s Earthly Origins

Another nod to the grounding of Clark Kent’s character comes in the form of Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell as Superman’s parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, respectively. Fans who read the comics will recognize Frank Grillo as well in a potential DC crossover moment: the actor reprises his role as Rick Flag Sr. from the animated DC series Creature Commandos. Gunn’s longtime collaborator, Sean Gunn, also makes an appearance as Maxwell Lord.

Laughing in the Face of Danger

That a superhero who has come to us via Marvel and DC over the years should have one line in which his adamant response is “People were going to die!” seems fitting, and if the full range of action spectacles Gunn has promised as producer for this film, including Superman sprinting from rooftop to rooftop and wiping out kaiju with a flick of his wrist, is any indication, there will be more than enough intensity to go around.

The character’s most important relationships, however, may just be what grounds his superhero status and what distinguishes this new interpretation of Superman from past iterations. As Lois presses Clark on how Superman’s actions will be perceived by government officials and the media, his impassioned (albeit childlike) outburst is a scene-stealer, as he shows Lois his “flash-drive” that can “download entire worlds in here” to justify the kinds of “shit that he has to do” to make sure people don’t end up dead. It will be interesting to see if this selfless streak and innate sense of justice in Superman’s character aligns with that of the allegiances of other recognizable characters within the DC cinematic universe we are already familiar with, like Black Adam, The Flash, and more.

For now, we have to suffice with this fun exchange between Lois and Clark, as well as the ending moments of the trailer where Superman has a quiet, peaceful moment of solitude in his bed, with a proud and fulfilled Krypto on his chest, as the world around him seems to spin madly in the distance.