It’s a bird!
It’s a plane!
It’s Superman!
James Gunn released the official trailer for the first film of his new DC Cinematic Universe on Dec. 19, 2024, simply titled “Superman,” which will release on July 11.
The trailer explores Clark Kent’s journey as Superman and his personal life as a journalist. James Gunn has gone on record to say that “Superman” will not show Superman’s origins; rather, the film will start with Superman in his prime.
James Gunn has also cited several forms of media as inspiration for his film, including Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie (1978), Superman: The Animated Series and All-Star Superman from the comics.
Just based on the trailer and Gunn’s references, the story seems to focus on Superman’s more moral and hopeful side, similar to Superman’s comic book counterpart.
This is fantastic news, as my biggest criticism for Henry Cavill’s Superman was how dark and gritty Zach Snyder portrayed him. Don’t get me wrong, Cavill did a wonderful job acting, but the script and portrayal made Superman seem like a merciless killer. Having Superman revert back to being a symbol of hope and light is refreshing and satisfying.
Superman is inherently a character that represents kindness and optimism. He shouldn’t be a mindless powerhouse who senselessly beats up the bad guys. People should look up into the sky and feel a beacon of hope when they see him. Gunn seems to have a deep understanding of the character, so I believe that we will see an interpretation of Superman that is faithful to the comics.
This is shown by the new suit, which has a much brighter blue color that differs greatly from Cavill’s darker blue, making him look more bright and positive. While the design of the suit has caused some debate, I personally love the suit. It doesn’t look too much like pajamas like Christopher Reeve’s Superman, but it doesn’t look too much like armor similar to Cavill’s suit.
It’s a good balance in between, and the Superman logo on the cape is an amazing touch. My only qualm about the suit is that the mid-section looks like red underwear. However, the red underwear has shown up in numerous Superman designs, so I’ll give it a pass.
The story also seems to have a heavy focus on Lois Lane’s and Clark Kent’s romantic relationship, which, if done well, could work splendidly. Clark and Lois have always had some of the most wholesome love stories. Their relationship, despite Clark being a Kryptonian, has always centered around support and loyalty, so having the core of the film be centered around their bond would help elevate the emotion in this movie.
Although it’s unclear what the central conflict is, I predict that Superman has to prove himself to the world that he is a force of good and hope. We see the public protesting against him, a kid putting up a flag of Superman, and most importantly, Lex Luthor as the main villain.
This would work brilliantly for a central conflict. Becoming a beacon of hope in a cynical and untrusting world is a fantastic theme to explore and gives Superman a genuine challenge. Writing conflicts for someone like Superman is especially difficult due to his immense power and steadfast belief in his ideology, but a conflict like this would both challenge and give growth to him.
In terms of material, the trailer is jam-packed with Superman references. We see the Fortress of Solitude, Krypto the Superdog and even Super-bots. Not to mention a full cast of other DC characters like Hawkgirl, Mr. Terrific and Guy Gardner. Gunn really seems to be using this film as a spearhead into a new DC cinematic universe, which is brilliant.
While I have a lot of optimism for Gunn’s film, I do have some concerns. First, there are a lot of characters. While it is good to establish all these characters for future films, especially if it is a first movie in a franchise, establishing other characters takes away from developing more important characters.
The movie already has to devote a large portion of its screen time to other plotlines. It needs to establish Superman as a symbol of hope, Lois’s character and her dynamic with Clark, Clark’s relationship with his parents, Lex Luthor’s hatred for him, the Fortress of Solitude and a whole host of other topics. Having to develop characters like Hawkgirl and Guy Gardner helps set up future films, but it could hurt this movie itself.
My final concern is that the film starts off at the climax of Superman’s story. There are so many good storylines to explore if the film starts when Clark Kent first decides to become Superman.
We can see him discover his Kryptonian heritage, and not to mention, this timeline works better to have Superman prove himself. If Clark has been Superman for a while, it doesn’t make sense for the public to turn on him. If he’s an alien being who has just arrived, it makes for a cleaner and smoother story for Superman to rise as a symbol of hope.
Of course, these concerns don’t mean that the film is doomed from the start. With good writing and smart decisions, Gunn can still make a great movie. With a director like him working on the film, I have a feeling of hope and confidence when looking out into the future.
