Is Superman needed in 2025? New trailer shows he is

Things are really looking up! After a week of build up, the long awaited trailer for James Gunn’s Superman finally arrived and all eyes are on the sky. As the first live-action installment of the DCU, there is a lot going on Superman. Not only does an entire cinematic universe depend on this film’s success, but Gunn must also cut through the world’s cynicism and deliver a take on the character whose cinematic portrayal has not resonated with many audiences since 1978.

But the teaser trailer makes it clear Superman ’25 is not Superman ’78. Composer John Murphy’s guitar riff on John Williams’ classic theme breathes new life into Superman as a hero and symbol, suggesting that while clinging to the core themes associated with the character, Superman is a living and evolving concept, an electric flow through the world.

There are several key takeaways from the trailer. First, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Despite Warner Bros. Discovery’s press synopsis emphasizing hope and Gunn’s desire to bring optimism back to Superman, the teaser trailer shows a keen awareness of the reality of the world. Surprisingly, the teaser does not open with an iconic image of a smiling Superman. Instead, it opens with Superman (David Corenswet) plummeting from the sky and landing in the Arctic, near his Fortress of Solitude. He’s bloody, beaten, wheezing and unable to get home without Krypto’s help.

There’s something uncomfortable, but not at all unwelcome, about hearing Superman struggle to breathe. The moment grounds us in Superman feeling pain. One of the frequent complaints about Superman from non-comic-reading mainstream audiences (and those who missed out Superman: The Animated Series and other various media adaptations) is that he is overpowered and rarely faces tough physical challenges. This teaser nips it in the bud right away, showing that Superman is very physically fallible.

Not only do we see Superman physically beaten, but emotionally beaten as well. He walks through an angry crowd throwing bottles and cans at him as he is escorted into Stagg Industries by the police, where he stands with a sense of the weight of the world on his shoulders. It’s clear that Superman is not universally loved, and as a reflection of modern America, we see him at his lowest. While there appear to be significant tonal departures from previous Superman films in both style and the comic book elements introduced, it is ironic that after a decade of complaints about a non-smiling Superman and his controversial perception on the global stage, these remain themes present in Gunn’s position.

This raises the question of whether these themes have become essential to establishing a contemporary film version of Superman. In 2006 Superman returns tackled “Why the World Doesn’t Need a Superman” and in 2016, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice asked, “Should there be a superman?” The respective responses were that the world needs a Superman, and “there is.” What Gunn seems to be struggling with is not the need for a Superman or the resigned acceptance that there is one, but the question of “how do we make the world want a Superman?” And this question applies not only to the world of film, but also to the audience. With all the superhero movies out there, what makes us want another Superman movie?

Despite the realities of a bruised and battered Superman, there is also a desire for fantasy, to imagine the world as it could be. Now more than ever. Based on the glimpses we see in the trailer, Superman saves a little girl and Superman’s symbol is used as a flag in the fictional country of Boravia (which appeared in Superman no. 2 in 1939, although the location seems to have been changed from Europe to the Middle East), there is a hint that hope is found in younger generations.

There’s something compelling about a character that was created for an audience of kids that appeals to kids again, especially since the millennium Superman movies have shifted to older audiences. The catchphrase for Superman, “Look Up” encourages the same kind of wonder and childlike innocence as ’78’s “You’ll Believe A Man Can Fly.”

Gunn’s Superman is also a world that offers a myriad of other wonders, as the teaser shows. While the film feels packed with characters, enough to create some apprehension as to whether it can keep the focus on Clark, they definitely give the film a distinct comic flavor that we haven’t seen in previous Superman movies.

The teaser shows quick glimpses of superheroes Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) and Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan). Our first look at the film’s villains includes a brief glimpse of a mysterious, black-clad behemoth in a face mask and the ever-sneaky Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), who appears to be brimming with emotion. There is also a giant monster that may be associated with the giant purple and green orb in the sky – colors associated with a villain Superman fans have been waiting decades to see on screen – Brainiac.

As exciting as these building blocks and future battles seem to be, what felt most compelling about the trailer was Corenswet’s Clark, whose portrayal takes a page from Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s All-Star Supermanwhich saw Clark dressed in oversized clothing and defined by a haggard posture and disheveled hair. We see Clark share a tearful moment with his father, Jonathan (Pruitt Taylor Vince), and have several interactions with Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan). Their chemistry is immediately apparent.

Despite all the big ideas, questions and hopes for the future that the teaser revolves around, the crucial takeaway from our first look at James Gunn’s Superman is that he’s just a guy with a dog who manages two jobs and a romantic relationship , which he has. good days and bad, some that leave him physically and emotionally beaten down, some that leave him in tears, and others that can count among the best days of his life. Why do we want a Superman? He is what we are and what we could be – the man of tomorrow, today.