Just this May 14th, the trailer for the long awaited Superman movie dropped on YouTube. Superman, directed by James Gunn (who has directed other superhero flicks like The Suicide Squad and the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy), is set to be the first cinematic introduction of the new DC cinematic universe.
The DCEU (DC Extended Universe) had ended. The cinematic universe that had been Justice League and Man of Steel was ultimately abandoned, with a reboot being more favored by Gunn, the new Chief Executive Officer. To contrast with the griminess of the DCEU, the new DCU (DC Universe) appears to be more brighter and comic-book campy. Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, which also had aimed to introduce Superman, only focused specifically on Superman, played by Henry Cavill. However, Gunn’s trailer introduced a plethora of comic book characters beyond the titular character, who is played by David Corenswet. Guy Gardner, a well-known cocky Green Lantern, easily flicks away soldiers in one sequence with his CGI’d Lantern ring. Hawkgirl and Mr. Terrific also make an appearance. This use of not-very famous characters is very Gunn-esque. Superman will truly test critics in this way.
Another core aspect that Gunn seems to focus on in this movie as hinted by the trailer is Clois—the romance between Clark Kent (Superman’s identity as a civilian) and fellow reporter Lois Lane. Multiple different shots of them are interspersed throughout the clip. In fact, the two were in the first scene, with Lane grilling Kent for Superman’s side of the story in a time when everybody seemed out to get him. Not only does this show how Gunn truly understands the comic accurate and unabashed determination of Lane that makes her such a force, it also shows how in Gunn’s new universe, Lane already knows Kent’s identity. This is a very fresh take on the relationship between them, as most mediums about Superman have them as a slow burn relationship, culminating in an emotional identity revealing scene as the climax. Superman indeed will be an entirely new movie.
Focusing on Corenswet’s portrayal of his character, there is one specific acting choice of interest. The most important thing that keeps Superman from living his double life effectively is how he is able to almost shapeshift from Kent to the hero in red tights. Most people point to the late Christopher Reeve’s depiction of this as the model example. In one famous scene, in which his character struggles to decide whether to tell Lane, who was played by Margot Kidder, he moves between slouching and being soft-spoken to being more upright and confident, being able to choose which persona to effectively embody. It is a very impressive feat and the distinction between the two identities sell the effect of no one in Metropolis being suspicious of Kent.
This, in my opinion, was largely absent in Man of Steel, in which Cavill’s Kent merely resembles his Superman with glasses (this is not a critique of Cavill’s acting, but merely the overall film’s choice in characterization and wardrobe design). It is more believable that Kent could be Superman in that interpretation. So, many YouTube viewers were especially impressed with Corenswet’s voice and posture change during the interview. He noticeably straightens up and deepens his voice, exuding confidence while his former Kent manner was more boyish and casual.
Because of all these comic accurate cinematic depictions of Superman, it comes to no surprise that Superman is currently dominating the YouTube trailer scene.
Anthony Lund of Movieweb reports that “the film racked up Warner Bros. Discovery’s biggest ever trailer debut with 24 million views in 24 hours. In comparison, [Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps’] trailer pulled in 21 million views in the same time period.” It seems that there is at least a little bit more attention on DC than Marvel. However, this may also be due to Superman’s fame and being more culturally relevant than the Fantastic Four.
Interestingly enough, Marvel’s trailer of its new superhero TV show Ironheart was also released on the same day as the Superman movie. However, it only received 8.1 million views as of the time of writing, while DC received 27 million views. It may be comparing apples to oranges, considering the fact that they are two different mediums, but it is truly a jaw-dropping difference for two similar tropes. Regardless of the reasons, Superman will become a cultural phenomenon in the box office sector on July 11th. Whether it lives up to its expectations as depicted in its trailers or heavily fails to fulfill its promises will only be known when the movie is released.
