It’s the holiday movie season, which means it’s also summer movie trailer season. Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch got a teaser, and Stitch is so cute, he’s going to make a billion dollars. Death of a Unicorn, starring Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega, sounds like the kind of cutesy-tootsy “comedy” people like at Sundance and nowhere else, but unicorns as monsters here to rock your sh-t for crimes against nature? YES, PLEASE. Unexpected delight. But the one we’re really here to discuss is James Gunn’s Superman, which dropped a teaser this morning, hot off The Daily Planet press.

 

Superman occupies the same rarified air as Batman and Spider-Man, which is that no matter how much people bitch and moan about remakes and reboots, they will ALWAYS show up for a new version of this character. People will at least give Superman a chance every time he comes around. However, unlike his peers in that category, Superman hasn’t worked in live-action film since the 1970s, when Christopher Reeve donned his distinctive red cape. People will debate and defend Henry Cavill’s version forever, but simply put, Zack Snyder’s vision of superheroes didn’t jive with what audiences wanted in the 2010s (funnily enough, his vision would probably work now). Superman has been successful on TV, mostly recently in the surprisingly very good Superman & Lois, but finding that big blue dork’s groove in film has proved elusive.

 

Knowing this, Gunn is going back to the character’s roots, using John Williams’ beloved theme in the teaser, giving Superman the classic red, blue, and yellow suit, and leaning on visuals like Superman saving kids, joining forces with other heroes, kissing Lois Lane, and bringing his good boy space dog, Krypto, on an adventure. Whatever else happens with this movie, people will love Krypto. (Lainey: I LOVE Krypto and I just met him! I have never cared about Superman but now I am ALL the f-cking way in because … Krypto. If anything happens to this dog in the movie, I will burn the studio down – don’t f-ck with this good boy, James Gunn!) 

 

This teaser isn’t giving away much in plot, though it does look like Lex Luthor is scheming and people are mad at Superman, at least for a while. Mostly, this teaser is devoted to two things: 1) tying this Superman to the Reeve version via font, music, and vibes, and 2) showing us the various characters featured in the film.

David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan as Superman and Lois in Superman (2025)
 

There are David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan as Superman and Lois, respectively; Nicholas Hoult looking like a VERY good Lex Luthor; Nathan Fillion as one of the Green Lanterns (Guy Gardner, for the record); Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific; Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl; and Pruitt Taylor Vince as Pa Kent. There are a lot of super-people in this film, which also includes Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, Frank Grillo as Rick Flag, Sr., and Milly Alcock as Supergirl. Looking at this teaser, my only concern is that we’re not going to be given a chance to enjoy Superman on his own terms before having a bucket of other heroes shoved at us.

 

On the other hand, this teaser is putting a huge emphasis on cooperation. This is probably a direct reaction to the Snyder-era character, who was a borderline misanthropic loner. Superman’s whistle to Krypto is mixed into the trailer music as a recurring motif, the whistle to his dog treated as his call to larger action among heroes. The jeers of an angry mob morphs into a chant of his name, signaling his role as a hero of the people. Lex Luthor is shown in his skyscraper empire, while Clark Kent is down on the ground, and our very first glimpse of Superman is when he’s hurt and in need of help. This Superman is not a solo pillar of strength, he is not Atlas, shouldering the world. He’s a guy who needs friends and has a crush on a girl at work. (Lainey: and a DOG!) Shockingly normal! Relatable, even! 

 

The two big superhero movie studios seem to have done a full role reversal from the 2010s. Marvel, known for their generally light-hearted superhero movies, is going full Sadvengers with Thunderbolts* next May, and two months later, DC, who defined grimdark superheroes in the same decade, are going to reboot with this pop-colored Superman of friendship and magic. Will that work for audiences in 2025? Only time will tell. But based on this teaser…probably, yeah.