The new, epic teaser trailer for Superman has officially dropped online, giving fans everywhere a two minute thrill of a new vision of the world’s greatest hero. However unlike previous iterations of the Superman, writer/director James Gunn’s vision sees the Man of Steel immersed in a world already populated by heroes and fantastical elements. All of which are visible within our first look at the film.
With so much going on in the trailer, it’s easy to blink-and-miss several of the coolest Easter eggs and appearances within this incredible and fast-paced trailer.
Rest assured, though, Geeks of Color has you covered, as we break down frame-by-frame, all of the coolest sights, sounds, and action in this teaser.
Check out the Superman teaser trailerbreakdown below:
The trailer begins with Superman crash landing in what seems to be the Arctic, and he does not look good. Something or someone has clearly beaten the ever-loving crap out of our hero, and given that he is one of the most powerful superheroes alive, whatever has pummeled him must be one hell of a threat. It definitely emphasizes the challenges Gunn is having the Last Son of Krypton face.
Amidst the labored breaths of our beaten down hero, we get glimpses of his alternate life as Clark Kent, mild mannered reporter for The Daily Planet. The curly haired Kent towers over passersby, stumbling into the offices of the newspaper, and we get our first glimpse of The Daily Planet office building itself.
The era is a mix of modern and timeless with costumes that harken back to a ’70s aesthetics, but with modern conveniences like cellphones and coffee shop chalkboards. It gives you a sense of the alternative history Gunn has crafted for his DCU.
We get our first glimpse of multi-talented Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, as well as the environment of The Daily Planet. It definitely looks dynamic and busy, as any respectful print journalism paper should. The passing, knowing glances between her and Clark hint at the deep relationship between the two of them. Even from a glance, it looks like there’s lovely chemistry between the duo.
Do you bleed? The answer is yes.
We get a glimpse of Smallville. The Kent farm is actually quite tiny, and it feels a lot more real. Pruitt Taylor Vince portrays Jonathan “Pa” Kent. Superman/Clark is the product of the beautiful childhood the Kents gave him, and the meaningful, loving relationship between them is fully encapsulated in this one tender shot of Clark and his adoptive father.
We get our first glimpse of Krypto the Superdog in action. While we’ve seen the character in comics and in various animated media, we’ve never seen the character utilized in live-action, and Krypto is absolutely adorable.
At the recent teaser trailer event, Gunn insinuated that the relationship between Krypto and Clark will be “complicated,” and the inclusion of the Superdog is Gunn’s way of embracing all of the Superman lore in this film.
This shot is an incredibly important one. Not because it hints at any sort of DC easter eggs or world building, but because it embodies the simple premise of who Superman is – someone who saves people. Gunn has hinted that he is kindness in a world that thinks kindness is old fashioned. He dresses like a wrestler, as Siegel and Shuster intended, because he doesn’t want kids to be afraid of him.
Here we get our first official glimpses of Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor. Smarmy businessman and founder of Luthorcorp. He hates Superman with a fiery passion. Gunn stated at a trailer event this past Monday that the conflict between Superman and Lex is rooted in their diverse ideologies. How they see the world is ultimately what divides these two opposing forces.
We see a shot of Superman captured in some sort of glass prison, and him breaking out. If you look closely there are others in the cells next to him. In the scene prior, you see a gun-toting Lex standing in front of what looks like the same prison cells.
Perhaps Luthor hates metahumans and is trying to find a way to imprison them because he fears them, and he’s using them as a scapegoat to feed public support for himself and his company. It wouldn’t be the first time a frail egotistical millionaire tried to use a minority group as a scapegoat for political or economic gain.
We see a shot of a little boy in a war-torn country crying out for Superman. This is character that doesn’t discriminate or hate. He just helps, and that’s why his appeal is global. The world needs a hero and as this kid knows, he’s the greatest and kindest there is, in a world that so desperately needs him.
We see an angry mob of people cursing and throwing trash at Superman. Conflicting ideologies encourage people to hate and protest against people that think differently from them, but to Superman none of that matters. He’s going to do what’s right no matter what anyone thinks of him.
We see Superman in a building that seems to be the HQ of Stagg Industries. One of the billion dollar enterprises in the DC Universe, Stagg Industries made its first appearance in Metamorpho #1 in 1965 as Stagg Enterprises. It is controlled and operated by founder Simon Stagg. He is the former employer of Rex Mason, a.k.a. Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan). His daughter Sapphire Stagg is Metamorpho’s significant other.
Speaking of other heroes, we get our first glimpses of Nathan Fillion’s Green Lantern (Guy Gardner), and Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl. Guy demonstrates the use of his Green Lantern power ring by blocking the Stagg Industries door from the angry mob outside, while Hawkgirl flies into action with her powerful mace.
Hawkgirl’s scene seems to be connected with a battle happening in Metropolis with a giant extraterrestrial creature. No idea what this beast is or how it came to be. However it does emphasize the greater idea that Gunn is trying to convey of this being a universe with fantastical creatures and heroes already existing in it. Whatever this beast is, it definitely breathes fire.
We get a very passionate scene between Clark and Lois. Obviously, Clark being in civilian clothing indicates she knows he’s Superman. Once again, the chemistry between these two is off the charts.
We start to get a bunch of really quick shots, including one of Superman mourning what appears to be the loss of an android from Krypton in the Fortress of Solitude. The movie is supposed to deal with legacy, and the idea of Clark being an outsider with very little ties to his Kryptonian heritage here on Earth, apart from the Fortress. Perhaps this android is one of the last lingering links to that legacy/heritage that Superman has, and losing it is something he’s genuinely broken by.
We get our first glimpse of Metamorpho in the flesh! The makeup and prosthetics on Carrigan look amazing. Kudos to the team who who helped bring Metamorpho to life.
We get a closer look at Mr. Terrific, played by Edi Gathegi. Gunn has stated in previous set-visit interviews that Gathegi’s Mr. Terrific is the main side-superhero character in the film, and he’s a big part of the plot. We also see a force field generated around him and a bunch of cool T-Spheres.
The last shot of the trailer is a simple one. While chaos is happening outside their apartment, Lois simply hugs Clark. These are two characters from two different worlds, with two different viewpoints, and they come together to make each other better. She makes Superman a better hero. He makes her a better reporter.
We can’t wait to see all of this unfold when Supermanhits theaters on July 11, 2025!