It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No…it’s the new Superman trailer! As teased earlier this week, the first full length trailer for the upcoming James Gunn flick is finally here – and with it, a jam packed look at the first flagship film in the newly rebooted DC Studios line.
The almost two and a half minute trailer (surprisingly dialogue-free) gives fans their first look at the pairing of David Corenswet as Superman/Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, along with Nicholas Hoult as the villainous Lex Luthor. There’s also a sneak glimpse at some familiar settings including the Daily Planet offices, what looks to be the fortress of solitutde and LexCorp HQ.
Alongside plenty of action and heroics from Supes, he’s also joined by Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) – along with the best boy Krypto!
As the marketing excitedly ramps up for the 2025 summer blockbuster, we take a look at the five biggest moments from the action-packed trailer:
1. Superman faces off against a Kaiju (and a mysterious foe)
Yes, you read that right – it appears that Supes will be going toe-to-toe with a fire breathing Kaiju in the middle of the bustling city of Metropolis! He also flies in to protect a young child from deadly debris as a result of the Kaiju’s giant foot stomping around the city.
We also get a glimpse at Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl flying into action in a very similar location, perhaps signifying a team up between Supes and the uniformed team of Green Lanter, Mister Terrific and Hawkgirl to take down the giant monster.
In a recent Q&A with James Gunn, the director confirmed that All-Star Superman was a big influence, commenting: “that sort of science fiction and the idea of Lex as a mad science sorcerer almost, you know, where science is his own sort of sorcery. And the giant monsters and the threats. The Silver Age look through a gritty lens” So I think we guess exactly who’s behind the Kaiju!
There’s also a showdown between the Man of Steel and a mysterious foe suited up in what looks to be a similar suit as Black Noir from The Boys at a baseball stadium – with a logo that looks suspiciously like the Metropolis Meteors.
Taking a closer look at the antagonist and he certainly seems like a very similar build to Superman, could this potentially be a take on the cloned villain, Ultraman? With the opening shot teasing an injured and bleeding Superman, signs could potentially point to a beatdown by the clone. Only time will tell!
2. Clark and Lois’ relationship is front and centre
Following in the footsteps of the excellent Henry Cavill and Amy Adams so soon is no doubt a daunting task, but our first look at David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan as the iconic pairing certainly fills us with optimism.
Our first glimpse of the pair is at the Daily Planet offices, with a coffee and newspaper adorned Lois Lane glancing at the convincingly nerdy looking Clark (complete with iconic glasses).
The pair also share a passionate embrace in an office, with what looks to be potentially brainiac looming large in the background. Gunn seems to be ramping up the romance between the pair too, as they’re also seen to be spinning while kissing before zooming off into the sky.
The pair’s chemistry certainly looks to be electric and they definitely look the part. Unlike the often under-utilised Amy Adams in The Man of Steel, it also appears that Lois will be much more front and centre this time round, with Gunn noting that “Lois is as good at journalism as Superman is at protecting the world is an important part of the film.”
With cuts to a young child raising a Superman flag in what looks to be a war torn area, with a news report confirming Moravian troops amassing at a border, will Lois be investigating a potential conflict?
3. First look at Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor
The teaser also gives us our first look at Nicholas Hoult as the iconic Superman villain Lex Luthor – and he certainly fits the bill! Sporting the signature bald head and showing a clear disdain for the Man of Steel as he flies past Luthorcorp, the X-Men actor looks set to be an excellent addition to the franchise.
Further on in the trailer we also see the antagonist brandishing a gun in a dark environment, with what looks to be a whole lot of high security cells behind him, one we see Superman breaking out of later on in the trailer. Is this where Lex Luthor is potentially keeping his experiments/clones perhaps…?
The director described Hoult’s take on the villain as “he’s intimidating, he’s a bad ass but he’s also got his reasons” at a recent Q&A, also citing that he’s the main villain of the piece. “It’s a story about Superman, and it’s also about the trio of Superman, Lois and Lex, and how they interact.”
4. First look at Green Lantern, Hawkgirl and Mister Terrific
Along with the core trio of Superman, Lois and Lex, Gunn is introducing his own take on characters Guy Gardner aka Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), who all make an appearance in this trailer.
Nathan Fillion is sporting the hilarous signature Guy Gardner bowl cut and both Mister Terrific and Hawkgirl are pretty accurate to their comic book counterparts. However, they are all wearing similarly branded Mr Terrific type suits, indicating that perhaps they’re working as a team under the banner of Maxwell Lord.
We see all three in action, with Guy Gardner notably brandishing his green ring at what appears to be a window broken by an angry mob, who also threw a can at Superman’s head as he was entering what seems to be a Stagg Industries building.
We also know that Milly Alcock has been announced to play Kara Zor-El, but she’s yet to make an appearance in the teaser and full-length trailer.
5. Krypto the dog is adorable and a very good boy!
With the first official photo highlighting the Superman and Krypto relationship, the trailer further strengthens the bond between the two, as he’s the second character to appear in the new trailer.
In what looks to be a snowy environment potentially near the fortress of solitutude, Supes says “Krypto – home. Take me home”, before handing the adorable dog his cape.
In a recent Q&A with writer and director James Gunn, the new Co-Chairman and CEO of DC shed a light on what fans can expect from Clark and Krypto’s dynamic.
“Well, I think you’ll see in the movie that Krypto probably comes off as a better dog in the trailer than he is in the movie – he’s a pretty terrible dog! You love them because, you know, he’s a dog and how can you not? And he’s got the cute innocent eyes. But he’s a terrible dog, and he is based on my dog, Ozu.”
With plenty of action, iconic environments and an excellent take on the beloved John Williams theme, there’s certainly plenty for Superman and DC fans to get excited about in this trailer.
Roll on Summer 2025!
Directed by James Gunn, Superman stars David Corenswet as Superman/Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. The film also stars Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabemla Merced, Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio, María Gabriela de Faría, Wendell Pierce, Alan Tudyk, Pruitt Taylor Vince, and Neva Howell.
Superman will be released in the UK on July 11th 2025.
