DC fans rejoice: the first footage for the new and highly anticipated Superman film written and directed by James Gunn dropped on Thursday, igniting optimistic thoughts, feelings, and comments that extend to every corner of the internet.
Despite the whiplash of over 11 live-action versions of this iconic superhero, this new trailer—which dropped on the morning of Dec. 19, 2024—has people extremely excited to experience the franchise’s hyper-colored, comic book-minded reboot…and especially, it’s furriest cast member, Krypto.
Who plays the new Superman in 2025?
Actor David Corenswet—whose previous work includes the feature thriller Pearl and the dark streamer comedy The Politician—appears as Clark Kent. Additionally, Rachel Brosnahan (of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel fame) plays Superman‘s love interest, Lois Lane. Donning a bald cap, actor Nicholas Hoult plays Superman’s villainous nemesis, Lex Luthor.
What happens in the Superman trailer?
The trailer begins with an injured Superman crashing into a snowy landscape, where he whistles for his red-caped dog Krypto to rescue him. Meanwhile, Clark Kent goes to work at the Daily Planet, encountering fellow journalist Lois Lane.
The trailer continues in a series of quick-fire scenes: Superman rescuing a young girl, Superman fighting a fire-breathing dragon, Clark Kent making out with Lois Lane, Lex Luthor holding a futuristic-looking gun, Superman getting a rock thrown at his head, explosions, force fields, fires and (of course) Superman in flight.
Costume controversy
Superman’s outfit is a return to past films, with Gunn bringing back Superman’s classic (yet controversial) trunks. Speaking to press on the set of Superman, Gunn revealed (via Gizmodo) that he was “on the no trunks team for a long time.” Eventually, Gunn changed his perspective.
“He’s an alien. He’s got these incredible powers. He shoots beams out of his eyes, [he] can blow the truck over. He’s this incredibly powerful–could be considered scary–individual, and he wants people to like him. He wants to be a symbol of hope and positivity. So he dresses like a professional wrestler. He dresses in a way that makes people unafraid of him, that shows that. That really clicked in for me.”
What makes this Superman different than older versions?
According to Culture Crave, James Gunn’s Superman puts the audience in the middle of the action, with relationships between the characters already formed: Lois and Clark already know each other, and Lex Luthor already hates Superman.
Additionally, the film’s production takes from other cultural touchstones, including having a vivid, expanded fantasy universe like Game of Thrones, and utilizing flying action sequences with drones, similar to Top Gun: Maverick. Musically, the film is score-driven, a nod to John Williams’ original musical arrangement.
In an X video Gunn released on Dec. 18, the writer-director described Superman as a “story about humanity, about what it means to be a hero in a world that doesn’t always make it easy to be one.”
Reactions to the Superman trailer
The public is enthusiastically embracing the trailer as a fun, new era for the Superman franchise, one that builds upon the sentiment and aesthetic from the original Christopher Reeves’ films.
One Redditor commented on the trailer, “Lois and Clark making out and kissing and kissing while flying??? You love to see it. We desperately need to be in an era of comic book movies where relationships and love exist.”
A second commenter on the Reddit thread agreed. “This was everything I was hoping it would be: dramatic, hopeful, exciting, and moving. I loved the homage to John Williams’ Superman theme while still doing something new with it. I feel like the Superman I’ve (personally) been missing for a while now is finally back.”
Still another added, “Guys, this might be heat.”
But Krypto the dog is the real star
Of all the noteworthy elements of the trailer, the public has the most feelings about the inclusion of Krypto, Superman’s loyal dog. Reddit user spider-jedi said, “Krypto made the trailer for me. Could not help but smile when I saw him.”
“I got chills when he whistled for Krypto,” another Redditor said.
“Krypto in his little red cape made me ridiculously happy,” another user added.
People love the hero’s scrappy little sidekick, a superpowered, dog in a red cape who already seems to play a pivotal role in Superman’s storyline.
The canine character was inspired by Gunn’s own dog, Ozu, who he adopted shortly after he began writing the film. “He immediately came in & destroyed our home, our shoes, our furniture—he even ate my laptop,” Gunn said on X. “I remember thinking, ‘Gosh, how difficult would life be if Ozu had superpowers?’ And thus Krypto came into the script & changed the shape of the story as Ozu was changing my life.”
“Superman” will be released in theatres and IMAX nationwide on July 11, 2025, and is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
