The first big trailer for James Gunn’s Superman The reboot has been revealed, revealing how the hero will be dealt with in the new DC cinematic universe. It differs significantly from the previous DC Extended Universe, particularly in its darker portrayal of the last son of Krypton. However, the trailer alone makes one of the more subtle differences to Superman in the DCEU even clearer.

David Corenswet’s new Superman clearly has a strong, solid support system, something Henry Cavill’s Superman completely lacked. While the world seems to be against both of them, the DCU Superman actually has people in his life that he can lean on. Far from being a brooding loner, this new version of Superman has all the elements of the era’s best Superman Comic books.

The first Superman trailer shows a larger DC universe

Superman is seen in the film’s teaser alongside other DC heroes

In the first trailer for James Gunn’s DCU Superman In the film, the character is far from the only superhero you see. Also present are Mr. Terrific, Metamorpho, Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern and Hawkgirl, all of whom are shown in battle. Although their relationship with Superman isn’t spelled out in the trailer, it’s very likely that they are at least somewhat allied with the Man of Steel.

This broader superhero community will definitely be necessary considering how rough the treatment of Superman is. In one scene, angry crowds and protesters can be seen deploring his presence and throwing trash at him. Likewise the new Superman The trailer itself begins with him seemingly falling into a snow-covered field after a brutal battle. He calls for his dog Krypto and asks him to take him home at top speed, proving that the Kryptonian dog is Superman’s best friend.

Aside from these allies, Superman is shown talking to his father Jonathan Kent, not to mention his romance with Lois Lane. While he is somewhat aloof in his Clark Kent persona, he is clearly confident with Lois as Superman. This all means a solid support system, which he will clearly need to establish himself in a fairly cynical world.

It also strikes a good balance between Superman’s own mythos and the evolving world, while also adding the broader DC Universe. This is necessary to develop the DCU without haste, like in the previous DC Extended Universe. Of all the problems with the DCEU, however, giving Superman a supporting cast that he can actually stand out from seems to be the biggest and most important.

The DCEU Superman was something of a loner

Henry Cavill’s Superman was on his own

First seen in 2013 Man of Steelthe DC Extended Universe version of Superman was very different than what fans were used to. The version played by Henry Cavill was clearly intended to distance the character from the Christopher Reeve and Brandon Routh incarnations of Superman and was a very different take on the Man of Tomorrow. Moody and brooding, this Superman was a true outsider in an incredibly cynical world.

While Cavill’s Superman was still heroic, he didn’t have the same warm or gentle aura surrounding him as in usual portrayals. This was evident not only in how the world reacted to him, but also in how Superman reacted in response to the world. With very few people truly in his corner and the world as a whole not shown in a hopeful or inspiring way, Superman’s own heroic light has only shone so brightly in the DC Extended Universe.

Henry Cavill’s Superman had very few people he could call friends, which is why he was so withdrawn and grumpy. All he had was Lois Lane and his mother Martha Kent. His father died in a tornado when he was young. Likewise, he was a virtual unknown even to his colleagues at the Daily Planet, constantly disappearing and being something of an enigma. Compared to other superheroes, he was just as angered by a paranoid and confused Batman as he was by Lex Luthor.

It wasn’t until he returned from the dead that Cavill’s Superman had other major DC heroes to truly befriend and interact with. Without a strong support system, it’s no wonder he met this hostility with a somewhat stone-faced expression. Director Zack Snyder put him in as many challenging situations as possible, so it was probably impossible to ever show him in the traditional way under the circumstances.

By stripping it of so many healthy or relational elements, Zack Snyder ensured that major elements of the Superman Mythos were missing from the DCEU. This was particularly evident in the infamous death of Jimmy Olsen in 2010 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justicewhich had a significant impact on an already controversial film. On the other hand, Jimmy Olsen is present in this film along with the rest of the Daily Planet team.

James Gunn’s main ingredient Superman The reboot appears to bring back the elements to the character that were not seen in the DC Extended Universe. This means that the version of the hero that both moviegoers and comic fans are used to is finally coming back to the big screen. Ironically, this involves adapting elements not from the hero’s “classic” era of comics, but from the same period that loosely inspired Zack Snyder’s adaptation of him.

Post-Crisis Superman gave the most depth to the character

James Gunn’s Superman is reminiscent of the comic book era of the late 1980s

Some may consider the classic version of Superman to be the one from the Silver Age comics or even the version portrayed by Christopher Reeve in the live-action films of the 1970s and 1980s. While the former did introduce multiple elements and villains into the mix, it is also synonymous with the mischaracterization of the hero as an “overpowering cipher of a god.” After Crisis on Infinite EarthsSuperman was rebooted and heavily changed, with many fans considering these changes to be positive.

Rewritten by former Marvel artist and writer John Byrne, the post-crisis Superman gave the character much-needed depth and a completely different status quo. The Clark Kent persona was shown to be the “real” persona and was much less of a bumbling nerd, and unlike previous comics and films, Clark’s adoptive parents were still alive. He had a much more natural romance with Lois Lane that didn’t rely on her trying to figure out his true identity, and the villainous Lex Luthor transformed from an ordinary mad scientist into a corrupt industrialist.

Vague elements of this era were adapted in the DC Extended Universe, namely the Kelex drone in the Fortress of Solitutde, Lex Luthor owning Lexcorp, and aspects of Clark’s characterization. Beyond that, however, there was no 1:1 parallel to any previous Superman, namely the more welcoming aspects of those incarnations. James Gunns Superman Reboot, although some visual and musical cues are adapted from Richard Donner Superman films, seems to adapt large parts of what the post-crisis Superman works so well.

Above all, this includes the already mentioned fact that Clark’s parents are still alive and that Lex Luthor is a corrupt entrepreneur. These aspects added to Superman’s world and gave him a certain level of courage while still remaining inspirational to the hero himself. This is definitely what is needed after the DCEU, as both audiences and especially fans seem to want a more traditional take on the hero. The recent end of the TV show Superman & Lois signaled a passing of the torch, so to speak, with this show representing a halfway point between the DCEU and the new DCU. It also combined elements of the Donner films with Man of Steel and the postalcrisis Comics, the latter point being seen in the character Steel.

The development has now come full circle, but with a twist. There are clearly a lot more modern and semi-modern influences Superman Comic books in this film as in Superman returnswhich went too far in trying to imitate the Thunder verse. Likewise, it doesn’t go completely in the opposite direction Man of Steel This is what Superman has done, and in doing so, Superman is given a warm and supportive cast of characters to stand by him as he stands up for truth, justice, and a better future. This will hopefully result in a film that gives a generation the definitive look at the first and best superhero of them all.

Superman hits theaters on July 11, 2025.