James Gunn Just Debunked A Weird Criticism Of Superman's Face
Resting flying face.
In 1978, Christopher Reeve made it clear that the key to convincing audiences that Superman can fly is all in the eyes. Now, the newest Superman is putting his best face forward. Or is he? In a teaser for the 2025 James Gunn-directed Superman, new Man of Steel actor David Corenswet looks directly into the camera as he flies at us. But while this footage is thrilling, some fans were crying foul, claiming that Corenswet’s face looked like it had been digitally manipulated. If that were the case, the magic of believing that a man can fly would be broken.
After some Threads users claimed Corenswet’s face looked “off,” there was a sudden consensus that we were seeing CGI trickery. In response, James Gunn himself stepped in to point out that the only thing fake about this scene is the fact that Corenswet isn’t really flying. Watch the new teaser below for the exact flying scene everyone is talking about.
“There is absolutely zero CG in his face,” James Gunn said on Threads. “People’s faces can look different when you put a wide-angle lens up close. The background plate in Svalbard is 100% real as is David.”
What he meant by the “background plate” is that the North Pole location of Svalbard was shot specifically for the movie, meaning the new Superman will not be using an AR Wall to create the environments of Superman’s Fortress of Solitude. That said, the moving crystals in the new trailer, are, of course, the product of visual effects. Gunn hasn’t claimed that he had an actual Fortress of Solitude built in Svalbard. At least not yet.
All the snowy locales in the new Superman trailers seem to make it clear the new reboot film will feature Kal-el’s Kryptonian home on Earth. Traditionally, Superman’s Fortress of Solitude is located in the Arctic, and it appears that will be the case here too. When and if we see the Fortress of Solitude in the new Superman, it will be the first time it’s featured in a movie in 19 years. Though versions of the Fortress of Solitude have popped up in various TV shows, the last time a cinematic Fortress of Solitude appeared was in 2006’s Superman Returns. Henry Cavill’s Superman never had the chance to unwind a little, but now Superman is very much going home.
