New Superman Trailer Proves the DCU Is Ready to Destroy the MCU
This is how you build out a cinematic universe.
The new Superman trailer is here, and super-fans are super-shook. Not only does the movie look like a stirring tribute to the Christopher Reeve films of the past, but it also crucially seems to forge a brand new path for the DC Cinematic Universe. And refreshingly, it seems that in launching the new Superman, DC is not trying to emulate the MCU. That’s because, for the first time in many years, it seems DC is poised to become more relevant than Marvel.
The trailer for Superman (2025) reveals several things beyond just the new titular red-caped hero. We get a new aesthetic for the city of Metropolis, a new Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), and a new Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) who is very much channeling some Margot Kidder energy. But this trailer is also packed with a ton of other superheroes from the wider DC comic book canon: Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan), and Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi).
The casual introduction of these other superheroes into the trailer indicates a totally non-Marvel strategy for Superman which is actually quite refreshing. Marvel teased out its various superhero team-ups slowly, creating the Avengers over the course of several years and a handful before putting them all on screen together in 2012. With Superman, we’re getting a handful of possible Justice League and/or Justice Society members not only in this first major DCU movie but also in the very first freaking trailer.
According to a scoop from ScreenRant, Gunn asserts that Superman will not spend any significant amount of screen time setting up future installments in the DCU. Instead, the whole point of the new movie is to create a more traditional experience: You’re watching this movie to enjoy this movie, not the next movie in the series that hasn’t been made yet.
“I mean, maybe two little things,” told Screenrant. “But, basically, if something's there just to set up something else, f*ck it.”
This could indicate that Superman won’t have a post-credits scene, and will only set up other DCU movies based on what you see in the film. But more broadly, this indicates an entirely different kind of strategy. Casual moviegoers probably won’t be as familiar with Guy Gardner and Mr. Terrific as hardcore DC fans, meaning, Superman will have to justify the existence in this movie outside of glorified cameos.
Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) and Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) just casually strolling into the Superman trailer.
This strategy might seem risky right now. How can audiences accept a new Superman AND a bunch of other DC heroes at the same time? Wasn’t introducing Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, in retrospect, a mistake? Arguably, overstuffing the new Superman with too many heroes and goofiness could prevent it from being inaccessible to the more general public. And yet, the hugeness of the MCU and the success of James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy films prove that modern moviegoers are more than willing to accept random superhero teams right out the gate.
In essence, Gunn’s strategy for DCU seems to be simple: Don’t hold back and save cool stuff for later. If something is great and comic-booky, let’s put it in the new movie we’re making, right now. If this strategy works, it may make Marvel’s previous pacing look glacial in comparison. Ten years ago, DC was viewed as a kind of superhero dinosaur. Now with Superman coming, it appears the tables have finally, maybe, turned.
