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James Gunn has started off the new DC Universe with a bang, soaring to impressive new heights as the Superman teaser trailer racks up hundreds of millions of views in its first day. Needless to say, people are excited again for one of the most prominent fictional symbols of hope. Gunn’s Superman might just be what DC and Warner Bros. needs after its literally and figuratively dark outing with Zack Snyder’s DCEU.
Back in 2013, Man of Steel received a major overhaul from director Zack Snyder, with an angstier and more pragmatic take. It was a Superman who killed his enemies (albeit reluctantly). Snyder’s Kal El bore the pain of a million tragedies past, unleashed in the bleeding fury of his laser vision. Well, maybe not, but that’s how Snyder’s Superman felt.
While actor Henry Cavill’s efforts and acting skills were jaw-droppingly godly, this Superman– Snyder’s Superman, had little to no subconscious effort to blend in or be accepted by humans. Zack Snyder’s intention was seemingly to paint Superman as a living god detached from basic human emotions and mannerisms.
I partly blame Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice for Snyder’s rather Olympian take. The DCEU obviously needed to rush certain developments, and that includes Batman and Superman’s rivalry to keep up with the MCU’s Avengers in 2012. At that point, the MCU already transformed into a billion-dollar franchise. The Snyderverse needed Superman as an aloof god to justify Batman’s aggression.
In doing so, Synderverse’s Superman turned into some kind of neutral entity whose only strength is literal, lacking the pervasive atmosphere of hope he provides for Earth’s mere mortals by the time the Justice League (2017) happened.
Gunn’s Superman is Here to the Rescue
It might be too early to call it, but this early on, and based on the teaser trailer for Superman (2025), they nailed Kal El’s human side. From Clark Kent’s micro-expressions and dorky posture to Kal El’s vulnerability, you can already predict it’s a more relatable Superman.
Speaking of the dorky Clark Kent, that’s another point in Gunn’s Superman’s favor. The new DCU Clark Kent is hunched, he’s clumsy, and he looks unassuming. No one would suspect him to be Superman. With Snyderverse’s Clark Kent, it looks like the studio just slapped on some thick glasses on him and called it a day.
I’d argue that the Clark Kent portrayal is just as important because this is where Kal El shows most of his efforts to stay human and stay grounded in the daily realities of the mortals around him. In turn, the Clark Kent perspective gives Superman a believable motivation for protecting humans and Earth.
Looking back at the teaser trailer, the new Superman looks like someone who has actually lived on Earth for decades and grew up with human culture. Apart from that, there’s one additional detail that brings Gunn’s Superman closer to the original comic book and even to the Christopher Reeves version; that detail would the red trunks.
The Red Underwear Makes a Comback
We can thank David Corenswet for that revival of the now-polarizing Superman clothing choice. Director James Gunn originally went for the trunks-less Snyder version, which was the more serious look. However, Corenswet convinced Gunn to give his character the old red boxer briefs to give Superman some kind of human-like showmanship akin to a WWE wrestler.
Not only were the shorts a callback to the old designs but also a rather conscious effort for David Corenswet’s Superman to look less intimidating in the eyes of the people he saves. Corenswet wanted his Superman to be less frightening to kids, and looking back at Snyder and Cavill’s edgy Man of Steel, that’s a good point.
Superman Doesn’t Need to Intimidate or Look Cool
We have to remember that Superman is an alien who wants to be accepted, and giving Superman a costume that’s not much different than Batman’s is not a good way to do that.
David Corenswet said it best himself:
“One of the things David said is that Superman wants kids to not be afraid of him. He’s an alien. He’s got these incredible powers. He shoots beams out of his eyes, can blow a truck over.
He’s this incredibly powerful, could be considered a 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 positivity. That really clicked in for me,” said Corenswet in an interview with ScreenRant.
The more colorful and brighter costume is definitely something believable as a symbol of hope, especially in stark contrast to the darker and more militaristic Snyderverse Superman costume.
This Time Batman vs. Superman Might Actually Work
In the off-chance James Gunn wants to pit two of DC’s most popular against each other again, then David Corenswet’s more vibrant Superman might actually make it more convincing. We often see Batman as the polar opposite of the standard Superman; he’s brooding, stoic, and angry.
His ideals, while often aligned with other superheroes or vigilantes, still clash with Superman in subtle ways. One of the reasons why Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice in the Snyderverse doesn’t work well is that both heroes are too alike– they’re two depressed men fighting each other over who had it harder in life.
Depending on what kind of Batman James Gunn brings to the DCU, it will hopefully be a much better opposite to Superman. With how the DCU is also handling its first entry for a reboot, whoever else is coming in the future after Superman is already looking promising. Even in the over-saturated superhero genre, it appears Superman’s capability for being a symbol of hope is also present.
