Throughout its entire production, James Gunn’s upcoming Superman film has been contrasted with the DC films made by Zack Snyder, and the level of detail of these comparisons will only increase once the reboot film is finally released. But while even the relatively little known about Superman suggests that, as expected, the Gunn film’s tone and visual style will differ sharply from Snyder’s, the reboot does seem to have even more in common with its predecessors than just the given similarities that naturally come from sharing the same source material. In particular, the latest trailer for the DC Universe film suggests that its plot may be more similar to that of Snyder’s second DC Extended Universe entry, the ever-divisive Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, than many viewers were likely expecting.
Superman Is a Political Character… and Both Movies Know It
The new Superman trailer released earlier this month uses a scene of Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) conducting an informal interview with Clark Kent (David Corenswet) about his recent activities as Superman as a framing device. The dialogue and accompanying footage reveal that Clark’s recent self-imposed mission to a foreign country, which he firmly asserts stopped a war, has also made him a divisive figure among the American (and likely global) public, with Lois even noting that the Secretary of Defense is investigating his actions.
This closely echoes the premise of Batman v. Superman, in which Clark’s (Henry Cavill) battle with a terrorist organization in Africa, which he initiates to save a kidnapped Lois (Amy Adams), exacerbates existing controversy about his involvement in world affairs. What isn’t clear yet is whether Superman’s main antagonist, Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), orchestrates the conflict, as Jesse Eisenberg’s version of the character does in Batman v. Superman, or simply takes advantage of it in his crusade against Clark. Brosnahan’s Lois questions whether Clark’s actions were justified is a potentially significant difference between the films, as Adams’ version is mostly supportive of her boyfriend and investigates Lex’s involvement in the incident in the hopes of clearing Clark’s good name.
Both Movies Pit Superman Against the World
Whether just due to the events of the potential war or because of other factors, Corenswet’s Clark is set to be at odds with both the U.S. government and other crime fighters for at least part of the film, similarly to BvS The trailer shows the character being detained and handcuffed by military forces, led by Creature Commandos’ Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo), who will now be director of the spy agency ARGUS, Angela Spica/The Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría), and a mysterious masked figure. The masked man and The Engineer, who in the comics is known for being a member of the ruthless superhero team The Authority, are also shown physically fighting Clark at different points in both trailers. And while it appears that they will be working with, or more likely, for Lex, it’s again unclear to what extent, if any, he’s manipulated Flag and Clark’s other opponents, or if their animosity is more honestly a result of the public mistrusting him.
The trailers haven’t suggested that any of the other superheroes featured in the film are as personally invested in combating Clark as Ben Affleck’s Batman was in BvS. However, comments from Gunn and other members of the cast and crew have emphasized how Clark’s simple heroism is still unusual in the DCU, despite the presence of other crime fighters, and there’s evidence suggesting that the other supporting heroes are also corporately and/or government sponsored, which could lead to similar clashes with Clark due to his attempts to remain apolitical and unaffiliated. Green Lantern Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) also frequently picks fights with other heroes simply because of his arrogant, abrasive personality in the comics, so it would not be at all surprising for him to at least attempt to engage Clark physically at some point, regardless of how Clark reacts or if Guy’s teammates support him doing so.
Both Movies Showcase Clark’s Humanity
Image via Warner Bros
Some lines from Lex himself provide additional narration later in the trailer, with the billionaire villain seething simply at Clark’s moniker, saying, “He’s not a man, he’s an it.” This suggests that a major part of the reason Lex resents Clark is because of his alien roots, in addition to jealousy over his powers, with him using those origins as justification to demonize Clark, much as Eisenberg’s version often did to Cavill’s. This adds a dark layer to what Gunn has described as one of the main challenges of the film, that being Clark’s effort to reconcile his alien and human heritages, yet another idea it shares with BvS, at the end of which Cavill’s Clark reaffirms that Earth “is my world,” with his heroism ironically making him a more admirably human character than Lex and many others, which looks like it could very well be the case in the reboot as well.
Again, the differences in the films’ overall styles are already apparent, and other details will likely further separate them from one another (while he’ll surely risk his life, it’s unlikely Corenswet’s Clark will be killed off, even temporarily, in his first film, for example). But the repetition of certain themes and plot points is a little concerning for those hoping that the reboot will be more unanimously popular than Snyder’s films and consequently ensure greater long-term success for the DCU than the last franchise received. On the bright side, if Superman is as well-received as fans want it to be and viewers notice how inevitable some of its similarities with BvS are, it could lead opinions on the earlier film to soften.
- Release Date
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July 11, 2025
- Director
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James Gunn
- Producers
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Lars P. Winther, Peter Safran