James Gunn Explains ‘Battered’ Superman Scene

Warner Bros. Pictures dropped an official trailer for the awaited Superman movie on Thursday. James Gunn broke his silence about the superhero appearing badly wounded and vulnerable.

DC fans have been looking forward to the new Superman film starring David Corenswet. The upcoming movie, directed by James Gunn, is the first after Henry Cavill's Man of Steel in 2013. Cavill reprised his superhero role in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017). In 2022, Cavill announced that he would return for another Superman film, but that changed after James Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC Universe just weeks later. Gunn decided that the next Superman would focus on a younger version of the superhero, so they replaced Cavill with Corenswet. Finally, the first trailer of Corenswet's superhero movie dropped, and fans were surprised to see the protagonist bleeding in the snow and seemingly gasping for air to survive.

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By  Catherine Armecin Martin

Gunn addressed the heartbreaking scene that set the tone of the film. According to him, the picture of the "battered" Superman was more than it seemed because the sight represented something that everyone could probably relate to. "We do have a battered Superman in the beginning. That is our country," Gunn said during a Q&A, per ScreenRant. "I believe in the goodness of human beings, and I believe that most people in this country, despite their ideological beliefs, their politics, are doing their best to get by and be good people — despite what it may seem like to the other side, no matter what that other side might be." The filmmaker believed it was necessary to show that scene because "This movie is about that." In the same scene, Superman whistles while lying in the snow to call Krypto the Superdog for help. He commands him to take him home.

In other scenes, Superman can be seen saving a little girl from an explosion, being mocked by the public and a little boy holding a flag pole with the superhero's logo, seemingly hoping he will show up amid the chaos. "It's about the basic kindness of human beings, and that it can be seen as uncool and under siege [by] some of the darker voices are some of the louder voices," Gunn continued about the trailer. The director also spoke with Variety about it, and he expressed his excitement for the project. He was excited for the film to be released and for the public to witness what they had been doing behind the scenes. Gunn was also proud of the work they did for Superman. "We all felt like we were doing something good, both in terms of quality and in terms of actually something that's not a fascistic power fantasy. I'm not saying that about other hero movies in general. But it felt good to be doing something that was about a person's kindness," Gunn said.

One of the most noticeable things in the trailer was the lack of dialogue, but it was moving. Gunn and the production team did great in highlighting Superman's vulnerability and power. It's noticeable that the film concentrates more on the superhero's humanity instead of his superpower. This makes more sense, as Gunn wants to focus on that. The sight of the little boy holding a flag with Superman's logo amid the chaos and the public's faint chanting of "Superman" in the background are reminders that Superman is not just a superhero; he is also a symbol of hope for many.

However, some were not impressed with the trailer and felt it was depressing to see the titular superhero in a horrible state. Superman is endowed with special abilities and God-like superpowers, so the movie should explain well what brings him down in such a vulnerable state. It should be a very powerful force or something related to Kryptonite. Otherwise, it would make Superman look weak if he ended up battered over something not as powerful as him. Overall, it's still too early to judge since the trailer only showed very few scenes from the actual movie. Gunn did an amazing job in his previous movies, like Guardian of the Galaxy, so Superman's battered state certainly had a good reason behind it. It could be Lex Luthor using Kryptonite or some more powerful forces. Fans should wait and see.

Superman will hit theaters on July 11, 2025.

Source: ScreenRant