Rebel Moon: What Are The Griffins In The Trailer? Zack Snyder's Bennus Explained

This week, we finally got a good, hard, and signature slow-motion look at Zack Snyder's upcoming space opera, "Rebel Moon." Coming to Netflix in two parts — "Rebel Moon: Child of Fire" and "Rebel Moon: The Scargiver" — there isn't a single frame of this wild-looking story from beyond the stars that doesn't scream "epic." Among the small details of the new trailer, we see spaceships, spider-women, and laser swords that definitely aren't from a galaxy far, far away. However, one element that stands out in this brand-new Snyderverse is a pair of plucky and powerful griffins. Well, at least that's what we thought they were called. It turns out that when jumping into the world of "Rebel Moon," everything has a fancy new name.

According to Netflix, these feathered steeds spotted in the new preview are called bennu and are native to one specific planet. While a white one is seen walking behind the unconfirmed dead king at the funeral procession, the trailer ends with a black bennu taking to the skies with one of the movie's many heroes. According to Snyder, this character is going to play a significant part in the overarching "Rebel Moon" narrative, but audiences will have to wait for "The Scargiver" to learn more about him.

When you flesh out a far-off universe, it helps to fill it with all manner of beasties to either be tamed or taken down permanently. In the case of the bennu, Zack Snyder pitches them as a mode of transportation for one of Kora's rag-tag team of heroes. Seen jumping on the back of a bennu is Tarak (Star Nair), who is native to where these creatures come from. Speaking to Netflix, Snyder explained, "[The bennus] come from Tarak's home planet, originally. They're kind of like the horses of their world."

Almost bearing a resemblance to the Dothraki from "Game of Thrones," Tarak looks to be a long-haired tearaway and horse lor ... sorry, bennu lord (of sorts) in the making who could be on the path for great things in the future. "You're going to find out about Tarak's backstory in 'Part Two,'" Snyder teases, proving just how big a role he and his wild ride will have. We'll see how he handles things when "Rebel Moon: A Child of Fire" arrives on Netflix on December 22, 2023.