Small Details You Missed In The Superman Trailer

Ever since it was first announced that James Gunn would tackle a Superman film of his own, fans have been waiting patiently to see what the "Guardians of the Galaxy" director would come up with. From the get-go, the first reveal of James Gunn's Superman in his costume had some fans complaining, with a few noting that the new suit looked bland or uninspired. With the release of the brand-new "Superman" teaser trailer, many fans are saying the same thing. But it's not all doom and gloom. In fact, if anything, the new "Superman" trailer is filled with loads of DC Comics-inspired material that aims to build a bigger DC Universe, one with Superman once again at the center.

Until "Superman" hits theaters next July, we won't know for sure how Gunn plans to reinterpret the material. However, from what we've seen so far, he's going back to the character's blockbuster roots. With a score that weaves in that iconic John Williams "Superman March" to some spectacular-looking shots of David Corenswet's Superman saving the citizens of Metropolis, there's a lot to look forward to. Whether you prefer Christopher Reeve's Superman or Henry Cavill's Man of Steel, we can only hope that Corenswet will embody the character as masterfully as his predecessors.

As we await the arrival of "Superman," there are plenty of small details worth picking through in this first trailer, so let's dive right in. Sure, you may have caught some of those other DC Comics heroes, but there are a few other Easter eggs that you probably missed.

One of the most powerful shots in the entire two-minute trailer is the moment when Superman (David Corenswet) saves a young girl from a monstrous kaiju creature that's terrorizing Metropolis. Now, we don't know much about this monster at all, but what we did notice is that the street sign beside the Man of Steel reads something that only eagle-eyed comic fans would spot as a reference. All this action occurs on the corner of Ross Street, which is probably a direct reference to longtime comic book artist Alex Ross. 

Ross' work, especially his Superman material, is some of the very best in the business — and we can't help but note his influence on James Gunn's "Superman" in particular. Ross was the mastermind behind the look of the 1996 DC miniseries "Kingdom Come," a story about the nature of heroism in the DC Universe and how vital Superman is to the next generation. In fact, Corenswet's Superman shares his costume's "S" design with the Man of Steel from the alternate "Kingdom Come" universe. Gunn almost certainly made this creative choice as a nod to this famed comic book tale, and the Metropolis street sign is just another way to honor Ross' contributions to the greater DC mythos.

In traditional Superman lore, and in all the old movies and television programs as well, Superman kept his secret identity as Clark Kent close to the chest. Nobody knew that the Man of Steel had taken on a human persona, and certainly not that of a mild-mannered, sometimes bumbling reporter from the Daily Planet. Of course, Clark Kent eventually revealed the truth to Lois Lane back in the '90s. Soon after, the pair got married, and Superman's entire status quo shifted. Movies like "Man of Steel" and shows like "Smallville" and "Superman & Lois" would likewise clue Lois in on Superman's dual identity, and from what we can tell, James Gunn may be following suit.

Throughout the "Superman" trailer, we see Clark and Lois (Rachel Brosnahan) interact on a number of occasions — most notably, when Lois sits with a seemingly disheartened Superman as Metropolis goes up in flames. At the end of the trailer, the pair soar in the air mid-kiss, and, in another brief clip, Lois kisses a glasses-free Clark Kent. It appears that Gunn may too be skipping the Superman/Lois Lane/Clark Kent love triangle that plagued so much of the Man of Steel's early comic book appearances. If so, then "Superman" would jump past much of Lois Lane's comic book history, allowing the character to quickly become the Man of Tomorrow's closest confidant and emotional rock.

One thing that no Superman movie has taken the time to explore much over the years is the culture and history of Metropolis itself. The city has a rich DC Comics history, with plenty of establishments, traditions, and notable stories beyond the Daily Planet and LexCorp. From what we've seen of the first "Superman" teaser trailer, it appears that James Gunn is hoping to honor that. 

Twice in the trailer, we see nods to one (or perhaps both) of Metropolis' premiere baseball teams. In the aforementioned Ross Street scene, a banner for one of the city's ball teams is shown (though we can't quite tell which). Later on, Superman fights a superpowered villain at the Metropolis Meteors' stadium. In 2024's "DC's Spring Breakout! #1," DC Comics highlights Superman's own love of the sport, and we hope that 2025's "Superman" will do the same.

According to 1990's "Atlas of the DC Universe," the Metropolis Meteors are the longest running National League baseball team in the city, while the Metropolis Monarchs, on the other hand, play in the American League. Traditionally speaking, Clark Kent is usually a Monarchs fan, so hopefully that'll be expressed in the film. The dual Metropolis baseball franchises have made a splash elsewhere in Superman media as well. The Meteors are mentioned in passing in "Superman & Lois," while the Monarchs have existed within the greater DC Extended Universe and the "Young Justice" animated series.

Speaking of greater Metropolis lore, one change that longtime Superman buffs will notice in James Gunn's film is the shift from LexCorp to LuthorCorp. In most DC Comics stories, Lex Luthor (played here by Nicholas Hoult) owns and operates his own multi-billion dollar conglomerate, LexCorp. While LexCorp didn't show up in the mythos until the mid-1980s, it's become a long-established staple of Metropolis in most incarnations. However, anyone who watched this "Superman" trailer likely noticed that Lex's business isn't called LexCorp but LuthorCorp, a brand that was originally crafted specifically for the prequel series, "Smallville."

When "Smallville" first aired in 2001, it followed the Man of Steel in his teenage years as he learned to use his superpowers and evolved into a hero. Michael Rosenbaum played Lex Luthor, a man who grew up in the shadow of his father, Lionel Luthor (John Glover), and aimed to make LuthorCorp his own. By making the Luthor business a family affair, "Smallville" tackled themes of generational wealth and legacy in a way previous stories hadn't. By the ending of "Smallville," LuthorCorp was, presumably, renamed LexCorp.

While we don't know much about Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor, we can only hope that the change from LexCorp to LuthorCorp (a change found on "Superman & Lois" as well) will offer some unique narrative potential. And in case you didn't notice, another potential "Superman" antagonist, the Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría), can be seen on top of the LuthorCorp building. If you look real closely, she appears to be stalking whoever is inside.

Another DC Comics corporation that makes its way into the "Superman" trailer is Stagg Industries, and boy does that have loads of potential. Stagg Industries is named after the DC character Simon Stagg, a supervillain who made his first appearance in "The Brave and the Bold" #57 back in 1965. While Stagg doesn't usually tussle with the Man of Steel, he maintains some pretty serious connections to another character set to appear in the film, Anthony Carrigan's Rex Mason, aka Metamorpho. In the aforementioned issue of "The Brave and the Bold," it's revealed that Stagg is directly responsible for Mason's transformation from man to monstrous hero after Mason had fallen in love with Stagg's daughter.

Given that Carrigan's Metamorpho also appears in the trailer, it's likely that Superman arrives at Stagg Industries as a result of his transformation. Maybe the giant kaiju monster is a direct side effect of Stagg taking revenge on Rex? Either way, given that LuthorCorp seems to be heavily involved in the film, it's unlikely that both Luthor and Stagg will be major antagonists. However, the addition of Stagg Industries could open a door to the greater DC Universe franchise, not unlike how "Man of Steel" snuck in an Easter egg for Wayne Enterprises, leading to the greater DCEU.

One of the most heartbreaking shots in the "Superman" trailer is a brief glimpse of our hero's Fortress of Solitude. Recreating the magic of the Kryptonian crystal fortress first made popular by the original 1978 "Superman" movie, the teaser trailer for the 2025 film makes it clear that the Man of Steel is never truly alone up in the Arctic. Aside from the inclusion of Krypto the Superdog — the one "Superman" character fans can't stop talking about — Kal-El also has his very own robotic companion this time around. Now, because there have been a few different robotic butlers in Superman's comic book history, it's hard to pinpoint exactly which one this character may be, but we have some ideas.

Since James Gunn has previously revealed that Grant Morrison's "All-Star Superman" series was a major influence on "Superman," one might assume that this robot is simply one of the many Superman Robots (yes, seriously) that Superman uses to maintain the Fortress and protect his identity. Even within the mainstream continuity, Superman has had robotic companions to help him in his mission, such as in the Silver Age story told in "Action Comics" #282. 

Of course, this android could also be a version of the House of El's Kryptonian servant Kelex, who first appeared in the rebooted "The Man of Steel" origin story by John Byrne. Kelex previously appeared in live action in 2013's "Man of Steel" and in episodes of the CW series "Supergirl."

One small DC Comics Easter egg that probably blew by even the most die-hard of fans was a glimpse of the war-torn nation of Boravia. The fictional DC Comics nation hasn't been featured in very many stories since the 1950s and has fallen into relative obscurity, but this small detail actually contains a powerful connection to the Man of Steel.

As early as 1939's "Superman" #2, Boravia appeared as a European nation (ruled by a monarch) that collapses into a deadly civil war. With Superman's involvement, the nation eventually reunites, but only after the Man of Steel forces leaders from both sides to cooperate. After that, Boravia was featured in issues of "Blackhawks," which narrowed its location down to somewhere in the Alps. From what we can see of Boravia in the trailer for Gunn's "Superman" film, the nation appears to exist somewhere in the war-torn Middle East or some other desert-based location in the DCU. It certainly doesn't appear to be nestled in the Alps. 

This wouldn't be the first time that Superman has engaged in international affairs on the big screen. In "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace," Christopher Reeve's Superman convinces the United Nations to give up all nuclear weapons, and in 2016's "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," Henry Cavill's Superman stops an African warlord from killing Amy Adams' Lois Lane. It's likely some other international conflict will ensue here as well.

If there's one thing that makes Superman really Superman, it's the example of his adoptive parents Jonathan and Martha Kent. These midwestern Kansas farmers teach young Kal-El old-fashioned American values and push him to seek truth and justice in all things. In "Superman," the Kents are played by Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell, though we only see Vince's Pa Kent in the trailer. In an emotionally vulnerable moment, he and Clark sit on the front porch before embracing, and it makes us wonder what they're upset about. Could the Kents be losing the farm? Could Martha Kent die, leaving her boys behind? The most obvious possibility is that Jonathan Kent himself is dying, and it wouldn't be the first time.

In most major Superman media, Jonathan Kent doesn't live to see his son put on the red cape and blue tights. In "Superman: The Movie," Glenn Ford's Pa Kent dies of a heart attack, as does John Schneider's version on "Smallville." In "Man of Steel," Kevin Costner's incarnation of the character makes the controversial choice to stop his son from saving him to avoid exposing his secret to the world. In the new "Superman" trailer, we could be seeing a flashback to one of Clark's last moments with his father. Considering that Richard Donner's "Superman" is among Gunn's favorite comic book movies, we wouldn't be surprised if this were the route his own film took.

In that first official image of David Corenswet in his Superman uniform, the Man of Steel was seated, putting on one boot at a time as Metropolis was being attacked behind him. While most folks focused on the Superman outfit itself, other die-hard comic fans noticed the giant, glowing, eye-like orb flying in the background. Back then, many assumed that this was an interpretation of the DC Comics villain Solaris, and the new teaser trailer only reinforces that idea. Solaris first appeared in 1998's "DC One Million" #1 by Grant Morrison, as an artificial sun that is strangely sentient. Additionally, the character was featured as an antagonist in the aforementioned "All-Star Superman," also penned by Morrison.

While we don't know why Superman isn't rushing into battle against this creature (which may or may not be Solaris), we can only assume that Big Blue has his reasons. If the monster outside his window is indeed Solaris, then perhaps the living sun has sapped the Man of Tomorrow of his powers? Or, maybe, he simply isn't sure of himself, and needs the added encouragement of Lois Lane. Either way, it seems as if James Gunn's dive into DC Comics lore will pay off.

One interesting complaint from some fans on Reddit and X is that parts of the "Superman" teaser trailer look a bit too similar to 2023's major disappointment, "The Flash." Although the movies couldn't appear to be more different in tone, we can see what fans are talking about, especially when comparing the clips with Edi Gathegi's Mister Terrific to the battle scene against Michael Shannon's General Zod near the end of the film. 

Although "The Flash" wasn't a total box office failure, it's been widely considered the worst of the DCEU. Of course, James Gunn praised the DC picture at the time, and the response to "The Flash" didn't keep him from hiring the same cinematographer, Henry Braham, to shoot his Superman reboot. 

You might not have realized it, but Braham and Gunn had worked together before, back when the latter replaced Ben Davis as the director of photography on "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2." From then on, the pair worked together on the third "Guardians" film and the 2022 "Holiday Special," as well as Gunn's first DC feature, 2021's "The Suicide Squad." Having been apart of James Gunn's vision for the DC Universe since the beginning, it makes sense that Braham would be included in "Superman." Even if we hated "The Flash," and every cameo in the film from the worst to the best, it appears that "Superman" is off to a better start.