Clark and Bark: Superman and Krypto Save the Day

DC Studios is boldly going where no one in the DCU has gone before, and by “going,” we mean rebooting the Man of Steel. The highly anticipated Superman from writer-director James Gunn is dropping this July. It’s been a few months of talking about the upcoming film, but now we can see it for ourselves, and there’s more than enough hype material in the first official trailer for Gunn’s take on the hero. Meet the new Clark Kent, the feisty Lois Lane, a whole slew of other DC icons and baddies, and one (extremely adorable) scene-stealing superdog.

Flight of Your Inner Life

First, this isn’t going to be a traditional origin story. Gunn has made it clear before that this Superman is about Clark Kent’s emotional journey to bridge the gap between his small-town Kansas life and his Kryptonian birthright as a blue-collar everyman. And in the trailer, there’s even a little flashback to his childhood where a five-year-old Clark sits with Jonathan Kent (played by Pruitt Taylor Vince) on the steps of their farmhouse and laments that he doesn’t know where he belongs.

“The Man of Steel” (as Clark calls himself at one point in the trailer) is a 25-year-old played by David Corenswet, a relatively familiar face with big credits in Pearl and Hollywood. His Clark/Superman is further along than the wet-behind-the-ears, “gee-whiz” character he’s often been before. Lois Lane, however, is a no-nonsense reporter who might get under his skin and change his life. Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) plays Lois, and yes, as all Marvelous Mrs. Maisel fans were hoping, she has her spark.

The trailer opens with Lois (Rachel Brosnahan) running through a mock job interview for the Daily Planet with “Superman” (guess who) and her boss, editor-in-chief Amanda Waller (Vanessa Bayer). He and Lois keep shooting sly looks at each other, sparking some chemistry and hints at flirtation, but Lois is still very much after Superman’s source. Some viewers have pointed out it’s already been confirmed she knows he is Clark, and the actress has confirmed she and David Corenswet spend plenty of time together outside of filming as friends. But based on how both look in the scene, this writer still suspects Lois is completely in the dark.

Playing the part of “Lex” is Nicholas Hoult, yet another big name for Gunn’s supporting cast. Nicholas has always been one to chew up the scenery, and this teaser gives him some time to spitshine, too, along with playing his usual super-smart menace and leading the charge for the villainous LuthorCorp. He’s joined by both Sara Sampaio and Terence Rosemore as Eve Teschmacher and Otis, his right and left-hand women in more ways than one.

Krypto’s Kara-zay-ing Great Debut

The other surprise breakout character? Superman’s best pal and fellow Kryptonian, Krypto the superdog. In the teaser that dropped back in December, Krypto heroically drags a mortally wounded Clark back to the Fortress of Solitude. The full trailer re-up on that image with Krypto saving the day, and Krypto getting into the thick of it, pitting his brawn against Luthor and even up against the high-tech baddie Angela Spica (Maria Gabriela de Faria), a.k.a The Engineer, who has a bodysuit made of black spandex and killer rotating blades that she can project with the help of nanotechnology. The Engineer, Luthor, and some of LuthorCorp’s foot soldiers attack the Fortress of Solitude in a full-on assault!

And speaking of kaiju, the trailer also leaves us with our first good look at them on screen in the flesh, too. There are various glimpses of fantastical battles throughout the trailer, including a throwdown between the Justice League and an army of outer space spiders that looks CGI amazing, but DC fans also get to see a whole host of new or lesser-known DCU heroes and villains besides Superman, Krypto, Lois Lane, and Luthor.

Nathan Fillion makes an appearance as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, known for wearing a bowl cut as well as a purple and green energy-powered ring. Anthony Carrigan as Rex Mason/Metamorpho shows off his shapeshifting, element-manipulating powers, Isabela Merced as the winged warrior Hawkgirl, and Edi Gathegi as the scientist-turned-masked-hero Michael Holt/Mister Terrific. And in yet another Superman family nod, we meet Superman’s cousin Kara Zor-El, a.k.a. Supergirl. Kara Zor-El is played by Milly Alcock, and she’s there, we’re sure, for her reasons. Also featured are Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell as Jonathan and Martha Kent, Superman’s parents, respectively.

DC First Family Drama

DC fans will also get one more reference from the property: Frank Grillo is back as Rick Flag Sr. (who fans will recognize as a veteran of The Suicide Squad), and Sean Gunn (James Gunn’s brother) as Maxwell Lord. In a nice Easter egg, Sean Gunn shows up in the very first Superman: The Animated Series episode from 1996 in a small cameo, and here, this time around, he and Frank Grillo make a two-fer.

Throwing an interesting spin on a standard and well-known hero angle are the moments in the trailer when Lois questions Superman’s mission and asks questions like how his actions may appear to the U.S. Secretary of Defense. In his honest reply, Clark gets defensive, yelling, “People were going to die!” It looks like throughout the film, his values and commitment to truth and justice will come into direct conflict with the way people may perceive his behavior as a hero.

A Laugh and a Breathe

A theme woven through the entire Superman trailer is that even with all the big sky-tossing, Gotham-stomping heroics we get to see of Superman’s adventures, there’s an emotional commitment to the story at hand. Even in the moments in the trailer where Superman is doing nothing but lying on his bed, reading a book, and trying to catch some Z’s with the help of one utterly satisfied dog, it’s a powerful moment.

Superman’s human side also has an interesting juxtaposition to his heroism in an earlier moment when the character appears on TV singing and being a little goofball (in a laudable performance for his young age), and then promptly punches a criminal who tries to grab Lois Lane in the midsection.

Beyond that, there’s quite a bit of light-hearted humor in the trailer to unpack as well. When Superman and Lois finally (officially?) meet, the Daily Planet office and they pose for a New Year’s photo get a bit of a superhero shake-up. The biggest punchline moment in the trailer, though, might be the hilariously bratty Krypto saying, “Nice suit” to Superman’s backside.

Superman is both emotionally and visually impressive. It’s epic and grounded with everything viewers have come to expect from DC heroes and worlds, with an interesting filter for James Gunn’s take on the genre. With a stacked cast, a modern take on the genre, and emotional storytelling grounded in big ideas and a simple need to help and protect, Superman is going to not just reboot the franchise but reset the DCU.