Man of Steel Trailer: Five Questions Raised

What are we talking about this morning? Oh, yeah--the Man of Steel trailer. The trailer took enthusiasm for the movie to the next level, promising a thoughtful and epic retelling of Superman's origin--and one that gives fans some serious action-packed eye candy in terms of a massive alien invasion of Metropolis, a spacecraft dogfight in the skies and at least one major villain slamming into Superman at breakneck speeds. Is that villain Metallo? If so, that means there are two heavy hitters in this movie, one working nominally for the good guys. But, as with any trailer (since it isn't the full movie), it raised some questions. We'll leave aside the big one--what the heck Jonathan Kent with that "maybe" remark--because we've already discussed that at some length...twice now.  Instead, we'll focus on some of the events that we see--or at least think we see--in the trailer and try to parse out what it is that's actually onscreen and what it is we just think we're seeing because so much was happening.

Is that Lana Lang? We see a girl in Smallville at two key moments--once when Clark is saving the busload of kids, and once again when a spacecraft of some kind is taking off. It's arguable that the second shot could be of Ma Kent, since it's seen only in silhouette, but the hair looks wrong for what Diane Lane is wearing in previous scenes. We know Lana has been cast in the film, and having Clark save her would make sense, but something seems off about this girl; it doesn't look enough like the girl cast as Young Lana to be a guarantee, that's for sure. Does Clark's identity get out in Smallville? There's always been a kind of tongue-in-cheek awareness on the part of comics fans that it would be very hard to hide your identity from your friends just by wearing glasses and changing your voice and posture. That's doubly true in Smallville, population way-less-than-Metropolis. What makes anyone think that, when this kid has already seen him do his thing with his powers, there's any way of getting that toothpaste back in the tube? Perhaps that's why it looks at some point as though the Kent farm comes under siege.

The Fortress in Flames? Will we only get one movie with the Fortress of Solitude? Superman's iconic arctic hideaway appears to be destroyed by Faora here, probably either right before or right after the rumored big fight scene between the two. It seems unlikely to be down for the count, if for no other reason than because a retreat would seem EVEN MORE important in a world where Superman is hated and feared like something out of the X-Men. ...Hey, I wonder why Bryan Singer didn't get better mileage out of that. The Death of the Planet? Certainly things look bad for the Daily Planet, too, as Perry White and an unidentified woman who seems to be wearing a press credential head for the hills as the building behind them goes up in flames during the invasion of Metropolis. Is that the Daily Planet? And if so, what's next for that great metropolitan newspaper? Hell, what's next for Metropolis? It looks like the City of Tomorrow takes a heck of a beating in this movie.

Is a costume change in the cards? Take a look at the shot where he's taken off into space and is flying around the planet. The background of the S-shield looks unquestionably more yellow and less black than it does in the rest of the film. Is there a change made at some point? And if so, is there a reason for the change? Obviously, Superman has toggled back and forth in the comics between a yellow or black background for the logo, but with all the fuss made thus far about how it doesn't look enough like the comic book costume, it seems odd that a tweak like this would go unremarked upon. Is it just the way the sun bounces off the odd texturing of the shield, or do you think that's actually a yellow field behind the red S? In case there was any doubt there, the earlier shots just before he takes off are clearly yellow (or at least not black). What makes him change the color? And does yellow or black come first? We're betting black is first and he changes to yellow, possibly to be less threatening. After all, the shot of the suit (presumably) before he's wearing it features a black field behind the red S.