Superman Trailer Explained: Every Major DCU Detail & Character Revealed

James Gunn’s Superman teaser trailer wasn’t just a re-introduction to the Man of Steel – it was a first introduction to the larger world of the new DCU franchise. Gunn did a lot of PR work before the trailer’s debut, letting people know that he’s telling a very character-focused story about Superman/Clark Kent (David Corenswet), Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) and Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) – it just so happens to be a story set in a cinematic universe that’s populated with many other fantastical superpowered characters, as well as an entire history of prior events.

The first Superman trailer certainly proves that to be the case, offering us significant brushstrokes and crossovers from all sorts of corners of the DCU. Here are the ones we’ve picked out!

Superman Trailer: Every DCU Easter Egg & Cameo Explained

Luthorcorp & The Authority

This shot of Luthorcorp establishes Lex Luthor’s multinational corporation as a power player in Metropolis. Why we don’t see the more common “Lexcorp” name brand being used is a question that possibly will be answered in the film. As you can see from the circle we added to the image, there’s also a sneaky corporate raider walking under the “Luthorcorp” logo – and it seems to be the nanotech-powered Angela Spica (María Gabriela) – aka “The Engineer,” a member of DC’s team The Authority, who are also slated for their own DCU movie. Gunn has hinted The Authority movie will be tied to Superman‘s story – and now we have a question as to whether The Engineer is working with Lex Luthor – or against him. Knowing the team’s history, The Engineer might not be paying Lex a friendly visit…

The Daily Planet

Clark Kent and Lois Lane’s newspaper workplace has gotten a modern makeover, but many of the familiar players are still there. That includes Beck Bennett (SNL) as reporter Steve Lombard (red shirt white stripes); Syler Gisondo as photographer Jimmy Olsen (orange shirt, green pants); Mikaela Hoover as reporter Cat Grant (orange dress) – and of course, Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane, front and center.

The New Clark Kent

It’s a major deal when we get a first look at the new Superman actor in full costume – but it’s also a big deal to see how that actor looks in his Clark Kent guise. David Corenswet is getting some shade from fans about his hairstyle as Clark – but a lot of fans are also appreciating the pronounced difference in acting and movement when Corenswet is playing Clark at work; Clark at home, or Clark when he’s being “Superman.”

Krypto the Super Dog

Krypto the Super Dog has been by Superman’s side since his 1950s era – but James Gunn is the first to make the super-pet a major staple of a live-action Superman film. As we see in the trailer, Krypto is keeping watch over Superman’s ‘home away from home,’ and he’s not the only one!

Kelex & The Fortress of Solitude

A brief but ominous scene sees a battle-worn Superman holding onto a robot caretaker of the Fortress of Solitude, who is most likely the DCU version of “Kelex” the former robotic assistant of Superman’s father Jor-El, who (in the comics) was recreated by a malevolent Kryptonian AI weapon (and Superman Impersonator) The Eradicator as part of the Fortress of Solitude’s ode to Kryptonian culture. If Kelex is down (or dying), and the fortress is crumbling (as this scene suggests), it will be like Superman losing one of the most important final connections to his true home and culture.

Pa Kent

Speaking of family ties: actor Pruitt Taylor Vince (Constantine) makes a brief appearance as Pa Kent, still hanging out on the Kent family farm. However, the footage hints that Jonathan Kent may be more frail and ailing than it initially seems – something his superpowered adoptive son would be able to acutely sense. Superman may have to face not being able to save everyone in a much different way than what Zack Snyder tried to convey with his controversial Man of Steel version of Pa Kent.

Do You Bleed?

Indeed this entire trailer teases the “conflict” of this movie being Superman grappling with ideas like not being able to save everyone he needs to – and then Gunn hammers that dilemma home by teasing how Superman can’t even save himself. We don’t need Ben Affleck’s Batman posing the question this time: we can see that the DCU Superman bleeds – the question is: who drew that blood, and how?

The Man With the God-Killing Gun

James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad established some key DCU canon involving Idris Elba’s Bloodsport shooting Superman with a Kryptonite bullet. This scene of Lex Luthor handling a firearm could be his scientific examination of what Bloodsport did; the reveal of a new weapon that Lex plans to use against Superman; or a flashback that reveals it was Lex who supplied the Bloodsport with the weaponry needed to kill a Man of Steel, completely with an Indris Elba cameo. Either way, the scene looks plenty ominous.

Superman vs Monsters

While we don’t exactly know what this large, fire-breathing monster is – but it looks like a job for Superman. Theory: based on the design and coloring, this creature looks like it could have come from the depths of the ocean, providing a possible connection to Aquaman’s side of the DCU. (But that’s just speculation.)

War in Boravia

The scenes of civil conflict in the Superman trailer are a deep-cut reference to one of the earliest Superman comics, Superman #2 (1939). That story saw Superman intervening in a civil conflict in a fictional European country called Boravia, only to stumble upon an arms dealer’s plot to deploy chemical weapons in the conflict. Superman thwarted the plot and then used some superpowered intimidation to “mediate” peace talks, and ultimately settle the civil war for good. It will be interesting to see if the world Gunn is crafting for his Superman will be as welcoming of the hero’s unilateral meddling in foreign affairs.

The Green Lantern

Nathan Fillion (doing his best Uncle Fester) makes a blink-and-miss appearance as one of the more crass and egotistical members of the Green Lantern Corps., Guy Gardner. We already know from set photo details that Guy works on an international team of heroes sponsored by shady businessman/villain Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn). That employment raises big questions about Guy’s status amongst his fellow GL’s since his Earth counterparts Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) are getting their own Lanterns show on HBO.

Hawkworld

Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl makes a high-flying appearance in the Superman trailer – as well as a sneaker appearance in the scene with Guy Gardner using his power ring. This Hawkgirl is also working for Maxwell Lord’s squad of heroes – but her wings and weaponry are all windows to a much larger Hawk-mythology story that can span time and the cosmos.

The Genius

Mister Terrific seems to be another member of Maxwell Lord’s squad of heroes: Michael Holt was an exceptional genius, inventor, and athlete who lost his family in a tragic accident. He took up the mantle of the previous “Mister Terrific,” using his superior technology and inventions to both fight evildoers and work as a master strategist for other DC heroes and teams. The trailer shows how Terrific is a one-man army using his signature “T-spheres.”

Going Stagg

There will already be some competing interests in the new Superman movie, with Lexcorp and the shady operations of both Maxwell Lord and Amanda Waller all in play. However, one Superman trailer scene reveals Kal-El/Clark Kent visiting a different company: Stagg Industries. The wealthy industrialist Simon Stagg is known for pioneering the latest in engineering, chemistry, and genetics. One prize that Simon sought had him hire a shady man to retrieve it; when Stagg double-crossed that man and left for dead, he inadvertently created a new DCU hero…

Metamorpho

Rex Mason was the mercenary hired by Simon Stagg to retrieve an artifact called the “Orb of Ra,” only to be double-crossed and left for dead by Stagg’s bodyguard/enforcer. The light of a nearby meteor transformed Rex into a being able to control his entire body at a molecular level, redubbing himself “Metamorpho.” The hero can stretch like Elastic Man, bend into any shape like Plastic Man – but he can also change parts of his body into different solids, liquids, gases, or chemicals, selectively, making a walking, talking chemical lab. While many DCU fans expected Barry star Anthony Carrigan to bring his comedic chops to the role, the haunting image of Rex seen in the trailer (along with the serious nature of Superman’s Stagg Industries visit) could tease a much more pivotal role required of Metamorpho’s unique powers.

The Sun-Eater(?)

One threat to Superman that possibly needs a Metamorpho solution is this giant ball of energy seen attacking Metropolis. Gunn has made this sequence part of Superman‘s marketing from the very first official teaser image, so we know it’s going to be a pivotal moment in the movie. Sun-Eaters are sentient weapons that consume stars and absorb their resulting energy, in endless repeat. A Sun-Eater was part of the climatic storyline of the famous All-Star Superman series, which Gunn has openly cited as an influence on his film. If it’s not that, other fan theories like brainiac work too.

Big Sad Lex

It looks like Lex Luthor is down bad in this scene: the question is, why? It’s rare to see Lex actually getting battered or bloodied in any kind of way, so what happened? It’s not hard to imagine that this shot could be from a climactic moment in the movie, after Lex has not only lost to Superman but also lost the public perception war against him. If this is the moment that Lex Luthor’s unshakable ego finally cracks, then Nicholas Hoult will have given one hell of a performance in this film.

Superman will be released in theaters and IMAX on July 25, 2024.