A VFX artist who worked on James Gunn’s Superman has revealed details of a bizarre and darkly comedic scene that ended up on the cutting room floor. In a social media post, artist Matthew Eberle described an alternate version of the film’s opening moments that involved Krypto the Superdog and a pile of dead abominable snowmen. The revelation finally explains the mystery behind the Yeti-themed merchandise, including a “Fortress of Solitude Battle Set” toy, that appeared in the film’s marketing campaign despite the creature being absent from the final cut. According to Eberle, the scene depicted Krypto dragging a defeated Superman through the snow, where they would have passed several corpses of deceased snowmen.
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“Originally… when Krypto is dragging Superman, they pass by several dead abominable snowmen… Superman says ‘Krypto, you have to stop killing abominable snowmen’… Hit the cutting room floor. I was there,” Eberle stated in his post, which was accompanied by a behind-the-scenes photo from the production.
The scene described would have taken place after Superman’s defeat by the Hammer of Boravia in the opening scene, a moment that serves as a powerful introduction to the hero’s vulnerability in the new DC Universe. While the concept of Krypto having a lethal penchant for Yetis aligns with the offbeat humor often found in Gunn’s work, its inclusion would have risked undercutting the gravity of the sequence. The theatrical cut of Superman uses this opening to establish the high stakes of the hero’s battles. A joke, particularly one so grim, could have been a major tonal distraction, pulling focus from the intended drama of Superman’s first significant failure. The final version of the opening works effectively to ground the character and his world, and the Yeti joke might have proven too strange and jarring for that crucial introductory beat.
Superman Is Already a Success for DC Studios
The creative decisions made by Gunn, such as cutting the potentially distracting Yeti scene, have paid off in a big way for the new DC Universe. Superman has launched with overwhelming critical and audience acclaim, establishing a strong foundation for the franchise’s future. The film currently holds a “Certified Fresh” score of 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, with an even more impressive 93% audience score, making it the best-reviewed live-action film starring the character in decades. This positive reception marks a significant turning point for DC Studios, creating a baseline of quality and fan trust that was often missing during the turbulent run of the previous DC Extended Universe. Films like Man of Steel (57%) and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (28%) were highly divisive, but Superman has achieved a critical consensus that validates the new creative direction under Gunn and Peter Safran.
This critical success is translating into a solid performance at the box office. The film opened to a strong $125 million domestically and has already passed $250 million worldwide in its first week. While the movie carries a massive reported budget of $225 million, with marketing costs pushing the total investment to around $350 million, its path to profitability looks promising. The key to Superman‘s financial success will be a respectable second-weekend hold, with projections indicating a drop of only 50% to 55%, a healthy figure that signals positive word-of-mouth. This would be a crucial victory, avoiding the steep box office drop-offs that plagued other recent superhero films and proving Superman has staying power. While the international market and upcoming competition remain challenges, the film’s quality has given the DCU the heroic start it desperately needed.
Superman is now playing in theaters.
Do you think James Gunn made the right choice to cut the abominable snowmen scene from the movie? Let us know in the comments!
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