Superman trailer breakdown: Who’re Metamorpho and the thriller villain?

James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) is in control of DC’s movie/TV universe now, and his route is instantly clear: earnest, colourful, and tremendous comedian book-y. The trailer for the studio’s first main launch, 2025’s Superman, dropped on Thursday to set the tone. There’s so much to unpack within the two-minute spot — so let’s unpack it. Right here’s a breakdown of the whole lot teased forward of the July 2025 launch, to ensure you didn’t mistake any birds or planes for Superman.

The trailer opens boldly for a superhero film: Its lead apparently simply had his butt kicked. Is that this an All-Star Superman factor the place he’s turning into extra susceptible? Or has he gone up towards a really gnarly foe? We all know Gunn loves All-Star Superman (and is true to take action).

Thankfully, Superman’s greatest buddy is round to lend a paw. Krypto the Superdog has been a recurring addition to Superman continuity ever since author Otto Binder and artist Curt Swan launched him in 1955’s Journey Comics #210. He’s a canine from the planet Krypton, who, like all Kryptonians, beneficial properties superior powers — like flight and tremendous power — when uncovered to the sunshine of a yellow star.

How did an animal precisely like Earth canines evolve on Krypton? How did Krypto survive the destruction of Superman’s dwelling planet? Comics creators have provide you with numerous and varied explanations for this over Krypto’s 70 years of editorial existence, so let this comics skilled sum it up for you: Don’t fear about it.

Superman has a canine with laser imaginative and prescient. It’s enjoyable.

Whereas Lex Luthor’s conglomerate (I’d say “evil conglomerate,” however that’d be redundant) is classically referred to as Lexcorp, it’s often passed by different names, like LexCo, Lex-Corp, L-Corp, and even Supercorp (as a result of Lex likes doing issues simply because it’ll piss Superman off).

For his Superman, Jame Gunn seems to have gone with the darkish horse alternative of “Luthorcorp,” most prominently used within the Smallville TV sequence.

When there’s a bald man in a go well with in a Superman comedian, there’s just one man he might be. Right here’s Nicholas Hoult (Nosferatu) as Lex Luthor as Agent 47 from Hitman.

There are numerous ethically compromised billionaires working expertise corporations within the DC Universe — ha ha, so superhero-y, so far-fetched, ha ha — and right here’s our indication that at the least considered one of them exists within the new DC Movies universe.

Stagg Industries is the corporate of the unscrupulous CEO Simon Stagg. Stagg might not seem — he’s not on Superman’s formally introduced forged record. However he’s the nemesis (and potential father-in-law; it’s difficult) of the superhero Metamorpho (extra on him later). With Metamorpho additionally showing in Superman, it is smart that Stagg Industries could be current within the setting, whether or not or not the corporate performs a big position.

That bowl lower is how you recognize a Inexperienced Lantern lives with out worry

Nathan Fillion performs the Inexperienced Lantern Man Gardner in Superman, and his haircut is each utterly comics-accurate and utterly terrible.

Additionally rounding out the supporting superheroic forged is Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl. There are numerous totally different variations of Hawkgirl and Hawkwoman in DC Comics historical past, however let’s see if this comics skilled can slim it down: She’s both a perpetually reincarnating warrior who retains the reminiscences of all her previous lives, or she’s a cop from a planet of chook folks. We’ll discover out!

A rampaging large monster appears unhealthy for Metropolis, however nice for moviegoers. And an eagle-eyed Polygon author raised a great query: Might this be Jimmy Olsen?

I do know that sounds ridiculous, however that beast has surprisingly human eyes and stuff like this occurred to Jimmy Olsen on a regular basis within the Silver Age.

We’ve seen this ball of power earlier than, hovering within the background of the primary photograph Gunn revealed of David Corenswet’s Superman costume. There’s no telling what it’s, what it’s doing, or who created it, however purple and inexperienced are traditional Lex Luthor colours, simply saying…

Usually, as a comics fan, you will have the marginally out-of-body expertise of seeing a factor that makes whole sense to you, and realizing that it appears to be like bananas from the skin. “Superman cradling a robotic with no legs whereas deep in grief” is a type of issues.

Judging by the intense crystal surroundings right here, we’re in his Fortress of Solitude, and judging by Superman’s obvious deep misery over no matter has befallen this robotic, it’s in all probability Kelex. Created by John Byrne for 1986’s Man of Metal #1, Kelex is a robotic that used to belong to Superman’s Kryptonian household, and sometimes serves as a caretaker of the Fortress.

Meet Rex Mason aka Metamorpho

This rocky-exterior man is Rex Mason, the shape-shifting superhero referred to as Metamorpho, performed by Anthony Carrigan (Barry). Because of some shenanigans on the a part of Simon Stagg (see Stagg Industries, above), Rex Mason has the facility to show himself — and even simply elements of himself — into any component or chemical compound, stretching, bouncing, dissipating into gasoline, or making his mass dense sufficient to outlive and dish out mighty blows. The catch is that he merely doesn’t appear to be a human being anymore.

Not a lot to say right here, besides to acknowledge that Boravia is considered one of an innumerable variety of made-up European international locations which have graced the pages of DC Comics over the setting’s practically 9 many years of historical past, and in Superman, issues there are getting tense.

The trailer sneaks in a pair pictures of Superman’s thriller villain, seen right here battling it out within the empty baseball stadium of the Metropolis Meteors. The id of this character has been all however completely spoiled by paparazzi snapping set images, so Google rigorously! (For those who actually wish to know who this appears to be, click on right here.)

The third-smartest man alive

Right here, we get our first have a look at Michael Holt, the adventuring supergenius referred to as Mister Terrific, and his attribute T-spheres, projecting that nifty protect. For extra on him, we’ve got a complete article — Gunn has repeatedly stated that Terrific has a “massive half” in his Superman.

Simply a few star reporters

The trailer rounds itself out with some classically framed pictures of the actual beating coronary heart of Superman tales — Superman and Lois Lane. The best superhero tales relaxation on a mix of monsters, superheroes, and romance, however we’ll have to attend till July to learn the way Gunn is mixing these themes collectively for Superman.