The wait for our new Superman is nearly over, and with his debut also comes our first look at James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe. Trailers have already teased a world much more colorful and boisterous than DC’s former Extended Universe, setting the stage for a reboot that won’t take itself too seriously.
But that’s not the only way Superman is poised to change the status quo. Unlike previous iterations of his origin story, the Man of Steel (David Corenswet) is coming into a world already populated with heroes. Fortunately, that means he won’t be alone when Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) and his gang of evil metahumans wreak havoc on Metropolis. Superman is arguably the most popular being on Earth, but his adventures and struggles are more compelling when he accepts help from his peers and works in a team. We’ve only gotten a few glimpses of the other heroes he’ll team up with in Superman thus far — but the latest trailer lets us see the group known as the Justice Society in action, teasing a complicated relationship with Superman.
Lex is the uncontested villain of Superman, a fact made obvious by his scheme to destroy the eponymous hero and everyone he’s ever cared about. From Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) to the family that raised “Clark Kent,” no one seems safe from Lex’s wrath. This Superman is no slouch: the opening moments of the trailer depict him holding a falling skyscraper without breaking much of a sweat. Still, he won’t be able to withstand all of Lex’s tactics. While he has some help in his trusty dog Krypto, Kal-El will also eventually team up with the Justice Society, founded by Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn).
DC has been teasing the Justice Society since Superman was in its very early stages. They’re not exactly the Justice League (who reportedly won’t show up in the DCU until the end of its first phase), but they’re capable of holding their own and defending the world against the evil entities set on destruction. Members include Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), who also happens to be a Green Lantern. The latest Superman trailer shows our hero working alongside Terrific and butting heads with Gardner — but all these heroes will inevitably have to cooperate at some point to thwart the next threat to Metropolis.
When that happens, we can expect some great spectacle from Gunn. We’ve only gotten a glimpse of Mister Terrific in action; ditto for Guy Gardner’s Lantern powers. But it’s enough to stoke more excitement for what could be a supremely satisfying, emotionally complex superhero movie.
