If you're looking for teases about an upcoming blockbuster, toys aren't always the safest source for reliable sources. Beyond the fact that toymakers have license to be imaginative, production schedules for movies and their merchandise don't play out exactly in sync, and that means that when certain things are changed in the former, they aren't always reflected in the latter. Case in point: there were abominable snowmen figures sold in promotion of James Gunn's Superman... but if you actually watch the film, there are no abominable snowmen to be found.
So what happened in this particular case? The answer has now been revealed by VFX artist Matthew Eberle (via ComicBook.com), who wrote a post about it on Facebook. It turns out that there was never a scene in the 2025 blockbuster with Superman fighting yetis. Instead, the creatures were part of a bit from the beginning of the film that cut scrapped in post-production. Eberle wrote,
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.
For those who haven't seen the Superman yet, this isn't a spoiler in any way, as the scene being referenced is literally the opening of the film. Superman (David Corenswet) crash lands in Antarctica following his first ever defeat in his superhero career, and while he lies broken and bloody, he whistles to Krypto to drag him to the nearby Fortress of Solitude.
Thinking about how the abominable snowmen line would fit into the scene, I can understand why it didn't end up making it into the finished cut of the movie. There is already humor injected into the scene when Krypto carelessly pounces all over Kal-El, ignorant of his serious injuries, and I can imagine that too much humor in the sequence would undercut the drama of the moment. After all, losing a battle is a perspective-altering event for the Man of Steel and he really is in rough shape after going toe-to-toe with the so-called Hammer of Boravia.
The good news: it seems like the door for abominable snowmen appearing in the future of the DC Universe is wide open under the leadership of DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn, so we'll just have to wait and see if any filmmakers opt to walk through it. Perhaps James Mangold will somehow find a way to include them in his upcoming Swamp Thing movie? I would certainly love to see Swampy face off with some ice monsters on the big screen.
Speaking of the big screen, Superman is still playing in theaters nationwide (it placed seventh in the box office Top 10 this past weekend), but fans of the hit blockbuster can also now enjoy the film at home, as it has been made available for digital rental and purchase from all major online outlets. And should you care to pick up a Superman and Krypto vs. an abominable snowman toy, they are available on Amazon.
