After a long wait, the trailer for Superman has just been revealed but a shocking detail caught the attention: its Superman in blood.
Since the collapse of the previous DCEU, marked by a series of critical disappointments (Aquaman, Shazam!) and commercial (The Suicide Squad), James Gunn and Peter Safran took the helm to rebuild the DC cinematic universe. Their ambition: to create a new coherent universe, meeting the expectations of fans and the general public.
The first chapter of the DCU, called “Gods and Monsters”, was inaugurated with the animated series Creature Commandosbut above all it is the film Superman written and directed by James Gunn who will be the real pillar of this relaunch.
The communication strategy around the film relied on a prolonged wait, by arousing the curiosity of fans with drip-drop distributions of images and teasers. Superman ahead of the release of an epic trailer for James Gunn's film. Full of references for those in the know, it notably presents Metamorpho, an iconic secondary character from DC Comics. But it is a specific scene that left its mark: Superman, on the ground, his face bloodied.
Superman can bleed
First, let’s address the two elephants in the room. It seems obvious that the opening shot of the film's trailer Supermanwhich shows Kal-El (David Corenswet) crashing to the ground, his face bruised and with blood pouring from his mouth, must be a reference to a famous question Batman asks Superman in Batman v Superman : “Do you bleed?” » (“Can you bleed?”). James Gunn gives the answer to this question right from the start: yes, Kal-El can bleed.
Next, Superman's posture when he is on the ground immediately evokes the famous “Yamcha Death Pose”, the death position of Yamcha, the character of Dragon Ball. This position has become an essential reference in the sphere of manga lovers (and even pop culture in general). It seems clear that James Gunn sent a friendly nudge to the fan community of DBZ with this plan.
Kingdom down
Beyond these winks, seeing the superhero in such a bad position sends a deeper message: the incarnation of David Corenswet in the role of Superman will be that of a fallible hero, far from the stoic and almost divine image sometimes associated with the character.
The act of showing Injured Kal-El could also refer to the comic book The Death of Supermana story arc that was much criticized at the time of its release, but today considered one of the cornerstones of the DC Comics mythos. Superman is killed there by Doomsday, and disappears from the DC canon for a while, long enough for some potential heirs to appear (Steel, Superboy, a cyborg Superman, etc.).
It seems unlikely that James Gunn will end up killing Superman in his first appearance in this new DCU (although…), but this is not a possibility to be ruled out, since it could serve as a breeding ground for the development of a Justice League, in a context where the world can no longer count on its messiah in red underwear.
Luthor and through
Another possibility is that Superman could be seriously injured by Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult with a magnificent zero ball). The trailer briefly shows Luthor admiring a gun. In the movie The Suicide Squad of 2021 (directed by James Gunn…), it is mentioned that Bloodsport managed to injure Superman thanks to a weapon with kryptonite bullets.
However, James Gunn has already explained that some of the elements of the old DCEU could continue in the new DCU. Could it be that Lex Luthor can obtain Bloodsport's weapon and use it to try to kill Superman ? That would explain the fascinated look he has when examining the gun he's holding in the trailer.
The story of James Gunn's film could very well have as its main plot the fact that Luthor is looking at all costs for a way to destroy Superman (both from a reputation point of view, and from a more radical point of view). and definitive), and culminate at the moment when the divine bald manages to fatally wound Kal-EL.
By showing a Superman injured, vulnerable and finally saved by Krypto, his faithful dog, James Gunn's film promises a more intimate and emotional dimension, the polar opposite of the twilight rereading of the myth of the Kryptonian that Zack Snyder delivered. This weakness, far from devaluing the hero, in fact reinforces his symbolism. Superman should then become a mirror of human struggles, and show that strength lies in resilience, not raw power.
David Corenswett and James Gunn will try to make us believe that a man can fly on July 9, 2025, release date of Superman in French cinemas.
