‘Kevin Feige has 24 hours to respond’: ‘Superman’ is already convincing people it’s about to murder Marvel with magical first look

What’s that, in the sky? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s the MCU’s greatest threat to date. After over a decade of shooting itself in the foot, DC might just finally have got its act together. Our first look at next year’s Superman is here at long last, and even though it’s only 30 seconds long folks are already foreseeing that the DCU is about to be the new superhero movie franchise of steel.

While the full trailer doesn’t go live until Thursday, DC has dropped this 30-second promo (yes, it’s a teaser trailer for a teaser trailer) which is leaving Superman lovers blindsided. Cleverly keeping David Corenswet’s Kal-El out of the limelight, and instead teasing the city of Metropolis, the Daily Planet, and Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane, this first look is a masterclass in building up hype and awe for the Last Son of Krypton’s return to the skies, and our screens.

It promises such a traditional yet powerful superhero tale that Marvel’s Kevin Feige might well be quaking in his baseball cap…

The teaser trailer for Superman‘s teaser trailer is here, and it’s teasing something special

As scored to John Murphy’s gorgeous remix of John Williams’ classic theme, with tantalizing glimpses of Superman flying through the Arctic (get ready for the Fortress of Solitude!), this Superman first look is everything the fans could’ve asked for. It’s delightfully quintessential for a genre that’s become more and more reliant on multiversal crossovers to stay fresh. With his big first DCU movie, Gunn looks to be on a mission to prove that going back to basics isn’t a bad thing.

And, going by these first reactions, it looks like a lot of fans would agree with him. All it apparently takes is 30 seconds of people squinting at the sun and a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it look at the back of Superman’s head for everyone to lose their minds.

Some don’t even need to see the trailer, they’re instantly ready to hook the film into their veins.

Superman’s flying high again and the tears are already falling.

And can we take a moment to appreciate how perfect the choice of tagline is? “Look up” works literally, as a hint at the film’s themes of hope and optimism, and also as a promise that things are looking up for superhero cinema.

The message is clear, Marvel: you finally have some proper competition so it’s time to up your game.

To be fair to Marvel, The Fantastic Four: First Steps looks to be another superhero movie that feels fun and fresh simply because it’s a throwback to classic superhero storytelling, so with any luck 2025 really will be the year that comic book films fix themselves. With Sony’s Spider-Man Universe dying a death, maybe nature is healing. In the meantime, the full teaser trailer for the return of the Man of Tomorrow is coming, appropriately enough, tomorrow before it soars into cinemas on July 11. Soon, we’ll remember what it’s like to believe a man can fly.