Superman Looks Defeated… And So Does DC’s Marketing Strategy

I’m a Zack Snyder fan. Let me get that out of the way right now, because I know how this is going to sound to some people. Man of Steel isn’t just a movie I like, it’s in my top five favorite films of 2013. I think Batman v Superman is an underrated classic that was kneecapped by its own studio. Warner Bros. left at least $250 million on the table by releasing a bastardized cut of that film in March 2016, trying to jump the gun and catch up to Marvel instead of trusting the vision they had. And the Snyder Cut of Justice League? That’s cinematic justice. Pure and simple.

That said, I’m also a James Gunn fan. Been one since Scooby-Doo in 2002, back when you wouldn’t have guessed the guy writing live-action Hanna-Barbera adaptations would go on to redefine superhero storytelling. I clocked his name on Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead too, back when he was more of a writer than a director. I love what he did with Guardians of the Galaxy. I liked how he took the weirdest corner of the Marvel universe and made it resonate with heart, humor, and humanity. I trust Gunn to tell a good story. I really do.

So when I heard there was going to be an extended Superman preview in theaters in front of Minecraft, I was tempted to go. Sure, it’s a weird pairing, but I wanted to see this thing with an audience, big screen and all. But then, Warner Bros. just dropped it online in HD…thankfully.

So I checked it out there instead.

Now I’ve got thoughts.

Let’s talk length first. We were promised five minutes. What we got was 4 minutes and 48 seconds—yes, I checked. It’s essentially a two-and-a-half-minute scene followed by a slightly condensed version of the teaser trailer we saw months ago. And it’s not the same footage shown at CinemaCon either. There are some missing beats that might account for those extra 12 seconds we all thought were coming.

The actual scene? It opens with Superman—bloodied, bruised, barely standing—spitting blood into the pristine snow of Antarctica. It’s harsh, and it’s jarring. A far cry from triumphant. He looks like he’s barely survived a war. And maybe that’s the point. But it’s also the first real look we’re giving the world of this new version of Superman. Not flying majestically through the clouds. Not saving a life. Just… broken.

And that’s where I start to have issues.

I get it…Gunn’s made it clear this Superman is meant to represent the “soul of America,” and the metaphor kind of writes itself. A broken country, a broken man. But Superman has always been more than that. He’s not supposed to be the guy who starts from nothing and crawls his way to greatness. That’s Batman’s arc. Superman is the rock. He’s the beacon. He’s the symbol of strength even when things get hard—not after they break him.

So when the first image you choose to present of your new Superman is him getting dragged through the snow by his dog? That’s a tone choice. And it’s one I don’t think lands the way they want it to.

Let’s talk about Krypto. Yes, he’s in the clip. And yes, he’s already being set up as a crowd-pleaser. But when you see a super-powered pup dragging the body of a semi-conscious Superman across the ice, it’s hard not to raise an eyebrow. It feels like it’s walking a weird line between serious and slapstick. And maybe that’s part of the balancing act Gunn’s trying to pull off—heartfelt emotion mixed with oddball humor. But again, first impressions matter. And this one feels… off.

Once Superman gets to the Fortress of Solitude, things get a bit more interesting. The medical robots there (clearly inspired by All-Star Superman) blast him with concentrated sunlight to jumpstart his healing process. It’s visually cool. But even here, the writing raises some questions. Superman thanks one of the robots, and it coldly replies that it doesn’t understand gratitude. Fair enough—maybe they’re meant to be emotionless. But then a newer, more expressive robot (a female-coded one, no less) gets visibly excited when he looks at her. So… they don’t feel anything, but also they kind of do? It’s a weird contradiction that pulls you out of the moment.

Now, I’m not going to sit here and say it all looked bad—because it didn’t. The visuals were solid. The suit, while not my favorite take, looked decent in motion. The effects weren’t final, obviously, but they’re headed in the right direction. And I’ll be honest, hearing the John Williams Superman theme swell in the background? That got me. That hit me right in the nostalgia. It’s been stuck in my head since I watched the clip. That theme still carries weight.

But when I step back and think about the choice to start this new chapter of Superman with him weak, injured, and dragging himself back to life… it’s a tough sell. Especially when we live in a time where Superman archetypes like Homelander and Omni-Man are dominating the conversation—not because they’re good, but because they’re terrifyingly effective. They’re brutal. Unapologetic. And weirdly, they’ve become more captivating to audiences than the traditional “boy scout” version of Superman ever was.

And that makes me wonder…have we moved past the idea of Superman as a hopeful icon? Did we, somewhere along the line, collectively decide we don’t want a symbol of moral clarity anymore, but rather someone who gets their hands dirty? Someone who doesn’t just ask us to be better, but forces change through power?

Even with Henry Cavill (who, in my opinion, was the perfect Man of Steel), we never really got to see the hopeful Superman. We saw the journey start. Man of Steel was about him accepting who he is. BvS was about him trying to navigate a world that feared him. The plan clearly was to deconstruct him and then rebuild him into that symbol of light, but the studio lost its nerve and yanked the wheel before we ever saw that payoff.

And now here we are again. A new Superman, a new take, and already we’re starting at ground zero with him broken in the snow. I’m not saying it can’t work. I’m not saying Gunn can’t stick the landing. But this version of Superman is going to have a much harder road ahead of him—not just because of audience expectations, but because the cultural landscape has changed. We’re more cynical now. We don’t trust our heroes so easily. And we definitely don’t fall in line behind someone just because they wear a cape.

Still, even though I’ve been pretty critical here, I do wish this movie the best. I want it to succeed. I want there to be a strong, cohesive DC narrative that isn’t afraid to slow down and do the work, rather than rushing toward the next big crossover. James Gunn is a smart, heartfelt storyteller with a proven track record, but that won’t protect him from the corporate politics that come crashing in if this film doesn’t perform.

And frankly? This teaser didn’t meet expectations. Six hours after it dropped on Twitter, Superman slid from trending in the top four to number eighteen—and falling. The YouTube upload hasn’t even cleared two million views yet. It’s not getting the traction it should for a film rebooting one of the most iconic characters in modern mythology.

Maybe what they should’ve done is release a full, uninterrupted sequence. Or better yet, an action-driven trailer that not only shows the world Gunn is building, but lets us feel something bigger. Something bolder. Something that says this isn’t just another Superman… this is the one that might finally make us believe again.

But belief? That’s earned. And we’re not there yet.