There's something eerily sterile about marketing that tries to convince you everything's fine.
DC Studios dropped three new posters for Superman — James Gunn's much-discussed reboot of the Last Son of Krypton — and while they're technically pristine, they speak more to brand management than mythic revival. You've got the expected triumvirate: Hero vs. monsters (for the gamers), Hero with cape in wind (for the nostalgics), and Hero with dog (for the softened crowd, the “aww” demographic). They're not bad posters. But they are deeply safe.
And that's the problem.
The third poster— the one that feels like a Hallmark card for superhero dads — might as well be a thesis statement. Superman, crouched atop a dome, gazes solemnly into the sky. At his side is Krypto, tail wagging, red cape flapping. It's charming, sure. But also telling. This is Gunn's Superman — kinder, gentler, maybe even a little neutered.
Gone is the haunted alien burden of Snyder's iteration. Gone too is the righteous clarity of Donner's myth-making. What remains is a kind of curated warmth. Handsome, blue-suited, boy-next-door Clark Kent — played by David Corenswet — with a dog to show you he's not too powerful to pet something.
Cute. But when did Superman start needing props to prove he's human?
To be fair, James Gunn is no hack. The man knows tone. He wrangled a tree and a raccoon into pop icons (Guardians of the Galaxy) and made peace with irreverence. But Superman — true Superman — is not irreverent. He's not quirky. He's not a meme. He's gravity in a cape.
So when I look at these posters, what I see is a studio trying to alleviate. Don't worry, he's nice again. Don't worry, there's color now. Don't worry, we brought the dog.
But what about awe? What about moral conflict, the godlike weight of choosing right in a world that no longer believes in right? What about the myth of Superman — not just the mascot?
The middle poster — backlit sunset, cape like a velvet curtain — is perhaps the most honest. It recalls Fleischer animation and the bronze glow of golden-age hope. There's a sincerity there that Gunn might actually lean into, if the studio lets him.
And that first poster? It's a 3rd-act video game render. Monsters, explosions, chaos — nothing you haven't seen in a Marvel climax, now with Kryptonian flame-retardant. It's the kind of poster you staple to the hallway of Comic-Con because it makes noise, not because it says anything.
Superman opens July 11, 2025. Gunn has time to surprise us. Corenswet has the look. The costume works (mostly). But I've been in this projection booth too long to be swayed by color correction and a loyal dog.
I want Superman to matter again. I want to feel the weight of a man raised by farmers holding the fate of Earth in his hands. I want to believe a man can fly — not because of VFX, but because of virtue.
Maybe Gunn pulls it off. Maybe not.
But if he does, it won't be because of the posters.
