- DC Studios has released one final trailer for Superman
- The James Gunn-directed superhero movie releases on July 11
- Its latest teaser contains some crucial details about its plot and the odd Easter egg
James Gunn’s Superman movie is officially less than a month away (at the time of publication, anyway). And, as the countdown towards its July 11 release gathers pace, DC Studios has debuted one final trailer for the David Corenswet-led comic book movie.
The trailer, which also confirms tickets are now on sale for one of 2025’s most anticipated new movies, doesn’t just contain footage we’ve seen in the DC Universe (DCU) film’s other teasers.
Indeed, there are numerous new clips that hint at the direction of its plot and contain the odd DC Comics Easter egg. So, here are four crucial details and/or references to previous Superman projects you might have missed upon first viewing. Potentially big spoilers follow, so proceed at your own risk.
1. A glimpse at Mister Handsome
If your initial reaction to this individual is “…who?”, you’re not alone. Mister Handsome isn’t an established DC Comics character – in fact, he appears to be a brand-new creation for this DCU Chapter One movie.
Okay, so who is he? We don’t actually know, but that hasn’t stopped eagle-eyed fans from thinking they’ve spotted him in Superman‘s latest trailer.
Look behind Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor in the above image, and you’ll see what appears to be a pale skinned individual standing on some form of podium. Viewers think this human-looking creature is the aforementioned Mister Handsome.
There’s further evidence to suggest this is the case. In Superman’s behind-the-scenes featurette, we catch another glimpse of a being who not only resembles the character in Superman‘s final trailer, but also has a visibly different posture and appearance to most humans.
Additionally, peaking as part of a recent Fandango interview, Hoult and Gunn revealed that Hoult’s son, who occasionally visited the Superman set, had a fondness for Mister Handsome. Elaborating on who this character is, Gunn teased: “Mister Handsome is Lex’s creature that he created in a petri dish who drives around on this flying platform that is the ugliest, grossest creature in the world.”
This doesn’t confirm that the pale skinned individual we briefly see is Mister Handsome, but Gunn’s description lines up with what little we’ve seen of them. Throw in the incredibly ironic name for someone who’s not attractive to look at and this has to be Mister Handsome.
2. Ultraman unmasked
There’s been plenty of speculation about Ultraman’s actual identity. I’ve extensively covered the biggest fan theory about this secondary villain, so I won’t do so again here. If you want more details on said hypothesis, read my pieces on Ultraman’s supposed ties to another villain called the Hammer of Boravia, my breakdown of Superman ‘s second trailer, and the biggest Ultraman fan theory seemingly being confirmed by some Funko Pop figures.
Superman‘s third trailer doesn’t deliver much in the way of new Ultraman footage, but there are a couple of missable shots of this mysterious individual without his mask. The first shows Ultraman blasting the Man of Steel with his own heat vision ability. Later, we see Supes whacking a demasked Ultraman with a large metallic object.
Neither clip is slow or long enough to give us a good look at Ultraman’s face. Nonetheless, we know he’ll lose his face covering at some point, which suggests we’ll find out who he really is. My money is still on him being a Superman clone.
3. Green Lantern’s ‘Big Blue’ call back
At the trailer’s 1:20 mark, we see Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner/Green Lantern squaring up to Kal-El. Clearly, something’s happened between the pair and it seems Gardner is trying to goad Supes to attack him. You don’t mock someone by saying “make a move, Big Blue” if you’re not trying to antagonize them.
“Big Blue” might sound like a form of derision on Gardner’s part, but it’s actually a call back to one of Superman’s oldest nicknames. Indeed, it’s a reference to ‘The Big Blue Boy Scout’ moniker that the Son of Krypton also went by in the 1950s. It’s also an alias that’s been shortened to ‘Big Blue’ in countless other comic books.
This, then, appears to be one of many homages that’ll be paid to the Man of Tomorrow’s literary roots in his latest big-screen adventure.
4. Who is baby Joey in Superman?
The final big reveal in Superman‘s latest trailer concerns a character called Joey. He’s the alien baby we see Clark Kent’s superpowered alter-ego holding/rescuing as some form of cosmic explosion erupts around them.
We already know Joey’s father is, too. Superman‘s Funko Pop figurine collection has already ruined that surprise, with Joey being the progeny of Anthony Carrigan’s Metamorpho. For the uninitiated: essentially, he’s a metahuman who can create any type of element out of thin air.
The prevailing fan theory – one strengthened by footage shown in Superman‘s second trailer – is Luthor is exploiting Metamorpho in order to keep Joey safe. And, given Metamorpho’s unique powers, he’s tailor-made to craft kryptonite, aka the only substance in the known galaxy that can harm/weaken someone like Superman. It seems, then, that Metamorpho will be coerced to create some kryptonite, which Luthor can use against Supes, so Luthor doesn’t harm Joey.
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