Superman is one of the most iconic comic book heroes of all time, and has been adapted into film a number of times throughout the years (see for yourself with a Max subscription). The next upcoming DC movie hitting theaters is James Gunn's Superman, which stars David Corenswet in the title role. He recently spoke about the anger we've seen in Clark Kent in the Superman trailer, which is apparently a key part of the movie.
What we know about Superman is limited, which is why fans have been dissecting every frame of the limited footage we've been given thus far. That includes a scene with Lois Lane and Clark Kent arguing, which shows the Man of Steel being uncharacteristically angry. While appearing on CBS Sunday Morning to promote the movie, he spoke about how the character is normally played, like Christopher Reeves' juxtaposition between on Clark and Superman. But that's not happening with this new movie, as Corenswet shared:
One great thing that James was really focused on from the beginning is this third character. We haven’t figured out what to call him yet, whether it’s Kel-El or Clark. But rather than thinking about either Superman or Clark Kent is the reason one and the other is the alter ego, which you can go back and forth on. But there’s a third, truer version of him. Which is the version of him when he’s with somebody that knows that he’s both.
Honestly, this sounds like a fascinating take on the beloved DC hero. Because while Superman is a symbol of hope, he's still just a flawed man. And while he has to represent one thing in the public, he's got a few people that he can be truly honest with. In those scenes we're going to be able to see new shades of Kal-El.
Corenswet is leading the Superman cast list, and it sounds like he and James Gunn have methodically thought out the way they wanted to bring the title character to life. As the Hollywood actor shared, that "third character" comes into play with Clark's parents, as well as Rachel Brosnahan's Lois Lane. As he shared:
And Lois Lane who knows that he’s both of these characters and she interacts with him as a journalist as Superman and she interacts with him as a colleague as Clark Kent. So she sees these characters and she’s one of the only people who gets to see him when he’s not playing either character and he’s a little bit of both.
While some version of Superman have Lois in the dark about Clark Kent being a superhero, that's seemingly not going to be the case for James Gunn's blockbuster. And his relationship with Lois is going to offer new colors of the beloved character. And the rare showings of Clark's anger is going to be key to this version of the hero. In Corenswet's words:
That scene I think is the crux of that character that we see. And the reality is that when he doesn’t have to be Superman, when he doesn’t have to be that calm, reassuring presence to the public.
Like many other public figures, it looks like Superman is trying to curate an image for himself in the new movie. So it's only with the right audience that he's able to let his guard down and show the full range of human emotions. And with Lois, its all about perspective. As the Politician actor put it:
It becomes just between him and Lois. You’re able to see not his anger at Lois, but his frustration with the perspective that she’s representing. And his passion about how certain he is that he’s doing the right thing.
While Superman has gotten a number of TV and movie adaptations over the years, it sounds like James Gunn is putting a unique spin on the beloved DC hero. Luckily for fans like me, it won't be long before we're able to see the fruits of that labor on the big screen.
All will be revealed when Superman hits theaters on July 11th as part of the 2025 movie release dates. And hopefully we get more information about when David Corenswet will return to reprise that role sometime in the DCU's first slate of projects.
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