While James Gunn’s ‘hopeful’ Superman takes over the internet, fans still respect Henry Cavill’s film for this perfect ode to original Superman.

James Gunn’s Superman teaser trailer hits us with bright colors right from the beginning. It is a hint that the director is aiming to bring back the character’s signature traits of hope and optimism. The mood of the film is significantly different from Henry Cavill’s Superman. Man of Steel was a dark, gritty film that brought Zack Snyder’s unique vision to the screen.

David Corenswet in a still from Superman | Credits: DC Studios/WB Pictures

While fans accuse Snyder of steering away from the comics, the Rebel Moon director did retain some classic elements of the beloved character. One specific scene from his film, featuring the superhero’s attempts to make his first flight is a perfect ode to Golden Age Superman.

Henry Cavill’s one Superman scene proves why James Gunn’s ‘hopeful’ attempt is still no match

Henry Cavill in a still from Man of Steel | Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

Throughout the new ‘hopeful’ teaser of Superman, James Gunn has hinted that comics will play a huge part in this David Corenswet-led film. While Gunn’s attempts seem to work, it is still no match to how Zack Snyder used classic references for his Superman. Gunn and Snyder’s takes are prone to comparisons due to the nature of how things transitioned from DCEU to DCU.

While many still debate which of the two directors understands the character better, one scene in Henry Cavill‘s Man of Steel stood unmatched by the new Superman film. In one of the scenes, Cavill’s Superman is testing out his powers and he attempts to fly into the sky. After a couple of failed attempts that were more of a jump than a flight, Cavill’s character succeeds.

One fan mentioned in the YouTube video of the scene that it was an homage to the Golden Age Superman. The fan, @callmestorm23, explained, “The original Superman could only jump over buildings and could lift cars. Then later on the writers kept giving Superman more powers.” The fan further went on to call Snyder’s film a hidden gem of superhero movies.

While James Gunn also throws in some classic references in the new teaser, it hardly comes close to Man of Steel‘s efforts. The classic look in the teaser, John Williams’ music, and the visual text between scenes all have influences from Richard Donner’s Superman films.

James Gunn will stick close to the source material in Superman

David Corenswet in a still from Superman | Credits: DC Studios/WB Pictures

More recent superhero film directors have received the wrath of the audience for steering away from the source material for the sake of originality. However, James Gunn plans to reel in the comic book fandom by giving them what they exactly want.

Fans saw a Man of Steel who is more relatable and spreads optimism around. Particularly, one scene in the trailer where David Corenswet’s character swoops in to save a girl from crashing debris is something classic Superman does. Superman stands as hope for the people as the chant “Superman!” gets louder and louder during the run of the teaser.

It is further highlighted in the teaser when a young boy raises a flag with the S symbol and whispers Superman’s name during a time of crisis. Gunn himself mentioned the inspiration from comic books during an interview. He shared with ComicBook.com, “There’s a lot of stuff from the comic books above and beyond anything else, All-Star Superman, that influenced me more than anything.”

The comic-accurate costumes, the settings, and even the plethora of characters and easter eggs that flashed through the scenes look all promising. The colorful filter also helps bring hope and optimism into the film and gives it a classic look.

Superman is scheduled to hit the theaters on July 11, 2025.