The DCEU’s Man of Steel set up a very specific Metropolis challenge for the DCU’s Superman. The first Superman trailer reveals that David Corenswet’s titular hero won’t be depicted as an invincible god. The trailer opens with a beaten-up Superman bleeding in the snow, and then shows him getting berated by an angry crowd and struggling to fight multiple enemies. Corenswet’s Superman also seems to have dips in motivation, as he appears to need Lois Lane’s words of courage in order to return to the battlefield at some point in the movie.

The DCU’s Metropolis is clearly different from its DCEU counterpart. For instance, the Daily Planet’s iconic globe decoration is back, and both the buildings and the pedestrians seen in the Superman trailer are brighter and more colorful. Previous DC movies like Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel and Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy presented fictional locations that looked quite similar to real-life cities like New York City or Chicago. Now, James Gunn’s DCU promises to stick closer to the comics in its depiction of DC’s famous fictional cities. Moreover, Metropolis’ first on-screen appearance in the DCU may also have one big difference from the DCEU’s Metropolis.

Man Of Steel’s Metropolis Destruction Criticism Explained

Man Of Steel Was Criticized For Superman’s Failure To Defend Metrpolis

After Superman Returns barely featured any action scenes in Metropolis, Man of Steel went to the other end of the spectrum and had General Zod all but level Metropolis. In his attempt to stop Zod, Henry Cavill’s Superman only caused more destruction. Not only did Superman allow Zod to use Metropolis as his battleground, but he also threw the villain through buildings. Superman’s failure to protect Metropolis in Man of Steel received criticism inside and outside the screen, to the point that a big part of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice revolved around Superman’s accountability for his divisive actions.

How James Gunn’s Superman Can Justify Metropolis’ Damage

Superman Might Learn How to Deal With Collateral Damage In His First DCU Movie

The first Superman trailer begins to delineate the first DCU movie’s differences from Man of Steel. Metropolis seems to take a lot of damage in the Superman trailer, especially from Superman’s battle with a giant monster. However, the trailer shows a crowd of Metropolis citizens reprimanding a battered Superman, perhaps for failing to defeat a villain without causing collateral damage. The shot of Superman resting inside a building while the crowd protests outside also suggests he’s deeply affected by the city’s outrage, and that he’ll try to improve his crime-fighting methods in his next battle.

Following his first encounters in James Gunn’s Superman, David Corenswet’s Superman will likely learn how to keep collateral damage to a minimum. Also distancing itself from Man of Steel‘s controversial third act, Corenswet’s Superman might find a less drastic way to stop the main villain and spare their life. Superman’s decision to kill Zod in Man of Steel, while understandable within the movie’s context, also proved controversial. James Gunn’s Superman will probably avoid a similar climax to its final battle, whether the main antagonist is Lex Luthor, the Engineer, or the unnamed masked villain seen in the trailer.