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The cultural appetite for comic book films has taken a hit in recent years as viewers have begun experiencing superhero fatigue. An upcoming movie may breathe new life into the genre, though the jury’s still out on whether it will be a smash or a flop.
In December of last year, Warner Bros. released a teaser trailer for the newest Superman film, directed by Guardians of the Galaxy’s James Gunn. The teaser generated significant excitement—particularly about Krypto the Dog—as potential viewers shared their hopes and dreams about the reboot.
This month, the studio released a still of leading man David Corenswet in costume as Superman, sparking further discussion about the supposed quality of this new adaptation. Responses to the photo ranged from excitement to skepticism, indicating the relative temperature among fans.
Fans react to new still from ‘Superman’
Many viewers posted positive comments about the character’s appearance. On X, users wrote passionate statements like “THAT’S FUCKING #SUPERMAN” and “he’s perfect.” One fan called him “beautiful” and “majestic,” while another called him “wholesome and genuinely charismatic.”
Reddit was sprinkled with similar comments, as fans swooned over Corenswet’s dreamy countenance. “that is one handsome Superman” and “he’s so pretty,” wrote fans on the r/superman subreddit. “He seems very kind. Very warm eyes,” wrote a Redditor on r/comicbookmovies. “Yep, that’s Superman alright,” someone wrote on r/DC_Cinematic.
But not everyone is convinced of this Superman’s excellence, and fans had a lot to say about his new look.
Several Redditors suggested that the movie looks low-quality like it’s a television show rather than a feature film. “He looks like Superman™ Presented by The CW,” wrote one comic fan.
A number of discerning viewers lobbed critiques about the coloring of the photo. “What in the hell is this color correction,” one Redditor wrote. “It looks like they’re standing in front of a green screen,” wrote another. A few knowledgeable fans suggested that the odd color grading is because there’s no “black point” in the shot. This means the darkest parts of the image aren’t truly black, resulting in less color contrast and color range.
Others suggested the look of the film—or at least this one image—is the result of director James Gunn trying too hard to distinguish himself from Zack Snyder, who gave us the previous iteration of Superman and is known for the dark look of his films. “Gunn is so obsessed to not resemble Snyder that the color grading is excessively blue everywhere,” one Redditor wrote.
On the other hand, one fan thought the dark blue of the suit looked too much like Snyder’s Superman, while another noted the suit looks cheap. “wow the suit is complete trash,” one Redditor succinctly noted.
The scrutiny didn’t stop there, as other fans questioned Superman’s hairstyle. “He needs a new barber,” wrote one fan. “Where’s the curl?” wrote another. One fan got specific, writing “Hair just looks a bit too messy for Superman. I prefer the super slick and s curl unless he’s getting his ass handed to him at the time.”
Will the new Superman film win over skeptical DC fans?
Does the platonic ideal of Superman even exist? It’s clear that James Gunn’s Superman hasn’t won over all the fans just yet, as skepticism abounds. Audiences are more attentive and tuned in than ever, perhaps because of social media and our ability to rewatch and go over every piece of content again and again.
Within the MCU and the DECU is a certain kind of devotion to directors unique to the genre. It’s a version of auteur theory that upholds these directors’ focus on scale and spectacle—and perhaps fan service as well. In this case, Snyder fans may feel differently about the upcoming film than Gunn fans, though these camps are not set in stone.
Any franchise or IP faces this kind of scrutiny when a new project is announced, and so far, reactions to 2025’s Superman have been relatively tame, especially considering the so-called era of “toxic fans.”
The question becomes: Will fans cease picking apart every detail and sit down to enjoy another blockbuster? We’ll find out this summer.
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