What’s that? Is it a bird, is it a plane? No, those blurry photos and photos snapped from a distance are our first look at the upcoming Superman reboot! The first chapter in James Gunn’s rebooted DCU has taken to the streets of Cleveland, which is doubling up as Clark Kent’s home city of Metropolis, meaning all kinds of glimpses at the cast in action have flown online.
Most notably, that includes David Corenswet in full costume as the Man of Steel himself. While that strangely composed reveal photo didn’t exactly win over everyone, these leaked pics do a much better job of showing off his new Superman suit. For starters, it’s clear Corenswet’s Kal-El will be a lot more colorful than Henry Cavill’s Kryptonian ever was.
That’s only the beginning of the differences between Gunn’s portrayal of Superman and Snyder’s, however. Thanks to the open-air shoot, fans are starting to deduce the meaning behind the scenes being filmed. One small moment that’s caught folks’ attention is a sequence which appears to depict Superman looking up at a tree with his hands on his hips.
As X user Craig pondered aloud, “Is James Gunn actually going to give us a “Cat stuck in a tree” Superman moment?”
Saving a cat from a tree is famously one of the most archetypal superhero activities, the go-to move of your classic go-gooding caped crusader. That kind of image is one that the DCEU’s Zack Snyder always seemed dead-set on deconstructing and burying forever. His Superman always appeared more likely to be subpoenaed by the government or stand glowering in the rain than rescue people from a crashing train or a burning building.
At this point, however, it’s probably fair to say the superhero fandom’s tastes may have swung back around to a hunger to see a more traditional do-gooding Supes on our screens, after so many years of darker reimaginings of the character. Just look at the popularity of Adult Swim’s wholesome My Adventures of Superman or the success of The CW’s family-oriented Superman & Lois. The people have spoken and they are ready for Superman to save a cat from a tree once again.
If it’s Dwayne Johnson’s Krypto the Super-Dog who’s stuck in a tree, though, he can stay there.