The teaser trailer for James Gunn’s Superman is finally here – and it’s full of DCU cameos and comic book Easter eggs. Some are easy to spot, others aren’t; so for those of you without X-ray vision, we’ve rounded up every DCU cameo and Easter egg in the Superman teaser below!
Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific & Metamorpho
While David Corenswet’s Man of Steel is rightly the focus of the Superman teaser trailer, it also spotlights several other costumed crime fighters. This includes two members of the DCU incarnation of the Justice Society of America, Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced). Mister Terrific is a genius inventor and Olympic-level athlete; Hawkgirl’s a mace-wielding warrior, who (as her name suggests) rocks a pair of working wings. The Superman teaser also features a brief close-up of Anthony Carrigan’s Metamorpho, a one-time archaeologist with transmutation powers. Metamorpho’s served with various do-gooder teams in the comics (notably, the Outsiders and Justice League), but it’s unclear at this stage if he’s part of any supergroups in the DCU.
Guy Gardner
The other major superhero cameo in the Superman teaser trailer – so important it warrants its own entry – is the debut of Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner. Created by John Broome and Gil Kane way back in 1968, Guy’s a member of the Green Lantern Corps, as evidenced by his emerald-colored light show in the teaser. He’s also held down a spot on the Justice League’s roster (as well as DC space cop outfit, the Darkstars), which ain’t bad for a character defined in part by how abrasive he is. Oh, and the bowl cut Fillion’s got going on? That’s comics-accurate coiffure, right there.
Related: Superman Trailer Reveals the First Look At James Gunn’s Live-Action DCU
Stagg Industries
As you’d expect, LuthorCorp is the most easy-to-spot fictional business in the Superman teaser. After all, it’s the global conglomerate run by the Last Son of Krypton’s arch-nemesis, Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). But the bald baddie’s business isn’t the only DC Comics-inspired company in the teaser. In the close-up shot of Superman after he has an ugly encounter with a Metropolis mob, there’s a logo for Stagg Industries. In the comics, Stagg Industries (originally called “Stagg Enterprises”) is the corporation headed up by Simon Stagg, the villainous tycoon responsible for Rex Mason’s transformation into Metamorpho.
Kelex
While the Superman teaser doesn’t skimp on the action, it also tees up several of the 2025 blockbuster’s emotional moments. Among the most striking of these is a shot of Superman cradling a “dying” Fortress of Solitude robot, who we’re pretty sure is Kelex. Introduced in writer-artist John Byrne’s 1986 Man of Steel miniseries, Kelex is a Kryptonian service robot. He’s unfailingly loyal to Superman and Supergirl (except in one story where he goes rogue and tries conquering Earth). More importantly, Kelex is one of Superman’s few connections to his long-gone homeworld, so his destruction would hit Supes hard.
Related: Is David Corenswet Wearing Superman’s New 52 Costume?
Boravia & GBS News
Even casual fans have a pretty solid chance of picking up on the above DCU cameos and Easter eggs. But the twofer Gunn sneaks into the Superman teaser trailer’s news broadcast shot is something only hardcore DC devotees will clock. First, the channel running the broadcast – GBS News – is a Metropolis-based news network dating back to the 1970s; GBS News made its DCU debut in Creature Commandos. Then there’s the country the broadcast is about, Boravia. This is a very deep cut: the Man of Steel ended a civil war in the made-up European nation in 1939’s Superman #2!
James Gunn’s Superman reboot soars into cinemas on July 11, 2025.
Published: Dec 19, 2024 11:12 am