The newest Justice League trailer has finally provided the one thing we’ve been asking to see for more than a year.
[Warning: The following may contain spoilers for Justice League.]
While we still haven’t seen Superman strutting through the depths of hell alongside his fellow Justice League members, Clark Kent has returned. Well, kind of.
Kent appears at his childhood home in Smallville in today’s trailer, which you can watch above. He’s standing in a field with a dreamy look on his face, only to turn back and acknowledge Lois Lane.
It’s a cute moment, but it’s not real; the moment is part of Lois Lane’s dream. Clark Kent, and Superman by extension, is teased out, but is never actually shown to be alive.
This is similar to what Warner Bros. did with the last trailer, which shows Alfred speaking to someone who is just offscreen. Although Warner Bros. never confirms who it is, the tease is clearly meant to imply that it’s Superman.
For the most part, people seem pleased with the way Superman’s return to the screen is being shown.
“I'm very impressed at the way they handled it,” one person wrote on the biggest DC Films subreddit. “Just enough to gain some hype and perhaps showcase that his attitude and demeanor is changed, but no one can hold them accountable for spoiling the movie because it's a dream. Well done, WB.”
“I am sooooo relieved they didn’t show or tease Superman’s return in the trailer,” another person wrote on Twitter. “That dream thingy worked perfectly.”
Warner Bros.’ marketing team has gone out of its way to ensure that Superman’s inclusion in Justice League remains a mystery. When reports of Cavill’s mustache in Justice League reshoots being a problem started to surface, cast members began to tease Superman’s presence a little more. At this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, Gal Gadot, who plays Wonder Woman, said fans of Superman will be pleased by what they see in Justice League.
Cavill himself has had fun with the mystery surrounding his character. When the second trailer dropped earlier this year, Cavill took to Instagram to acknowledge that all of the heroes had united for Warner Bros. and DC Films’ big event. Well, almost everyone.
Neither Kent nor Superman appear again in the trailer, but there’s another sweet moment featuring Bruce Wayne, played by Ben Affleck, watching a hologram of his lost friend.
This kind of constant teasing only works if there’s some payoff at the end. We need to see Superman — and it seems very likely that we will.
Justice League will be released on Nov. 17.
