Plus, 'Peacemaker' teases a villainous comeback for season 2.

NetherRealm Studios’ brand is bloody fighting games, though in 2013, it toned down the violence a tad for Injustice: Gods Among Us. Based on the title, it may not have been even totally clear to Mortal Kombat fans that it was a fighting game starring DC Comics heroes and villains, like Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Joker. But Injustice was a hit for the studio, and spawned a sequel in 2017 that expanded the weird and wild world while offering the same knuckle-busting gameplay. Unfortunately, outside of a tie-in comic and an animated film adaptation, the series has been dormant ever since. Despite the series’ strong sales and high review scores, NetherRealm hasn’t delivered a sequel, instead focusing on its Mortal Kombat franchise. While we can certainly hope the studio’s next game is Injustice 3, and there are murmurs that it might be, NetherRealm hasn’t given any indication as to what it’s developing next. If an Injustice 3 were to be announced, there are some key changes and additions, in my humble opinion, that NetherRealm could make to elevate the franchise.​​​​​​​ For your (and NetherRealm’s) consideration: Make sure Injustice 3’s DLC characters aren’t one-offs The first two Injustice games had expansive rosters, but there are plenty more heroes and villains from the DC universe NetherRealm could bring in for a potential threequel. First, however, some of the DLC fighters need to be brought back — and be used for storytelling purposes. Characters like Batgirl, Martian Manhunter, and Zatanna were great additions in the first game, but were nowhere to be found in the second. Similarly, Black Manta, Starfire, and Enchantress offered great character variety in the second game, and we can only hope they return if the series continues. Injustice: Gods Among Us had two dozen characters for its base roster while Injustice 2 had 28, and the DLC additions pushed its roster to almost 40. NetherRealm has demonstrated time and again it can deliver plenty of unique heroes for each of its games, so I have no doubt that if Injustice 3’s base roster were to include 30-plus heroes, they’d all feel unique and justified. Personally, I’m hoping for more Teen Titans. “Add these characters to Injustice 3” lightning round Batman Beyond Batman: Because a little nostalgia for ’00s cartoons never hurts. Batwoman: Just about everyone else in the Batfamily has made it. Why not Kate Kane? Beast Boy: Fans have long wanted Beast Boy in the series, and for good reason — his shape-shifting powers have the potential for the most unique move set of any fighter. John Constantine: Plays a huge role in the original Injustice comics, but has yet to be playable in the games. Kilowog: The more Green Lanterns, the better. King Shark: Scene stealer in everything he appears in, whether we’re talking The Suicide Squad or Harley Quinn. Mister Miracle: Everyone’s favorite depressed hero before Bob from Thunderbolts came along. Naomi: Probably Brian Michael Bendis’ best addition to the DC universe, it’s time Naomi got to kick some butt in a game. Ra’s al Ghul: Batman’s father-in-law deserves to duel his son-in-law shirtless, just like in the animated show. Peacemaker: He’s already in Mortal Kombat 1, so just bring his peace-loving ass over. Static: How did Static join the mobile game before the real game??? Terra: One of the most influential Teen Titans can be Injustice’s version of Mortal Kombat’s Tremor. Go back to comic-accurate suits Injustice 2 swapped out alternate costumes for gear. Instead of adorning Batman in his Red Son costume or Nightwing in his New 52 digs, you’d instead equip various pieces of gear to each character. You could also add different shaders, giving each character wildly different color schemes than they were traditionally known for, like a purple Superman or gold Green Lantern. Each character ultimately ended up with a similar, armored-up aesthetic. Gone were the unique, comic-accurate skins. Personally, I wasn’t a fan of Injustice 2’s gear system. Even aside from the aesthetics, it introduced a tedious item-management system to the game, full of stats, transmog options, and, of course, microtransactions. Instead, I’d prefer Injustice 3 to go back to a focus on alternate costumes inspired by comics, movies, and everything else. There have been plenty of new costumes for each hero introduced since the games dropped, meaning the possibilities for alternate skins in a new game would be quite substantial. Add premium skins for more character variety Premium skins from both games need to return, and I’d love for even more to be included. Premium skins would change the appearance and voice of a character while retaining its move set. For example, equipping the Reverse-Flash costume for Flash would turn the character into his archnemesis but play the same as the hero you know and love. Characters like the Flash and Green Lantern are ripe for premium skins so players could fight as Wally West or Simon Baz without entirely new characters needing to be made. And could you imagine playing as 2022’s The Batman’s version of the character with voice work by Robert Pattinson or as David Corenswet’s Superman? Let’s speak it into existence. Take advantage of DC Comics’ multiversal characters and stories The first Injustice game was a light multiverse story. It had heroes from only two worlds interacting, but most of the plot concerned heroes from the main DC universe fighting evil, alternate versions in a parallel universe where Superman broke bad. Injustice 2 stuck to the parallel world and explored how it developed in the years after the first game, telling a story of how its heroes and villains had to unite to stop Brainiac. In the years since, multiverse stories, especially with superheroes, have exploded in popularity — and characters. I’m not asking NetherRealm to create hundreds of versions of its characters, but it would be fun to see the studio create even more new takes on the existing heroes. The story could take inspiration from Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Dark Knights: Metal event, where DC’s heroes contend with twisted versions of Batman. Or it could go with a classic trope of villains meeting variants of each other; perhaps Darkseid could team up with his multiversal counterparts in an attempt to rule the multiverse. I know this one’s a longshot, but maybe there’s crossover potential with bringing Watchmen characters into the multiverse shenanigans. DC has been open to doing new things with the characters in recent years, like in the Doomsday Clock miniseries and HBO show. I’d love to see how NetherRealm interprets Rorschach, Ozymandias, and Doctor Manhattan, both from a gameplay and a storytelling perspective. DC’s newest comic initiative would work well in a game, too One particular universe that Injustice 3 could draw inspiration from is DC’s Absolute comics line. One of the core tenants of the Absolute Universe is stripping DC’s heroes of key characteristics while keeping the core idea of who they are intact. For example, Absolute Superman grew up on Krypton and arrived on Earth as an adult, removing his Kansas family ties. Absolute Wonder Woman was raised in Hell, giving her a new outlook on the world — and new powers. Absolute Batman is perhaps the most altered of DC’s heroes. Gone is the rich playboy and in comes a bulked-up engineer. Batman’s appearance is dramatically different; he’s taller and his muscled frame rivals that of Bane’s. The Bat symbol on his chest can be detached and used as an axehead, meaning an Absolute version would play extremely differently in Injustice 3 than the Batman we’re used to. Or maybe just Mortal Kombat vs. Injustice? Back in 2008, Midway Games released an ambitious crossover fighting game, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. It found the heroes and enemies of both franchises at odds with one another before coming together to fight Dark Khan, a fusion of Shao Kahn and Darkseid, and save their universes. It was a fun crossover that would influence storytelling in fighting games, but unfortunately it was one of Midway’s last titles. The studio eventually shuttered and from it was born NetherRealm, which hit the ground running with a Mortal Kombat reboot and then the first Injustice game. If an Injustice 3 isn’t going to happen, maybe DC fans could be appeased in a different way — a followup to Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. The title is sitting right there: Mortal Kombat vs. Injustice. It could pick up threads from the ending of Injustice 2 and pit its evil Superman and Wonder Woman against Mortal Kombat stalwarts Liu Kang, Scorpion, and Raiden. A crossover could serve fans of both franchises while exploring the characters in new ways, both in terms of story and gameplay. Is there hope for an Injustice 3 release? Between 2011 and 2019, NetherRealm released a game every two years, alternating between Mortal Kombat games and the Injustice series. Since then it’s only released Mortal Kombat 1 in 2023 and hasn’t yet divulged what its next game will be. It could be a new Mortal Kombat, something new entirely, or, ideally for DC fans, a third Injustice game. Injustice director Ed Boon gave fans some hope in 2024, telling The Direct, “[W]e love the Injustice games. You know, I would be surprised if we never did one again.” James Gunn and Peter Safran became the architects of their DC Universe in 2022, looking to usher in new films and build a cohesive storytelling universe across films, TV series, and games. Earlier in 2025, they met with the heads of NetherRealm and Rocksteady, the makers of the Batman: Arkham games. “It’s really the first time it’s ever been this way at Warner Bros.,” Safran said (via EuroGamer). “We sit with [the studio heads] and we talk about characters and stories that we’re interested in and that they’re interested in.” Gunn detailed how the film plan may influence the games, saying, “We see designs for the projects in their very earliest stages. We talk about those, we talk about what the story might be and we’ll say ‘Well, maybe you want to go this way because we’re planning on maybe doing something with this character.’” Gunn and Safran meeting with NetherRealm Studios can be looked at positively. To assume it means NetherRealm has something DC cooking would be too much of a stretch, but it at least gives Injustice fans hope that a third entry isn’t dead in the water.

NetherRealm Studios’ brand is bloody fighting games, though in 2013, it toned down the violence a tad for Injustice: Gods Among Us. Based on the title, it may not have been even totally clear to Mortal Kombat fans that it was a fighting game starring DC Comics heroes and villains, like Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Joker. But Injustice was a hit for the studio, and spawned a sequel in 2017 that expanded the weird and wild world while offering the same knuckle-busting gameplay.Unfortunately, outside of a tie-in comic and an animated film adaptation, the series has been dormant ever since. Despite the series’ strong sales and high review scores, NetherRealm hasn’t delivered a sequel, instead focusing on its Mortal Kombat franchise. While we can certainly hope the studio’s next game is Injustice 3, and there are murmurs that it might be, NetherRealm hasn’t given any indication as to what it’s developing next.If an Injustice 3 were to be announced, there are some key changes and additions, in my humble opinion, that NetherRealm could make to elevate the franchise.​​​​​​​ For your (and NetherRealm’s) consideration:Make sure Injustice 3’s DLC characters aren’t one-offsNetherRealm Studios/Warner Bros. Interactive EntertainmentThe first two Injustice games had expansive rosters, but there are plenty more heroes and villains from the DC universe NetherRealm could bring in for a potential threequel. First, however, some of the DLC fighters need to be brought back — and be used for storytelling purposes. Characters like Batgirl, Martian Manhunter, and Zatanna were great additions in the first game, but were nowhere to be found in the second. Similarly, Black Manta, Starfire, and Enchantress offered great character variety in the second game, and we can only hope they return if the series continues.Injustice: Gods Among Us had two dozen characters for its base roster while Injustice 2 had 28, and the DLC additions pushed its roster to almost 40. NetherRealm has demonstrated time and again it can deliver plenty of unique heroes for each of its games, so I have no doubt that if Injustice 3’s base roster were to include 30-plus heroes, they’d all feel unique and justified. Personally, I’m hoping for more Teen Titans.“Add these characters to Injustice 3” lightning roundBatman Beyond Batman: Because a little nostalgia for ’00s cartoons never hurts.Batwoman: Just about everyone else in the Batfamily has made it. Why not Kate Kane?Beast Boy: Fans have long wanted Beast Boy in the series, and for good reason — his shape-shifting powers have the potential for the most unique move set of any fighter.John Constantine: Plays a huge role in the original Injustice comics, but has yet to be playable in the games.Kilowog: The more Green Lanterns, the better.King Shark: Scene stealer in everything he appears in, whether we’re talking The Suicide Squad or Harley Quinn.Mister Miracle: Everyone’s favorite depressed hero before Bob from Thunderbolts came along.Naomi: Probably Brian Michael Bendis’ best addition to the DC universe, it’s time Naomi got to kick some butt in a game.Ra’s al Ghul: Batman’s father-in-law deserves to duel his son-in-law shirtless, just like in the animated show.Peacemaker: He’s already in Mortal Kombat 1, so just bring his peace-loving ass over.Static: How did Static join the mobile game before the real game???Terra: One of the most influential Teen Titans can be Injustice’s version of Mortal Kombat’s Tremor.Go back to comic-accurate suitsInjustice 2 swapped out alternate costumes for gear. Instead of adorning Batman in his Red Son costume or Nightwing in his New 52 digs, you’d instead equip various pieces of gear to each character. You could also add different shaders, giving each character wildly different color schemes than they were traditionally known for, like a purple Superman or gold Green Lantern. Each character ultimately ended up with a similar, armored-up aesthetic. Gone were the unique, comic-accurate skins.Personally, I wasn’t a fan of Injustice 2’s gear system. Even aside from the aesthetics, it introduced a tedious item-management system to the game, full of stats, transmog options, and, of course, microtransactions. Instead, I’d prefer Injustice 3 to go back to a focus on alternate costumes inspired by comics, movies, and everything else. There have been plenty of new costumes for each hero introduced since the games dropped, meaning the possibilities for alternate skins in a new game would be quite substantial.Add premium skins for more character varietyImage: NetherRealm Studios/Warner Bros. Interactive EntertainmentPremium skins from both games need to return, and I’d love for even more to be included. Premium skins would change the appearance and voice of a character while retaining its move set. For example, equipping the Reverse-Flash costume for Flash would turn the character into his archnemesis but play the same as the hero you know and love. Characters like the Flash and Green Lantern are ripe for premium skins so players could fight as Wally West or Simon Baz without entirely new characters needing to be made. And could you imagine playing as 2022’s The Batman’s version of the character with voice work by Robert Pattinson or as David Corenswet’s Superman? Let’s speak it into existence.Take advantage of DC Comics’ multiversal characters and storiesThe first Injustice game was a light multiverse story. It had heroes from only two worlds interacting, but most of the plot concerned heroes from the main DC universe fighting evil, alternate versions in a parallel universe where Superman broke bad. Injustice 2 stuck to the parallel world and explored how it developed in the years after the first game, telling a story of how its heroes and villains had to unite to stop Brainiac.In the years since, multiverse stories, especially with superheroes, have exploded in popularity — and characters. I’m not asking NetherRealm to create hundreds of versions of its characters, but it would be fun to see the studio create even more new takes on the existing heroes.Image: DC ComicsThe story could take inspiration from Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Dark Knights: Metal event, where DC’s heroes contend with twisted versions of Batman. Or it could go with a classic trope of villains meeting variants of each other; perhaps Darkseid could team up with his multiversal counterparts in an attempt to rule the multiverse.I know this one’s a longshot, but maybe there’s crossover potential with bringing Watchmen characters into the multiverse shenanigans. DC has been open to doing new things with the characters in recent years, like in the Doomsday Clock miniseries and HBO show. I’d love to see how NetherRealm interprets Rorschach, Ozymandias, and Doctor Manhattan, both from a gameplay and a storytelling perspective.DC’s newest comic initiative would work well in a game, tooImage: DC ComicsOne particular universe that Injustice 3 could draw inspiration from is DC’s Absolute comics line. One of the core tenants of the Absolute Universe is stripping DC’s heroes of key characteristics while keeping the core idea of who they are intact. For example, Absolute Superman grew up on Krypton and arrived on Earth as an adult, removing his Kansas family ties. Absolute Wonder Woman was raised in Hell, giving her a new outlook on the world — and new powers.Absolute Batman is perhaps the most altered of DC’s heroes. Gone is the rich playboy and in comes a bulked-up engineer. Batman’s appearance is dramatically different; he’s taller and his muscled frame rivals that of Bane’s. The Bat symbol on his chest can be detached and used as an axehead, meaning an Absolute version would play extremely differently in Injustice 3 than the Batman we’re used to.Or maybe just Mortal Kombat vs. Injustice?Back in 2008, Midway Games released an ambitious crossover fighting game, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. It found the heroes and enemies of both franchises at odds with one another before coming together to fight Dark Khan, a fusion of Shao Kahn and Darkseid, and save their universes. It was a fun crossover that would influence storytelling in fighting games, but unfortunately it was one of Midway’s last titles. The studio eventually shuttered and from it was born NetherRealm, which hit the ground running with a Mortal Kombat reboot and then the first Injustice game.If an Injustice 3 isn’t going to happen, maybe DC fans could be appeased in a different way — a followup to Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. The title is sitting right there: Mortal Kombat vs. Injustice. It could pick up threads from the ending of Injustice 2 and pit its evil Superman and Wonder Woman against Mortal Kombat stalwarts Liu Kang, Scorpion, and Raiden. A crossover could serve fans of both franchises while exploring the characters in new ways, both in terms of story and gameplay.Is there hope for an Injustice 3 release?Between 2011 and 2019, NetherRealm released a game every two years, alternating between Mortal Kombat games and the Injustice series. Since then it’s only released Mortal Kombat 1 in 2023 and hasn’t yet divulged what its next game will be. It could be a new Mortal Kombat, something new entirely, or, ideally for DC fans, a third Injustice game. Injustice director Ed Boon gave fans some hope in 2024, telling The Direct, “[W]e love the Injustice games. You know, I would be surprised if we never did one again.”James Gunn and Peter Safran became the architects of their DC Universe in 2022, looking to usher in new films and build a cohesive storytelling universe across films, TV series, and games. Earlier in 2025, they met with the heads of NetherRealm and Rocksteady, the makers of the Batman: Arkham games. “It’s really the first time it’s ever been this way at Warner Bros.,” Safran said (via EuroGamer). “We sit with [the studio heads] and we talk about characters and stories that we’re interested in and that they’re interested in.”Gunn detailed how the film plan may influence the games, saying, “We see designs for the projects in their very earliest stages. We talk about those, we talk about what the story might be and we’ll say ‘Well, maybe you want to go this way because we’re planning on maybe doing something with this character.’” Gunn and Safran meeting with NetherRealm Studios can be looked at positively. To assume it means NetherRealm has something DC cooking would be too much of a stretch, but it at least gives Injustice fans hope that a third entry isn’t dead in the water.See More:

Achieving peace is a team effort. And there is no I in Team.  DC Studios has dropped the official teaser for Peacemaker Season 2, which streams August 21 on Max. Eagly returns... and hope springs eternal. In Season 1 of the R-rated action-adventure-comedy series, which explores the origins of The Suicide Squad character played by John Cena, mercenary Christopher Smith returns home after recovering from his encounter with Bloodsport. Per the logline, the upcoming season follows the vigilante “as he struggles to reconcile his past with his newfound sense of purpose while continuing to kick righteous evil-doer butt in his misguided quest for peace at any cost.” Hopefully, his incredibly animated friend Eagly can keep him grounded in his ongoing search for purpose. Returning cast includes Danielle Brooks, Jennifer Holland, Freddie Stroma, Steve Agee, and Robert Patrick. New Season 2 cast members include Frank Grillo, David Denman, Sol Rodriguez, and Tim Meadows. James Gunn wrote all eight episodes of Peacemaker Season 2 and directed three, including the first episode. Gunn, Peter Safran, and Cena serve as executive producers. Greg Mottola, Peter Sollett, and Althea Jones also direct. Gunn’s Troll Court Entertainment and The Safran Company produce in association with Warner Bros. Television. VFX for Season 1 were crafted by Clear Angle Studios, Crafty Apes, Mr. Wolf, Peerless, Proof Inc, Rodeo FX, and Wētā FX. For Season 2, we know Wētā FX is involved, we’re guessing at least for the work on Eagly. You can read about their incredible first season raptor work here. Check out the teaser now: Source: DC Studios Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologist—L'Wren brings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.

The new DC Universe is obviously very similar to the DC Extended Universe, but it also has its fair share of differences. The new trailer for James Gunn’s Superman, as well as the recent trailer for Peacemaker Season 2, have revealed that the Justice League in this universe are actually called the “Justice Gang,” and that they work for Max Lord (now played by Gunn’s brother Sean Gunn, instead of Pedro Pascal in the DCEU). This arrangement is very similar to the one in the beloved Justice League and Justice League International comic book series of the 1980s by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire.That’s just one of the many Easter eggs, little details, and hidden DC secrets in the new Superman trailer. In our latest DC video, we’ll explain them all, including which three Superman comics this movie is most directly drawn from, contrast this continuity of Gunn’s Superman with the Christopher Reeve films, and the tiny shoutout to Max Lord that’s hidden in the background of one shot. Watch our full breakdown of the new Superman trailer below:READ MORE: Every DC Comics Movie, Ranked From Worst to BestIf you liked that video about all of the Easter eggs in the latest trailer for James Gunn’s Superman, check out more of our videos below including our breakdown of the previous Superman trailer, our wholesome (real tears!) reaction to the first Superman trailer, and our deep dive into all the Easter eggs in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Plus, there’s tons more over at ScreenCrush’s YouTube channel. Be sure to subscribe to catch all our future episodes. James Gunn’s Superman is scheduled to open in theaters on July 11, 2025.Get our free mobile app’80s Foods We Wish They Still MadeIf you grew up in the 1980s, you surely have fond memories of these popular (now discontinued) snacks.

Look, up on the internet! It’s a clip, it’s a teaser… No! It’s the full Superman trailer we’ve been waiting for! After giving us bits and pieces, DC Studios has finally released a massive three-minute trailer for this summer’s Superman, written and directed by James Gunn. The sizzle reel finally gives a sense of the central conflict of the movie, in which Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) takes advantage of public opinion turning against Superman when he stops a war in foreign lands. We also are hinted that these actions create ripples within the Daily Planet newsroom and cause friction with the movie’s pseudo-Justice League. Also somehow Lex Luthor is able to invade the Fortress of Solitude where he wrecks things with a character called the Engineer! And if you don’t know who the Engineer is, boy do we have some details to reveal to you… “Ms. Lane,” 2025 Style For all the kaiju and extra meta-humans that he’s including in Superman, Gunn has always insisted that the movie is primarily about Superman and the triangle between Clark, Lois, and Lex. The trailer makes that point in its first scenes, which also call back to a beloved moment in the original Superman movie from 1978. Once again, we have Lois (Rachel Brosnahan) interviewing Superman (David Corenswet) to satisfy the world’s curiosity. But the tone is quite different from any version we’ve seen in the past. Owing perhaps to the already comfortable relationship between a Lois and Clark where she knows he is Superman, we see a feistier version of the Man of Steel. He almost gets defensive at Lois’ questions, with the hero insisting that he did good because it needed to be done, and that matters more than issues of international law. More importantly though, we get to see one of the most crucial parts of any Superman performance, the transformation between mild-mannered Clark Kent and the Man of Steel. That transition was pulled off beautifully by Christopher Reeve in the original movie where he became a totally different person within one unbroken shot. It is a favorite moment for many in that movie, including Gunn. Cut to 2025 and Corenswet does the same thing here, albeit it’s much more subtle. He’s slouched and sitting back when Clark agrees to let Lois interview Superman. But when it’s time for the interview to begin, he sits up and squares his shoulders. He gives a confident, hopeful look and drops his voice by an octave to begin. While not as pronounced as Reeve’s changes, the subtly matters. As demonstrated by the emphasis on Smallville here, with Pa Kent (Pruitt Taylor Vince) giving an inspirational voiceover, a job usually reserved for Supes’s Kryptonian father Jor-El, this Superman is both a son of Krypton and a son of Kansas. Neither is a fake. Both are his real identity and thus the lines between them will blur. Photo: DC Studios The trailer underscores Lex Luthor’s role as the ultimate big bad. Driven by jealousy and refusing to respect an alien, Luthor thinks his mistrust has been proven correct when Superman stops a war. However, the well-groomed CEO has got a lot of other heavy hitters to help him out, including a woman in black leather whose hands turn into blades as they destroy the Fortress of Solitude. That is the Engineer, played by María Gabriela de Faría, and she takes some explaining. The Engineer first debuted in 1999’s The Authority #1, written by Warren Ellis and penciled by Bryan Hitch. Part of the Wildstorm Universe, a comic book universe separate from the DC stable, the Authority were a collection of heroes who set themselves to making a better world by enforcing their will. Under the pen of Ellis and other writers, including Mark Millar and Grant Morrison, the Authority applied amoral realpolitik to superheroes, something antithetical to heroes such as the Justice League. In fact, the famed Superman story “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way” saw Superman stand up to and rebuke a team modeled on the Authority. However, when DC took full control of the Wildstorm line, they integrated the Authority into the DC Universe where they are heroes with questionable tactics. Judging by the trailer, Gunn plans to use the Engineer as more of a villain or at least antagonist. As in the comics, the Engineer has nano technology that allows her to change her body into a weapon, not unlike the T-1000 from Terminator 2. She’s clearly working alongside Lex here, but it’s hard to imagine that Gunn won’t have Supes teach the Engineer something about how to create a better world through inspiration instead of force. Photo: DC Studios Is That Ultraman? Bizarro? Joining the Engineer in the fight against Superman is a hulking male figure in all leather. We’ve seen this figure before, duking it out with Superman in a stadium. But this is the best look that we’ve had at him so far, and the best look we’ve gotten at the emblem on his chest. That “U” shaped design is familiar to comic book readers who recognize that as the emblem of Ultraman, the Superman of Earth-3. In the DC multiverse, Earth-3 is the evil dimension, in which Ultraman, Owlman, and Superwoman lead the Injustice League of America, taking the place of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman of the Justice League of America. Join our mailing list Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! However, Ultraman usually has no problem showing his face and often runs around in a blue and red getup, not this leather number. And he certainly wouldn’t take orders from a weenie like Lex Luthor. So who is that guy? Given his massive powers and his hidden face, smart money suggests that the figure is in fact Bizarro, a flawed but super-strong clone of Superman. It would follow that Lex would make his own version of Superman and, in a blow against his hubris, get it wrong. That origin has been used for Bizarro in the comics, and it would fit within the themes that Gunn seems to be exploring. Photo: DC Studios Rick Flag Sr. of the Creature Commandos One of the more confusing parts about James Gunn’s tenure as the co-head of DC Studios is that he’s doing only a partial reboot of the now defunct DCEU. Sure, Henry Cavill is out as Superman and it seems that the events of Justice League and Batman v Superman: The Dawn of Justice didn’t happen. But The Suicide Squad and Creature Commandos, or at least some version of them, did happen. Thus far the only bridge between these worlds is Rick Flag Sr., who is played by Frank Grillo. We first met Flag in animated form in Creature Commandos, where he was assigned by Amanda Waller to lead Task Force M. Throughout that series, Flag expresses sorrow at the death of his son Rick Flag Jr., who was played by Joel Kinnaman in Suicide Squad and The Suicide Squad. Flag doesn’t get to do much in this trailer other than look very serious and escort Superman into custody, alongside the Engineer and maybe-Bizarro. But his sober expression suggests that he still has a mistrust of guys who take things into their own hands, owing perhaps to his anger at Flagg’s death at the hands of Peacemaker during the mission to stop the Thinker from exploiting Starro the Conqueror in Corto Maltese. Remember? Photo: DC Studios The scenes of Superman in custody apparently lead to images of him in a sort of prison made of cubed glass, reminiscent of Magneto’s holding pen in X-Men or the monster cages in The Cabin in the Woods. Initially we see soldiers beating on Superman within the prison. Later he seems to have gained the power to bust out. In between we get a shot of Metamorpho, one of the more highly-anticipated characters in the movie. Played by Anthony Carrigan, Metamorpho has the ability to turn himself into any element (including Kryptonite, maybe?), and we see a bit of that power at work when his hands start to dissipate in a strange way. Metamorpho is just one of the heroes who show up in the trailer, which also gives us better looks at Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) flying through the sky, Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) using his T-spheres, and the Green Lantern Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) using his power ring in a particularly jerky way. But we also see glimpses of other figures in the prison, suggesting that there are somehow even more metahumans than we realized. It’s hard to see any of the others, save for the woman imprisoned in the cube to Superman’s left. There we see a blond woman in a pink dress who reacts in horror. On one hand, that might just be a regular lady in a pink dress who, for some reason, gets sent to the same jail as Metamorpho and Superman. However, the outfit doesn’t look too different from the one worn by a C-list fantasy hero called Amethyst. Created by writers Dan Mishkin and Gary Cohn and artist Ernie Colón, Amethyst first debuted in 1983’s The Legion of Super-Heroes #298 and was soon spun off into her own comic. Amethyst is the princess of a magical place called Gemworld where she has high fantasy adventures. Amethyst has carried her own series from time to time but doesn’t enjoy the same level of popularity as even Guy Gardner. But if Gunn’s going to delve into different genres for his version of the DC Universe, Amethyst is a great way to bring more fantasy into the world of superheroes. Superman flies into theaters on July 11, 2025.