‘Superman’ Fan Event – Leicester Square, London, 2 July 2025

 

Pictured: A 'goodie bag' for the 2025 film, 'Superman'. Courtesy of Warner Bros.

‘Look up’ say the posters. I looked up, down, left and right but could not find where to pick up my wristband for entry anywhere. Tall, gym-buffed men dressed as Superman, the DC comic book hero subject of a new Warner Bros movie, were no help. They wore their underwear outside their leggings but had otherwise not been briefed. Cast as atmosphere people, they were located on the north side of the grassy enclosure of Leicester Square. On the south side, a large screen had been erected so that Londoners could watch that other breed of superhero, tennis players, competing in this year’s Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Tournament, hopeful Emma Raducanu having just progressed to the Third Round.

Nine days before its UK release, ‘Superman’ written and directed by James Gunn, who successfully brought Marvel’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ to the big screen, was being launched at a ‘fan event’ held at the IMAX cinema in London’s Leicester Square. To enter the capital’s equivalent of the Man of Steel’s Fortress of Solitude, you needed to show security a wristband. Many media invitees collected their wristbands, some in bright gold, from a nearby hotel. I eventually found my collection point outside next to some greenery shielded from view by security. Before long, I was up, up and away into the guest enclosure surrounded by superfans hopeful for autographs and selfies – mostly the latter – as security ushered guests to ‘keep moving’. Ascending the stairs to the auditorium, I was flanked by digital screens depicting cast members: David Corenswet is Superman, Nicholas Hoult is Lex Luthor, and so on. Then, queues for photographs. You too could wear Superman’s cape, raise your arm, clench your fist and say, ‘there’s got to be a better way to hail a cab’. Of course, there’s Uber, the company tie-in that the filmmakers did not exploit.

I am of a generation that not only grew up with Christopher Reeve as Superman – and watched the movies become progressively cheaper and sillier – but also welcomed Brandon Routh in the mostly forgettable 2006 movie, ‘Superman Returns’, which featured Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor. I was unimpressed by Zack Snyder’s 2013 reboot, ‘Man of Steel’, which focussed on Superman’s fighting prowess rather than show him saving lives. Snyder set about killing off Superman in a sequel, then bringing him back to life in the 2017 critical dud, ‘Justice League’, which was completed by Joss Whedon, the latter spawning a campaign, ‘release the Snyder cut’. By that time, I had lost interest.

Kudos to Gunn and his creative team for reinvigorating Superman as a goofy individual in both his superhero and altar ego form. Once seated inside the auditorium, hot dog in hand, instructed to place my mobile phone in a green plastic bag – no photos – we watched a live stream of interviews (with Corenswet and Hoult) taking place outside the cinema. ‘What’s different about this Superman?’ a bearded Corenswet was asked. ‘Me,’ he replied. ‘Was there ever a moment when you acted like Superman?’ ‘I once disabled a smoke alarm in my dorm wearing nothing but a set of underpants,’ Corenswet replied. Then there was urgent business: judging the superfan with the most outstanding costume. Nine young men and women, and one older guy who looked like an Uber driver, ascended the stage to show off their blue tee-shirts and tinsel – I don’t recall reading about Superman on a stag night, but it happened, right? We were invited to cheer not once but twice, feeling our energy drain away, the individuals eliciting the loudest response identified as a possible winner. Ten became three. I can’t remember who won, but everyone got a prize.

Then the second entertainment for the evening. Two large-inflatable balls were cast into either side of the auditorium and batted back and forth while music played. When the music stopped, the two audience members holding the ball were asked to answer a multiple-choice question, such as naming James Gunn’s dog that inspired Krypto or identifying the prestigious university that both David Corenswet and Christopher Reeve attended (Juilliard) or naming the character that Gunn regular Nathan Fillion plays in Superman (the Green Lantern). In total, five questions were asked, ten prizes were given out, but the inflatable ball only passed over my head once. Several audience members caught it, hung on to it for a beat, hoping for the music to stop, then, being booed by other audience members propelled it forwards or backwards, sometimes directly at the screen.

Then it was time to meet the creatives: Corenswet, Hoult, Rachel Brosnahan (aka Lois Lane), DC Studios’ Peter Safran and writer-director Gunn, who recalled being in the same venue for the premiere of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’. Safran had watched ‘Superman The Movie’ in London in 1979. He had come ‘full circle’. You expect hyperbole. You get hyperbole.

Then it was time for us to watch some footage, which is to say, the first fifteen minutes of the movie. I won’t spoil it for potential viewers but can say that, as preached in screenwriting manuals everywhere, Gunn begins in the middle. This film assumes that we know who Superman is and counts down (‘three years since’, ‘three days since’, ‘three hours since’) something consequential happened. This Superman bleeds. This Superman gets tired. This Superman needs snacks. Or at least not an over enthusiastic Krypto, the man from Krypton’s faithful canine companion, who for reasons perplexing to dog owners, wears a cape and cracks Superman’s ribs. We are introduced to the Fortress of Solitude, which is filled with robots that resemble red ant type figures, bipedal, numbered and with attitude, who treat Superman with – well, I won’t spoil it. We discover that Superman has been followed.

We are shown just how Superman took a slugging, from the Hammer, a robot figure operated by a team from Luthorcorp that pretends to be from another country. Superman had interceded in another country’s affairs. Subsequently, he was taken to task. We learn that though he was pounded to the ground, Superman still elicits the help of the people, who are there to help pull him out of a hole. Lex stands behind each operative, telling them which move to execute.

In another sequence we see Clark Kent, Superman’s reporter alias, on his way to work at the Daily Planet. ‘Late again,’ moans his editor (Wendell Pierce) Clark relates his latest interview with Superman to Lois Lane. ‘Why is it only you get the scoop?’ Lois asks. This is upended by the next scene in which a meal is prepared for Lois: ‘breakfast for dinner’.

There is an extended discussion in which Superman explains his reasons for intervening in another country’s affairs. ‘People were in danger.’  This Superman is moral, emotional, self-satisfied (‘well, I thought I did well’), passionate but not intellectual. Heart-over-head.

In the final sequence the Fortress of Solitude entertains houseguests. They show no appreciation for the décor.

In these early sequences, Clark also takes a call from Ma and Pa Kent (Neva Howell, Pruitt Taylor Vince), who are portrayed as folksy caricatures rather than an obvious source of nobility. Gunn’s approach is to re-think and freshen up the characters, acknowledging but not paying lip-service to past incarnations.

The Q and A session that followed accounted for Nicholas Hoult’s casting as Lex Luthor. Hoult auditioned for Superman, didn’t get the part, but was suited to the role of a man driven by envy. Lex wants to be Superman. ‘Nuff said. Gunn described Superman as one of the top five most recognisable characters in popular culture. He didn’t name the other four, but I would suggest they are James Bond, Lassie, Jesus Christ and a Ghostbuster - never underestimate the effectiveness of a theme song. He wanted his set to be a space for kindness. Kindness is Superman’s most vital quality. Although Gunn was not explicit, his film is undoubtedly a riposte to Trumpism. After all, the villain is a scheming billionaire who works from a tall building. Corenswet reminded Gunn that when he first took flight in his super suit, his testicle got caught on the harness; Gunn was happier than Corenswet to share this anecdote with the audience. He also worried whether Brosnahan’s trailing spangly dress would be defeated by the stairs to the stage. She spoke about the gift of a role of a confident brave intelligent woman who is not afraid to ask for help when needed. Of the interviews, Safran had the least to say. Unlike Gunn, he wasn’t in awe of Marvel honcho Stan Lee, name checked in an anecdote.

‘You’ll want to see it twice,’ insisted the interviewer, attempting to maintain the hype. I’m happy to watch it once. Gunn and co were cheered from the stage. Most of the audience were herded towards a side exit, but not the gold wristband wearers for whom the event would continue.

‘Superman’ opens in the UK on Friday 11 July 2025