As Superman crashes to a snowy Earth in today’s trailer for Superman, we see a bloodied Man of Steel, almost destitute. In another shot, Superman is getting trash thrown at him by a slew of people — not exactly the traditional image we’re use to for a guy who saves lives.

There’s a big symbolism behind that for the pic’s writer and director James Gunn.

“We do have a battered Superman at the beginning, and I think that is our country,” said the filmmaker at a presser for the trailer Monday.

One of the overarching themes in the reboot of the DC superhero on the big screen for Gunn is that it’s “a movie about kindness. It was a movie about being good.”

“I believe in the goodness of human beings, and I believe that most people in this country despite their ideological beliefs or politics are doing their best to get by and are trying to be good people despite what it might seem like to the other side or what that other side might be, and I think this movie is about that.”

Back in July 2018 Gunn came under fire on social media by right wing commentator Mike Cernovich who went after the director for his controversial jokes about pedophilia, but more so, because the filmmaker was an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump. Gunn’s remarks prompted Disney to initially cut ties with him on the third Guardians of the Galaxy movie until the director was reinstated due to an overwhelming support from industry colleagues.

Continued Gunn about the takeaway for Superman: “It’s about the basic kindness of human beings and that it can be seen as uncool and it can be seen as under siege when some of the darker voices are some of the louder voices”.

Said Gunn, “I live in a very rural part of Georgia and I see the kindness and the beauty of the people every day who don’t share all the same world beliefs as I do, but I think that’s what the movie is about: the basic fundamental decency of human beings all over the world.”

Superman happens on July 11, 2025.