Superman lives in the first still from his Legacy. But, why does it deserve our attention?

The first official photo of the new version of Man of Steel is powerful in its simplicity and sense of everydayness. It’s also a funny message to those expecting something more glorious, heroic, and macho. By the way, it was shot entirely in-camera on set.

He almost looks like a tired soldier — a true working-class hero, getting back into his red boots, exhausted and perhaps even a little bored by all the repetitive battles with space aliens. His flexible uniform has seen some pretty rough times, and part of his chest with the iconic “S” is scorched. There’s a sphere-shape-like battleship in the background which fires a huge laser storm into the city. You can’t be sure enough if it’s a real enemy, a lovely friend, or just a symbolic reminder of the hero’s daily routine in his familiar Metropolis. And maybe there is no boredom at all because it all just happens at the usual extreme of superhero speed. So, maybe it’s a moment of slow-motion, maybe not.

Anyway, it’s a completely different story from the previous first still from Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. Back then, Henry Cavill’s pose was a pure manifestation of supernatural power and strength. Now, Gunn’s first sneak peek taken by his DOP Jess Miglio makes fun of those scenarios. In a way, it’s a complete opposite, showing a sensitive side of the title hero — a more human character, with all our habits, pluses, and hopefully even minuses.

The colors are also different. The strong shades of grey play a less important role now, and along with the darker tones, Superman’s everyday life now shines with blue, green, and purple. It just seems that Gunn’s approach to the Man of Tomorrow is based on the director’s typical sense of humor and, let’s say, the mundanity of a superhero’s life.

The interesting thing is that Gunn wrote on his X that the photo was taken “entirely in-camera”. Can you feel the hope in that now? Even if they used the digital magic of StageCraft for the dramatic backdrop (SC is a virtual on-set technology based on a video wall designed by the one and only Industrial Light & Magic. It was brilliantly used in The Batman), it would be amazing to see Superman flying back to his roots in a much more practical style, avoiding all the CGI chaos.

We’ll see if this is Gunn’s original approach for the whole movie, but if this Legacy will be able to repeat any of the romantic and timeless wizardry from the legendary Christopher Reeve era, we can all believe that a man can fly. Once again.

© Jess Miglio

Magic of the first still

Man of Steel, dir Zack Snyder (2013). This is the first sparkling blast from the Snyderverse's past. A brutalist manifestation of power and masculinity. Our titular hero has never been so straightforward in his very first image from the film.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, dir Zack Snyder (2016). The first look at Ben Affleck’s elderly hunter and alcoholic in the muscular bat suit was shot by Zack Snyder himself with his own Leica. His approach with this black-and-white sculptural mood was quite fresh back at the time. Next to the first still of Henry Cavill’s Superman, there was a simple feeling that things were going to be more violent this time.

The Dark Knight, dir Christopher Nolan (2008). No words are needed. This portrait of madness will always be such a bold and radical choice. It looks more like a shot from a fashion magazine than a film. Looking at his blurred face, you can still think of terror, punk, or Francis Bacon, whose rough art has always been a great inspiration to Nolan. And to Burton, too.

The Dark Knight Rises, dir Christopher Nolan (2012). He waits like a wrestling monster in the shadows, waiting for his prey — a rat with wings. At the time, nobody knew what Tom Hardy would look like in the role. The result was, well, pretty raw and brutal and, as always with Nolan, mysterious.

The Batman, dir Matt Reeves (2022). We got our first glimpse of Robert Pattinson’s caped crusader as an atmospheric screen test on Matt Reeve’s Twitter, but his stylish car was shot by DOP Craig Fraser. Designer Ash Thorp hides a bat symbol in the beast’s rear engine. Look closely, it is there. The car itself is a pure harmony of cool design and function, something like a new functionalism.

Oppenheimer, dir Christohper Nolan (2023). Perhaps a surprising choice in the end, but one that works brilliantly. Not only did it reveal a resemblance between Murphy’s and Oppenheimer’s staring eyes (the portrait itself is a literal quote of the cover of an original book — American Prometheus), but it also raised all the question marks about Nolan’s approach to black and white film material. The rest is history.