DC’s Superman Trailer Begs One Question: Is This a Superhero Romance Renaissance?

While we can talk a lot about the character glimpses (Krypto!!), the visuals (actual color in a DC movie?!), and the potential plot in the first trailer for James Gunn’s Superman, I couldn’t help noticing one thing. One very important thing. Was that… actual romance featured prominently in a superhero movie trailer?

Romance in Superhero Movies Have Fallen Out of Fashion

The Superman trailer wouldn’t be such a big deal, if we hadn’t gotten to this point.

Thanks to a series of cinematic missteps from DC, Marvel (specifically, the MCU) has become the best-known superhero media franchise in the mainstream. As it has grown increasingly unwieldy, though, it also has sanded off all the edges. The earliest installments let character connections shine. And that included romance. Remember the grown-up, flirty chemistry between Tony and Pepper in the first Iron Man, or the sweet, old-fashioned connection when Steve and Peggy first met in The First Avenger?

Now, it seems like introducing a “love interest” subplot is just a checkbox, without much attention paid to actual chemistry or developing the characters (see: Eternals and Marvel’s much-hyped and much-maligned “first sex scene”). We’re supposed to get invested because we’re told they’re in love, not because we feel it. Or, romance is left off the table altogether. Because “strong” characters apparently are weakened by love, I guess?

As for the DCEU (aka the “Snyder ‘verse”), well… they tried? Kinda? Wonder Woman did manage to give us a great romance, thanks largely to Chris Pine’s particular talent for playing men who are down bad. Of course, they then sent it careening off the rails with the weirdness of WW: 1984. Henry Cavill and Amy Adams had that viral bathtub scene — but how romantic is anything, really, when soaked in grimdark context and equally grimdark visuals?

In fairness, superhero TV has a better track record. Early MCU shows, like Daredevil and Agents of SHIELD, offered long-running ships with both epic drama and a real spark (and fun!). Arrowverse characters flirted, fell in love, and banged like they were on CW soaps (because, technically, they were). But post-Arrowverse, post-Disney-MCU… it’s a bit of a desert. And that’s a shame — because romance, like any relationships, helps characters feel more relatable and worth investing in.

Fortunately, the Superman trailer suggests DC is (finally) remembering that.

The Superman Trailer Isn’t Afraid of Romance (Or Chemistry)

Now, let’s look at the Superman trailer for the 2025 reboot. Yes, there’s the “shocking” opening visual of a bloodied Superman in the snow. Of course, there are character cameos galore. But what else is in the Superman trailer? A surprising amount of time dedicated to the relationship between Clark Kent and Lois Lane.

David Corenswet’s Clark and Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois share a curious, charged look early on. Then, within the final 30 seconds, the trailer shows not one, but two kiss scenes. That’s more than most superhero “couples” get in their entire cinematic existence, these days!

Not only that, but there’s real chemistry radiating off the screen. The first kiss we shows Clark and Lois making out in a kitchen, eagerly pulling each other closer. The second looks practically like a comic-book panel, with a literal levitating lip-lock. And in between, we see intense held gazes, held hands, and a fierce hug. We are, quite clearly, meant to understand that this relationship matters.

Don’t Forget the Fun

And yet, the Superman trailer doesn’t depict Clark and Lois’s romance as tortured and heavy. There’s a sense of flirtatious energy and charisma, not just two (extremely) pretty people mashed together the way kids smushed their Barbies or action figures together.

That’s a sense that we could sorely use in superhero media. Give us more of the crackling chemistry and unabashed attraction between Matt and Jen in She-Hulk! Give us more of the epic romance and chaotic hookup merry-go-round of Legends of Tomorrow! Heck, give us more of the playful-then-serious romance of Superman & Lois! Truly, just give us anything other than dour, underwritten pairings that seem to think if they “tell” us it’s an epic romance, we’ll buy into it.

When we see how characters connect, romantically or otherwise, it gives the story more emotional stakes. After all, none of us can relate to punching out a fire-breathing space monster (unless one of you is keeping a secret?). But most of us can relate to falling in love, to finding our people, or to leaning on our families. That’s what needs to feel real — not lovingly-rendered CGI or complicated Macguffin quests.

So consider this my official plea: let superheroes flirt again! We could use a sense of joy, fun, and love more than ever. The Superman trailer gives me a little hope – watch it below and see what you think!

Superman hits theaters on July 11, 2025.

What did you think of the Superman trailer? Let us know in the comments below!