Superman will soon take to the skies again, and DC Studios co-head James Gunn is keen for us all to watch. With the upcoming “Superman,” the director has seemingly crafted an ode to the Man of Steel’s essential and unwavering goodness to remind us that such a thing exists during a time when the world seems to be perpetually suspended in a state of tumult and disarray. He is, of course, also responsible for bringing DC back to cinematic prominence following an ignoble end to the erstwhile DC Extended Universe, so he sort of needs us all to watch, too.

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Thus far, however, Gunn and Warner Bros.’ attempts to build the necessary hype haven’t been all that effective. The trailer for “Superman” didn’t just need to sell a movie, but an entire shared universe, and I’m not sure it did that by itself. Then, Gunn and co. let the Super Bowl pass without releasing anything of note, only to unveil the first five minutes of the movie in a preview that certainly showed a lot of Krypto the dog, but didn’t contain anything particularly exciting. Now, Warner Bros. has released a behind-the-scenes video for “Superman” that gives us our best look yet at new heroes, enemies, and allies.

Whether this latest marketing tactic has convinced you that “Superman” is unmissable or not, the featurette did at least give us some tantalizing glimpses at some of the supporting heroes, with Isabela Merced shown in full Hawkgirl gear alongside Frank Grillo as Rick Flag, Sr., and Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt/Mister Terrific. It also might just have spoiled the debut of a significant threat from the pages of DC comics.

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James Gunn’s “Superman” has the power to save or destroy an iconic movie studio, and as such, needs to deliver a truly worthwhile thrill-ride of a story. We already know that Nicholas Hoult is playing legendary Superman nemesis Lex Luthor, and that Supes will face off against some sort of giant kaiju in downtown Metropolis, as shown in the trailer. But he might face an even graver threat if a shot from the new behind-the-scenes featurette turns out to be what Twitter/X user Cris Parker thinks it is. “Is that Lex Luthor with a White Martian??” 

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The shot itself shows Lex Luthor standing on a moving platform alongside a strange alien figure whose physiology looks like a close match to the White Martians. This race of Martian shapeshifters has taken on several forms in the comics, but are typically depicted as large white beings with spindly limbs and ridges on their bodies — much like the unidentified character in this brief shot from the “Superman” sneak peek. They are enemies of J’onn J’onzz, aka Martian Manhunter, and his people, and are known as a savage race who have also frequently come into conflict with humans.

At this stage, nothing has been confirmed, and other theories posit that this mysterious figure is in fact Parasite or a version of Metamorpho. That said, as another user pointed out, a poster for Chocos was previously seen on the “Superman” set. In the comics, these cookies were a favorite of the Martian Manhunter, suggesting that Gunn at least has Martians on his mind. Whether that led him to introduce the White Martians into his inaugural DC Studio movie or not, it’s certainly an intriguing prospect that should at least have die-hard DC fans interested, even if it doesn’t do much for the film’s overall appeal.

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