With the Hollywood trades dismissing DC Studios' CinemaCon contribution as a disappointment, Superman Day was the perfect opportunity to bounce back.
All anyone is talking about right now is the Avengers: Doomsday trailer (which, as a reminder, has not been released online), but James Gunn had a chance today to shift the spotlight away from that movie and back to the Superman family. After all, this year's Superman Day revolves not only around the Man of Steel but also Supergirl and Krypto.
Unfortunately, this marks another major misstep for DC Studios. In the interest of fairness, let's not forget that Man of Tomorrow hasn't started shooting yet. Still, a glimpse of Brainiac, another concept sketch by a DC Comics artist, or confirmation of Adria Arjona's role in the Superman sequel would have gone a long way in building excitement for the DCU's future.
As for Supergirl, excitement for the movie already appears muted. It isn't as visually dazzling as the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic book, and trailers haven't wowed fans. Either there's nothing particularly "wow"-worthy to show or the studio is keeping its best moments for theaters.
Whatever the case may be, a well-cut 30-second TV spot would have gone a long way towards changing the narrative.
What do we have for Superman Day? A 47-second promo with messages from Gunn, David Corenswet, a bald Nicholas Hoult, Milly Alcock, and Jason Momoa. There's also a tease that Supergirl is teaming with Blondie for...something...and some promo art shared by a fan with no official affiliation with DC Studios.
The DCU got off to a strong start with a slate reveal and successful releases like Creature Commandos and Superman. Several of the projects in that slate have since fallen by the wayside, while Peacemaker Season 2 was a victim of over-promising and under-delivering.
Trailers for Lanterns and Supergirl have received a tepid response. The conversation around the former has revolved around a lack of superpowers, costumes, and "green," and the latter has been dismissed for looking too similar to Guardians of the Galaxy. Plus, short of a misdirect for the ages, Gunn appears to have cast a Wonder Woman fan favourite as Maxima, a character whose fanbase could be counted on two hands.
We're not writing the DCU off, but as Superman Day celebrations go, it feels like DC Studios has missed a trick.