SUPERMAN Concept Art Showcases The (Casualty-Free) Destruction Of Metropolis In James Gunn's Reboot

SUPERMAN Concept Art Showcases The (Casualty-Free) Destruction Of Metropolis In James Gunn's Reboot

New concept art from DC Studios' Superman showcases the destruction that hit Metropolis thanks to Lex Luthor, including the memorable shot that saw the Man of Steel save a woman from a falling skyscraper.

By JoshWilding - Sep 13, 2025 12:09 AM EST
Filed Under: Superman

Superman will end 2025 as this year's highest-grossing superhero movie. Throw in the positive reviews, and it's fair to say that filmmaker James Gunn has got the DCU off to a strong start with his reboot.

There was some room for improvement (more time in The Daily Planet newsroom would have been welcomed), but with Man of Tomorrow on the horizon, Gunn looks set to continue exploring the DCU's Metropolis. 

The DC Studios co-CEO has been praised for making a point of showing the city being evacuated during the right act, and thanks to artist Victor Martinez, we have a new look at the destruction that rained down on Superman's home, thanks to Lex Luthor.

Of course, unlike 2013's Man of Steel, there were presumably no casualties, thanks to that timely evacuation and Superman's intervention.

Doing the rounds to promote the movie this summer, Gunn was asked about the insurance rates in the city Clark Kent calls home. "I mean, I live part of the time in California, and we have fires and earthquakes, so it’s about the same," he shared "It's just that there aren’t as many fires and earthquakes in Metropolis, just more Kaiju."

He added, "I wanted to create a universe that was different from ours. One of the things I liked about DC was it wasn’t our world, it was another world, it was Gotham instead of New York, it was Metropolis instead of whatever, it was Star City and Central City and all of these different places, it was like a fictional world and so I wanted to create this other planet, this other reality, that’s what I love doing."

"If you destroy New York in the MCU, it’s, I mean, it’s heavy to destroy any city, but anything can happen in the DCU. We can destroy anything at any time. We could destroy a continent. It could happen. It gives you the freedom to do what you want," Gunn concluded.

Check out this new Superman concept art in the Instagram post below.

Superman, DC Studios' first feature film to hit the big screen, is set to soar into theaters worldwide this summer from Warner Bros. Pictures.

In his signature style, James Gunn takes on the original superhero in the newly imagined DC universe with a singular blend of epic action, humor and heart, delivering a Superman who’s driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind.  

"Superman is an indescribable joy," we said in our review"A beautiful, moving thrill, David Corenswet is the perfect Man of Steel in a movie packed full of ideas. Fortunately, under James Gunn’s expert direction, all of those work, creating a rousing experience that flies higher than DC has in a very long time."

The movie stars David Corenswet in the dual role of Superman/Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.

Also appearing are Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio, María Gabriela de Faría, Wendell Pierce, Alan Tudyk, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Neva Howell, and Milly Alcock.

Superman is now playing in theaters and available on Digital platforms.

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JackDeth
JackDeth - 9/13/2025, 12:12 AM
I'm not sure why the idea of a Superman who cares about saving people is a controversial idea, but I think it has to do with the criticism Snyder's Superman gets when he puts so little care into saving the lives of bystanders during his fight with Zod. I can already hear the braindead monkeys typing their responses to this.
Matchesz
Matchesz - 9/13/2025, 12:21 AM
@JackDeth - ?feature=shared
Matchesz
Matchesz - 9/13/2025, 12:25 AM
@JackDeth - whats controversial should be Gunns pedo jokes everyone chooses to ignore now for some reason
JackDeth
JackDeth - 9/13/2025, 12:27 AM
@Matchesz - User Comment Image
Matchesz
Matchesz - 9/13/2025, 12:31 AM
@JackDeth - I thought the monkey scene was a dig at redditers lol
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 9/13/2025, 12:33 AM
@Matchesz - because it's what it is. A joke
JackDeth
JackDeth - 9/13/2025, 12:35 AM
@Matchesz - It's for assholes who spread bullshit and it's perfect.
soberchimera
soberchimera - 9/13/2025, 12:42 AM
@JackDeth - Did…..did…..you seriously not watch Man of Steel? He saved the entire planet.
JackDeth
JackDeth - 9/13/2025, 12:48 AM
@soberchimera - Did…..did…..you seriously not watch Batman v. Superman? He flew through a [frick]ing building and a ton of people died.
SpiderParker
SpiderParker - 9/13/2025, 2:08 AM
@Matchesz - Oh damn, he used super-speed to save that Soldier, what a great guy. It's cool that he was a blur until he stopped. He must have really hated his dad since he didn't do that for him, huh?

By the way, remind me again, what happened when the fight took place in a more populated area like Metropolis?
SpiderParker
SpiderParker - 9/13/2025, 2:10 AM
@soberchimera - Yeah, and it only took a couple millions to die to save the planet.
Matchesz
Matchesz - 9/13/2025, 12:19 AM
In a city as massive as metropolis I appreciated Man of Steels grounded approach of showing that casualties were unavoidable in larger than life extraterrestrial scenarios. It gave the movie and threat way more weight. Everything with the Kaiju looked like a soundstage and we couldnt even get to see how Supe would handle that alone
Knightrider
Knightrider - 9/13/2025, 12:35 AM
@Matchesz - I did prefer Snyder’s concept to set the DCeU in a “Real” world setting. The only thing I didn’t like was Superman’s lack thought before taking action.

He destroyed the ship causing it to crash into the city. I feel they could have connected it more to the theme of Superman choosing between humanity and his heritage by having him crash the ship somewhere like a lake.

Like when he jumped the tanker and it blew up the building he should have stopped that.

But I do agree the monster in the city in Superman looked bland and the lack of destruction is laughable. Almost blend the world of Snyder with Gunns Superman and bam winning
WalletsClosed
WalletsClosed - 9/13/2025, 1:35 AM
@Matchesz - Blame the tards that complained about MOS destruction
THEDARKKNIGHT1939
THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - 9/13/2025, 12:38 AM
Lol "casualty free". While Superman was fighting Ultraman, the entire city was still tearing apart for 20 minutes.

Superman should have called the Justice Gang to take care of collateral damage and evacuation of the city while he saved the people in Jarhanpur. He could have wiped out those soldiers in 3 minutes. Meanwhile, with Mister Terrific's gadgets, GL's constructs, and Hawkgirl's flight, they would have been perfectly suited for taking care of the city in the meantime. Then, Superman could have flown back to Metropolis and fought Ultraman while the Justice Gang continued saving people from the rift's path of destruction. It would have made so much more strategic sense while also showing that Superman always tries to help everyone no matter what. It also would have been such a more satisfying payoff seeing the people crying out for Superman to actually be saved by Superman. Imagine how disappointed and ignored that kid must have felt seeing his hero not show up for him.
Forthas
Forthas - 9/13/2025, 12:49 AM
@spr0cks
@ClungeOfSteel
@Nomis929
@WalletsClosed

What they are saying about this Superman can't be true! That Superman let people die... to save a squirrel????

The picture shows two people running for their lives who can be seen in the bottom left corner with two MORE people across from them on the other side of the street. The two people farthest to the right could not have possibly outrun the Kaiju’s tail.

User Comment Image

Video
https://vp.nyt.com/video/2025/07/21/144886_1_22cul-superman-squirrel-24680_wg_720p.mp4

I just can’t believe it! Everyone told me that Cornswet's Superman is concerned about human life and he would never let people die! Unlike that other guy...


User Comment Image
WalletsClosed
WalletsClosed - 9/13/2025, 1:38 AM
@Forthas - This dork saved a SQUIRREL over HUMAN lives. Some Superman. But, but... MOS BAD!

Reboot the MCU and DCU
Forthas
Forthas - 9/13/2025, 2:11 AM
@WalletsClosed - The people that pissed in their panties for over a decade about Henry Cavill supposedly not saving people are cheering for a Superman that saves LESS people...saves animals over human lives...gets his ass beat and has to be saved himself...and is immature and throws temper tantrums not to mention his father is a tyrant!

You cannot make this sh*t up!
Pictilli
Pictilli - 9/13/2025, 12:57 AM
Great stuff!
WalletsClosed
WalletsClosed - 9/13/2025, 1:41 AM
And garbage like this is exactly why I will NEVER take the complaints about MOS destruction seriously. When 2 high powered beings are fighting and the world is about to be destroyed, it makes PERFECT sense to show that. To not show that asks the audience for an extreme suspension of disbelief and it takes us out the film. I'm convinced that only kids have these complaints. If you want weightless garbage that clearly looks like a set though, have at it.

Reboot the MCU and DCU

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