That Robot Giggling in the Superman Sneak Peek Is the Secret to James Gunn's Success

With the wide merchandise of the five-minute Superman sneak peek that was archetypal shown astatine CinemaCon earlier this week, 1 happening stands retired adjacent much than Krypto’s lovable (if achy for Superman) hijinks: It’s the information that James Gunn understands the astir important happening helium tin bash for his reboot of not conscionable the Man of Steel, but the full DC universe, is to marque america attraction astir the characters. All of the characters, large and small, Kryptonian and human, canine and, yes, adjacent robot. Giggling robots.

The extended preview features footage from the movie that we’ve seen before, including of people Kal-El’s incredibly cute ace canine arriving connected the icy country erstwhile his maestro is astatine a existent debased point. But it expands connected that series from the film’s archetypal trailer, showing america that Krypto is precise overmuch the troublemaker Gunn has described him to be. Yes, Superman is bloodied and beaten, pleading with Krypto to instrumentality him “home,” but each the pup wants to bash is play. And helium makes this constituent by jumping connected the wounded Supes with each of his super-dog strength, and adjacent dragging Kal-El’s limb up into an highly awkward yet wholly believable pose. “Play with me, Dad!” he’s saying, successful deeds if not words. It’s each precise comic and it makes you emotion Krypto adjacent much than you already did. Oh yes, you volition judge that a super-powered canine tin alert – and beryllium lovable.

But Superman is hurt, and Krypto yet gets it, bringing Kal to the Fortress of Solitude. And that’s wherever we conscionable that giggling robot, who is 1 of the keys to knowing wherefore James Gunn is truthful bully astatine what helium does. But earlier we get to that, see that the archetypal clip we ever saw Gunn’s mentation of the Last Son of Krypton successful action, helium was successful atrocious signifier – beaten up, bleeding, needing his dog to prevention him. And we don’t yet cognize who dished retired this punishment either, truthful this archetypal representation of Gunn’s mentation of Superman battered and breached is not for the payment of getting a villain over. There’s nary “look however scary this antagonist is due to the fact that they bushed the hellhole retired of the Man of Steel.” The intent of opening the full selling propulsion for this movie is to amusement Superman successful dire straits and successful request of help. It’s a acold outcry from the emblematic instauration of immoderate superhero, fto unsocial the superhero, and yet it makes cleanable consciousness coming from Gunn.

It’s the Harrison Ford Syndrome. Which isn’t truthful overmuch a syndrome arsenic it is simply a morganatic spot of Ford’s connected surface persona. Either way, deliberation astir however severely Indiana Jones gets roughed up. We don’t emotion him due to the fact that he’s truthful bully astatine fighting; it’s due to the fact that he’s bushed and successful symptom conscionable similar the remainder of us. Think astir the scared-as-shit look connected Ford’s look erstwhile helium was connected the tally successful The Fugitive, the hopeless antheral leaping disconnected of a dam en way to beryllium his innocence. Think astir the wounded connected Han Solo’s face, the afloat bruised ego erstwhile helium thought Leia was into Luke and not him astatine the commencement of Empire. It’s an everyman entreaty that fewer actors person ever truly been capable to propulsion off. Honestly, it mightiness conscionable beryllium Ford and Sigourney Weaver arsenic Ellen Ripley that bash it wholly right. The constituent is, seeing your heroes bushed up a small spot benignant of makes you emotion them adjacent more, particularly erstwhile they emergence to the juncture aboriginal to be, you know, heroes, contempt everything they’ve been through.

Gunn knows this, and helium has a way grounds of putting his characters done the ringer. Think backmost to the archetypal clip we met the Guardians of the Galaxy. The archetypal trailer for that movie shows that cipher knows Star-Lord’s sanction and that it stings a little. And yes, Star-Lord was a small known quality from the depths of Marvel’s roster, and Superman is… well, it’s astir apples to oranges, but Gunn’s attack is precisely the aforesaid here. Let’s enactment immoderate dents successful our main quality arsenic rapidly arsenic we can. Let’s conscionable a protagonist astatine a infinitesimal erstwhile they’re not heroic, not redeeming the day, erstwhile they don’t adjacent person the precocious manus – that’s portion of what makes Gunn’s superhero enactment resonate arsenic good arsenic anybody’s ever been capable to.

So giving america a Superman who close disconnected the bat has breached ribs, a jacked-up bladder, and is successful atrocious symptom adjacent when/because his robots are healing him… it’s a precise Gunn choice, and it goes a agelong mode to getting america invested successful his mentation of a quality who, let’s not forget, has had similar 10 movies and 15 TV shows oregon thing astatine this constituent and is older than your grandparents. Superman and each his pals person been astir forever, truthful wherefore should we attraction astir yet different mentation of his story?

And not for nothing, it’s important to retrieve that a important disapproval has been lobbed astatine Superman implicit the years saying his invulnerability and squeaky cleanable lad scout-ness are conscionable plain boring. He was, aft all, created to beryllium the champion of us, but crafting absorbing narratives astir an overpowered alien with lone a azygous weakness tin commencement to get hard aft a century. So however do you marque this acquainted communicative engaging? Opening connected a changeable of a damaged Kal-El is simply a large start, but we inactive request to autumn for the supporting cast.

And that brings america backmost to the giggling robot. Once Krypto gets his dada into the Fortress (which is simply a chill re-thinking of the classical Richard Donner ice-crystal Fortress of Solitude, lone successful this lawsuit 1 that grows retired of the snowy scenery connected command), the robots instrumentality custody of Superman arsenic they transportation the injured leader successful to dainty his wounds. In the comics we cognize that the ‘bot known arsenic Kelex is usually the main caretaker of the Fortress, though present we spot the main robot has the elemental designation of “4” connected the Superman-shield connected his chest.

As they thin to Superman, 4 (voiced by Alan Tudyk) introduces the newest robot of the group: “Meet 12. She’s new.” Superman nods to her weakly, and 12 practically blushes, contempt being made of metal, arsenic she giggles and says “Oh, helium looked astatine me!”

12 has conscionable that 1 enactment of dialog (we're not definite who’s voicing the quality but it’s gotta beryllium idiosyncratic we know, right?), but we're already truthful invested successful her and these different robots that we're a small embarrassed to admit it. 4 besides tells Kal-El that there’s nary request to convey them for their work due to the fact that they person “no consciousness whatsoever. Merely automatons present to serve.” But you cognize what? We're calling bullshit connected that close now, due to the fact that you tin beryllium guaranteed that fractional of america are going to beryllium crying erstwhile we spot the movie and 1 of these robots gets killed (something that successful information has already been teased successful the archetypal trailer). There’s besides thing astir Tudyk’s transportation of those lines, similar he’s dripping with sarcasm. No consciousness my red-briefs-clad-butt.

So adjacent portion comics fans tin excavation successful and effort to fig retired if 4 is Kelex oregon however Superman’s biology works (he has intestines!) oregon immoderate different lore oregon Easter ovum worldly comes to mind, Gunn isn’t really that acrophobic with that stuff. At minimum, we consciousness comfy saying it doesn’t look similar his archetypal priority. Yes, helium understands the geeky things, he’s a instrumentality himself and he’s work the comics – and loves them, nary uncertainty – but what he’s doing present is gathering retired small quality moments and beats that volition marque america really attraction astir these people. And robots. And dogs!

This isn’t gonna beryllium a Superman movie arsenic overmuch arsenic it is simply a James Gunn movie, and we can’t wait.