This robot laughing in Superman’s super-awards is the secret of James Gunn’s success

With the large release of the five minutes Superman Sneak Peek It has been shown for the first time in Cinemacon earlier this week, one thing stands out even more than the adorable hijinks (although painful for Superman) of Krypto: this is the fact that James Gunn understands the most important thing he can do for his restarting not only of the steel man, but from the whole DC universe, it is to pay attention to the characters. All the characters, big and small, Kryptonian and human, canines and, yes, even robot. Laugh Robots.

The prolonged overview offers images of the film that we have seen before, including of course the incredibly cute super dog from Kal-El arriving on the ice scene when his master is a very low point. But he develops this sequence of The first trailer for the filmshowing us that Krypto is really the troublemaker that Gunn described him. Yes, Superman is bloody and beaten, begging Krypto to bring him back “at home”, but all that the puppy wants is to play. And he argues this point by jumping on the wounded quilts with all his super-dog strength, and even dragging Kal-El’s leg in an extremely clumsy but entirely credible pose. “Play with me, dad!” He says, in acts if not words. Everything is very funny and makes you love Krypto even more than you have already done. Oh yes, you will believe that a super powerful dog can fly – and be kind.

But Superman East Wounded, and Krypto finally obtains it, bringing Kal to the fortress of loneliness. And it is there that we meet this grove robot, which is one of the keys to understand why James Gunn is so good in what he does. But before arriving at this, consider that the first time we saw the Gunn version of the last son of Krypton in action, he was in poor condition – beaten, bleeding, needing his dog To save him. And we do not yet know who has expressed this punishment either, so this first image of the Gunn version of Superman beat and broken is not in favor of passing a villain. There is no “see how scary this antagonist is because they beat the hell of the steel man.” The goal of starting all the marketing thrust for this film is to show Superman in terrible straits and need help. It is far from the typical introduction to any superhero, and even less THE Superhero, and yet this is perfectly logical from Gunn.

It is Harrison Ford syndrome. Which is not so much a syndrome that it is a legitimate force of Ford on the persona screen. Anyway, think about how Indiana Jones is poorly enriched. We do not like it because he is so good at fighting; It is because he is tired and in pain like the rest of us. Think of the frightened look like Ford’s face when he was on the run in the fugitive, the desperate man who jumped from a dam on the way to prove his innocence. Think of Han Solo’s face, the ego entirely bruised when he thought Leia was in Luke and not him at the start of the Empire. It is a call from everyone that few actors have ever really been able to withdraw. Honestly, it could be Ford and Sigourney Weaver like Ellen Ripley who does it completely. The fact is that seeing your heroes beat a little makes you love them even more, especially when they get up later, you know, heroDespite everything they have experienced.

Gunn knows, and he has a history of setting up his characters through the ringtone. Think of the first time we met the guards of the Galaxy. The first trailer for this film shows that no one knows the name of Star-Lord and that it stings a little. And yes, Star-Lord was a character little known to the depths of Marvel’s list, and Superman is … Well, it’s almost apples for oranges, but Gunn’s approach is exactly the same here. Let’s put a few bumps in our main character as quickly as possible. Meet a protagonist at a time when they not Heroic, not saving the day, when they don’t even have the upper hand – that is part of what makes Gunn superhero resonate as well as anyone who was able to do it.

So, giving us a superman who, immediately, broke the ribs, a bladder in a loop, and who suffers terribly when / because his robots heal him … It is a very Gunn choice, and that will invest us a lot in his version of a character who, let’s not forget, had like 10 films and 15 television programs or something at that time. Superman and all his friends have always existed, so why should we worry about another version of his story?

And not for nothing, it is important to remember that an important criticism has been lobed to Superman over the years by saying that his invulnerability and his scout-be-to-be-to-our own are simply boring. After all, it was created to be the best of us, but to make interesting stories around a mastered foreigner with a single weakness can start to become hard after a century. So how TO DO Do you make this familiar story engaging? Opening on a damaged Kal-el photo is an excellent start, but we must always fall into the support cast.

And that brings us back to the chuckle robot. Once Krypto introduced his father into the fortress (which is a cool redesign of the classic fortress of Richard to give Fortress of Solitude, only in this case which grows from the snowy landscape on order), the robots take care of Superman as they carry the wounded hero to treat his injuries. In the comics, we know that the “Bot known as the name Kelex is generally the main caretaker of the fortressAlthough we see here the main robot has the simple designation of “4” on the superman shield on his chest.

As they tend to Superman, 4 (expressed by Alan Tudyk) presents the group’s new robot: “Meet 12. It is new.” Superman nods with her head weakly, and 12 rushes practically, despite her metal, as she groves and says “Oh, he looked at me!”

12 Has just this line of dialogue (we do not know who expresses the character, but it must be someone we know, right?), But we are already so invested in her and these other robots that we are a little embarrassed to admit it. 4 Also told Kal-el that it is not necessary to thank them for their service because they have “no conscience. But what do you know? We call bullshit on this subject at the moment, because you can be guaranteed that half of us will cry when we see the film and that one of these robots is killed (something that has already been teased in the first trailer). There is also something in the delivery by Tudyk of these lines, as if he were dripping with sarcasm. No conscience, my red-white-bit briefs.

So, even if comic fans can dig and try to determine if 4 is kelex or how the biology of superman works (he has intestines!) Or any other thing of tradition or Easter eggs comes to my mind, Gunn is not really concerned with this kind of thing. At least, we feel comfortable saying that it does not seem to be his first priority. Yes, he understands geek things, he is a fan himself and he has read comics – and likes them, without a doubt – but what he does here is to build small moments and rhythms that will really care about these people. And robots. And dogs!

It will not be a Superman movie As much as it is a film by James Gunn, and we can’t wait.