If there is one thing that rabid comic book fans love, it is the sport of football. That’s why the Super Bowl is such an important evening whether you’re team Marvel or DC. You just love the strategy and athleticism on display. The smell of the gridiron. The tight spiral of a perfectly placed pass.
But also of interest during the Super Bowl are the trailers for the biggest upcoming film releases — and as is the case with the box office, this means comic book movie domination. Super Bowl LVII was unique as we see on display a potential turning point as far as the two big superhero houses are concerned. DC is hoping to relaunch and renew its cinematic universe, just as one celebrated Marvel franchise reaches its conclusion. And then there is Ron Perlman as a robo-ape. More on that later.
Of course, the Super Bowl no longer features the actual movie trailers. Rather we get trailers for the trailers that are available to rewatch endlessly online. Anyway, here are the big comic book movie trailers from the Big Game.
The Flash (still Flashing)
Well, I guess DC has no choice but to move forward with this one. The beleaguered DCU could never have predicted how controversial Flash star Ezra Miller would become when deciding to place them at the center of relaunching its cinematic universe. Miller’s many ALLEGED misdeeds were enough to earn them a coveted “Controversies and legal issues” section on their Wikipedia page. That’s no small feat.
And as we see in the newly released trailer, Miller could not be any more in this movie. This isn’t a case where you just edit in Christopher Plummer as the new Flash. Miller is clearly here to stay.
The Flash also features the return of Michael Keaton as Batman, or as appears to be the case in most of this, an incredible digital likeness. Keaton’s return was no secret, but The Flash Super Bowl spot also gave us our first good look at the new Supergirl, played by Sasha Calle.
We’re sure to see Calle star in her own Supergirl feature. That is unless Warner Bros. Discovery realize they can get a tax break by torching a female super hero film brought about by the hard work of hundreds of people.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (prepare for sadness)
Before he was tasked with rejuvenating the DCU, James Gunn managed to put a bow on his gift to Marvel fans. The third and final entry from Gunn in the Guardians of the Galaxy series concludes what has been one of the strongest and most creative through-lines in the MCU. And it’s clear right now that this one is going to be a tearjerker.
The Super Bowl trailer provides a better peek at what was revealed a few months back. It appears we’ll be fleshing out more of Rocket Raccoon’s tragic backstory. Will we all be crying when the cybernetically augmented CGI raccoon sacrifices himself for his chosen family? Yes. The answer is yes.
If it wasn’t clear enough that Vol. 3 is the closing entry for the Guardians as we know them, Dave Bautista’s Drax is quite literally saying his goodbyes. This will be good, y’all. Hopefully, Gunn can work this same sort of magic with some lesser-known, but beloved characters over at DC. Give me a big-screen take on The Ventriloquist and Scarface.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (rise of the planet of the robo-Perlmans)
We have finally reached the Beast Wars era of the Transformers franchise. Rise of the Beasts will feature Ron Perlman in the role of Optimus Primal, who transforms into a giant metal gorilla. That seems like something maybe worth seeing. I don’t know.
It appears that Rise of the Beasts will also be bringing us Maximals Cheetor and Rhinox. Here’s hoping we get a standout appearance from Scorponok.
Honestly, I don’t know too much to say about this upcoming Transformers movie. The cartoon started as a way to advertise the action figures. Now the movies are commercials for cars. There is likely a large number of people who have had most of their major life purchases influenced by Optimus Prime and Bumblebee.
I guess in that way the Transformers franchise is a perfect fit for the Super Bowl — a huge, violent spectacle that showcases the best in consumer trends. I love it. God bless America.
Now let’s just try to forget about that Jesus commercial.
