Justice League: Superman Returns In Epic Comic-Con Trailer
"He said you would come"
There was a lot of good in the Comic Con sneak peek of Justice League - which shouldn't really be called "sneak" anything since it was released online almost immediately: the music was great (an indication of Danny Elfman's influence already?), the tone seemed to work well and there was enough new material to get fans hyped. The best of it, though, was the mysterious ending, featuring Jeremy Irons' Alfred talking to an unseen character that has inevitably led to wide assumptions that we'd seen Superman's return.
The trailer was built around the value of Superman - how he taught the world (and the heroes specifically) to be the best versions of themselves possible - and those final seconds were definitely intended to suggest he will appear with a hail Mary save for the Justice League.
It's no secret that he's coming back: the post-credits of Batman v Superman basically announced it immediately after his death and Geoff Johns has been pretty vocal about his return for some time now. There's also the small matter of the Man Of Steel sequel that is pretty much nailed on as coming. That wouldn't work without Superman.
So was that Alfred scene teasing Superman meeting Bruce Wayne's faithful man-servant? It seems to fit - not least because that's exactly the kind of hint Warner Bros can use to their marketing advantage - but it also inspires a couple of pretty big questions. First, why would Alfred be the first one to meet Superman?
And secondly - and more crucially - how did anyone foresee Superman's return in order to tell Alfred that he'd come? Perhaps the answer to the second question is that Alfred isn't the first person Superman meets after his revival, but rather the first he meets after he decides to return as a superhero.
There's always been a suggestion that Superman would be reborn as an edgier, black suit wearing anti-hero, which confused the later tease that he'd be an even brighter blue boy scout who would herald the arrival of the DCEU's real Superman. Perhaps Superman returns as a malcontent initially, having lost his way while dead and his first appearance in Justice League sees him reject the offer to become a Justice League member? That would explain how his return would be predicted.
There is of course the chance that it's not Superman Alfred is talking to - that it's another character like Green Lantern or Steppenwolf - but the genius thing here is that the suggestion builds hype without too much of a ruinous spoiler firmly bolted on. That it's probably Superman is great, but that it could be someone else isn't terrible (because we know Superman is coming anyway).