Superman’s opening scene has a behind-the-scenes secret that changes how you look at the first segment of theDCUmovie. As both the start ofthe DC Universe timelineand the superhero movie with the highest box office of 2025,Supermanis an important film in many ways.
As such, the release of the behind-the-scenesSupermanmovie documentary Adventures in the Making of Superman is all the more fascinating, since it provides a series of interesting insights about the film. One such insight makes the first moments of the2025 DC movieall the more noteworthy, by revealing a fun detail about this part of its story.
Superman’s Opening Looks Different Thanks To The Behind-The-Scenes Documentary On The Movie
Superman’s opening - wherein we’re introduced to the hero and his world via being shown him lying in the snow - is one of the most important parts of the DCU movie. Not only does it kickstart the plot in a major and dramatic way, it also provides an early look at the more vulnerable side of the hero.
Superman being rescued by Krypto after whistling for the dog also provides a very early introduction to the canine character. Indeed, the scene of Krypto coming to ostensibly save Superman - only to wrestle with him a little - does a solid job of showing off the pooch’s chaotic nature right off the bat, and the duo’s complicated bond.
However, the DCU’s recently released Adventures in the Making of Superman sheds a little more light on what this scene originally looked like. The documentary shows the filming of this scene, andshows that there was seemingly no stand-in for Krypto during some of this scene’s filming, with Corenswet simply kicking around to replicate the fictional dog.
While this doesn’t ruin the scene,it certainly changes how viewing it again feels, thanks to the knowledge that the final footage is Corenswet seemingly reacting to either nothing, or the mocap actor. In a sense, though, this does make the scene more entertaining after watching the documentary, by suggesting what may have been behind the scenes.
Why Krypto Being Added Into The Superman Scene After Filming Would Make Sense
The decision to seemingly film theSupermanopening in this way is interesting - especially since Krypto had a stand-in actor for the film thanks to Murphy Weed’s mocap talents. Though it makes sense a real dog wasn’t grappling with Corenswet, it’s easy to imagine the scene was filmed by something or someone external assisting the actor in every take.
That said, looking at the scene with the context from Adventures in the Making of Superman, it makes sense that a different choice appears to have been made. Ultimately, anything or anyone who would be used in that scene to help Corenswet’s movements look as though they were from being pulled around by another party would have needed to be edited out later.
As such,having some takes of Corenswet seemingly trying out the movies without external assistance makes sense- especially if this presents the possibility of potentially saving in some areas of the film’s budget, too. With this all in mind, having nothing serve as a stand-in for Krypto in this scene could be the most straightforward approach.
Similarly, with David Corenswet being a clearly proficient actor, it stands to reason there was less of a need to add an external source for him to react to, even if Murphy Weed was present in some takes. Looking back at the opening now does further prove how right the DCU seems to have been with its Superman casting overall.
The Superman Opening Scene Being All David Corenswet Actually Makes It More Impressive
While it’s worth adding the caveat thatSupermanas a story does not live and die based on how convincingly audiences felt David Corenswet reacted to Krypto in this introductory scene, it’s also a crucial point of the story. If audiences had found elements of Corenswet’s performance jarring this early, it could have sabotaged the rest of the film.
Instead, it’s borderline impossible to tell if the actor is reacting to thin air or not this scene, which speaks as an early testament to how promising Corenswet is as the Superman of a world that will no doubt feature a range of CGI allies and enemies. That said, this isn’t solely impressive in terms of the DCU’s Superman actor alone.
The VFX team involved withSupermanalso did an astounding job of making it seem like Krypto was tugging at the Man of Steel, rather than him either kicking at thin air or being assisted by Krypto’s mocap actor. Given Krypto manages to feel totally natural here, that’s no small feat for any of those involved in the scene itself.
Altogether, seeing the effort that goes into making scenes like theSupermanopening sequence work - both from the film’s on-screen talent, and its off-screen talent - helps to make it feel even more special on some levels. That said, it may also make it a little harder to not crack a smile atSuperman’s opening when giving the film a rewatch.
