
IGN can exclusively reveal a new action scene from director James Gunn’s Superman. The clip is introduced by Superman star David Corenswet.
In the scene, the villainous Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) directs his staff in programming The Hammer of Boravia's fight moves against the Man of Steel as they brawl over the skies of Metropolis.
The Hammer of Boravia is an original character created by writer-director James Gunn and who was first revealed in a faux Daily Planet article – written by Clark Kent, no less – that was used as marketing material for the first DCU movie.
Clark’s article said the Hammer of Boravia came to Metropolis seeking "retribution for the recent political interventions in Boravia by Superman."
"Boravia has been the source of numerous headlines worldwide in recent weeks as it invaded its neighboring country Jarhanpur, only for the brief war to be swiftly ended by the Superman,” according to Clark’s article. “The President of Boravia, Vasil Glarkos, maintains the Hammer of Boravia is not a representative of the national government, but rather an independent vigilante."
The clip revealing that Luthor is actually behind the Hammer of Boravia’s actions may seem like a spoiler to some but, honestly, are you really surprised that Lex Luthor is behind something that makes Superman look bad?
As IGN’s Jesse Schedeen observed when the trailer first showed the Hammer of Boravia in action, the armored villain’s mission to Metropolis “makes it clear that Gunn’s Superman will explore the challenges Kal-El faces trying to be not just a force for good inside Metropolis, but on the world stage. He’s doing his best to protect all innocents and creating an international incident in the process. In that sense, the new film seems to share a little in common with Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman, which also dealt with the unintended consequences of Superman operating outside the boundaries of the US.”
For more, read IGN’s Superman review wherein our critic, Tom Jorgensen, hails Gunn’s film as “a wonderfully entertaining, heartfelt cinematic reset for the Man of Steel, and a great new start for the DC universe on the big screen.”
Superman opens nationwide release in theaters and IMAX on July 11
Jim Vejvoda (he/him) is IGN's Sr. Manager, Entertainment Content Partnerships.