New Superman 2025 Concept Art Proves 1 Villain Almost Looked Way Better (Photos)

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Early concept art for James Gunn’s upcoming Superman movie revealed a surprisingly impressive design for the film’s giant monster, or Kaiju. The 2025 reboot, starring David Corenswet as Superman, features a vibrant DC Universe with incredible creatures. In the movie, Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) creates the Kaiju as a way to distract Superman while he attempts to infiltrate the Fortress of Solitude, essentially using it as a biological weapon.

When the Kaiju appeared, it was the first time audiences saw the Justice Gang and Superman fight side-by-side. Together, they defeated the monster and protected people. Superman explained the Kaiju wasn’t truly evil, just a powerful, untamed creature, but early concept art showed a much more menacing design.

Gold Derby recently revealed some early concept art from the upcoming book, Superman: The Art and Making of the Film by James Field. The artwork shows that the movie’s giant creature, or kaiju, was originally planned to be even more impressive and frightening than what ultimately appeared on screen.

Beth Mickle, the production designer for Superman, discussed experimenting with different looks for the Kaiju, mentioning they considered giving it a spiky, shell-like back resembling a crustacean.

The creature is roughly 300 feet tall, making it similar in height to the 25 to 35-story buildings in the area. Its design evolved over a couple of weeks, and we envisioned it with a spiky, shell-like back and a long tail that would sweep across the scene, knocking over cars.

I saw some early designs where the Kaiju had an extra arm, and honestly, it made sense. It would’ve given it a real advantage when fighting all those heroes – a way to defend itself better, you know?

The monster was shown as even more frightening than before, suggesting it would have been incredibly brutal and a serious threat.

A different version of the Kaiju showed off more of its large, scaled back, hinting it would have provided extra protection like armor.

The production designer and Legacy Effects ultimately agreed on a design for a massive, reptile-like creature. They aimed for a look that was both harmless and frightening.

The concept art showed the creature as large and powerfully built, and emphasized its constant drooling. The final design featured prominent spines along its back and a unique look that blended dinosaur and turtle features.

Here is a full look at the final design of the Kaiju in Superman: 

James Gunn’s Superman tells the story of the iconic hero as he learns more about his Kryptonian past and faces danger from Lex Luthor’s plans. The film stars David Corenswet, Nicholas Hoult, Rachel Brosnahan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Edi Gathegi, and Skylar Gisondo, and it hit theaters on July 11, 2025.

Why the Kaiju’s Design in Superman Should’ve Been More Terrifying

The monsters in the upcoming Superman movie could have been even scarier, judging by recently released concept art, and that would have made the 2025 reboot even more exciting.

James Gunn intentionally made the movie’s monster less frightening, but some viewers believe this was a mistake. They argue that a truly terrifying and monstrous creature would have made the situation feel more dangerous and impactful.

I honestly felt like the movie missed a chance to really explore how scared people would be of truly powerful aliens. Lex Luthor did use that fear later on to turn everyone against Superman, but I wish they’d gone even further with it! Instead of making the Kaiju genuinely terrifying, they seemed to go with a more playful design, probably because some people wanted a lighter, more fun monster that matched the movie’s overall comedic vibe. It just didn’t feel as impactful as it could have been.

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2025-11-30 21:08