Fans draw parallels between James Gunn’s 'Superman' and Thalapathy Vijay's 'Leo'

The official teaser of James Gunn’s 'Superman', starring David Corenswet in the lead role, thrilled audiences and fans yesterday (December 19), particularly exciting DC fans in India, especially from the South, who drew parallels to Lokesh Kanagaraj’s 'Leo' and other movies.
The teaser opens with a captivating scene where Superman, visibly injured, lies in the snow, whistles for his loyal companion, Krypto, and instructs the dog to take him home. Tamil fans couldn’t help but draw comparisons to a scene in 'Leo', where Thalapathy Vijay’s character, Parthiban, encounters a wild hyena. In that scene, Vijay sedates the hyena with a dart and lies down with it in the snow.

This comparison has sparked a wave of memes, with fans jokingly claiming Superman was inspired by Parthiban’s iconic moment. Fans joked, 'Superman thinks he’s Parthiban…'
Many shared screenshots from both movies, showing David and Vijay lying in the snow, with some also juxtaposing the appearances of Krypto and the hyena. One user on X (formerly Twitter) wrote: “Close enough! #Superman #ThalapathyVijay #Parthiban #LeoDas #Leo #SupermanFilm #SupermanMovie.” Another user responded, “Superman, you can’t be Parthiban aka Leo Das.”

One social media user marvelled at the resemblance, noting: “The new #Superman teaser trailer has a shot inspired by Tamil film #Leo? Wow, @Dir_Lokesh, your cinematic vision has won big!”

A fan shared a witty comment: “Yeah! James Gunn mentioned he loved 'RRR'. I guess he started watching more Indian films afterwards.”
Thalapathy Vijay was last seen in 'The GOAT (Greatest of All Time)' by Venkat Prabhu and has now signed his 69th movie with director H. Vinoth. The film stars Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj, Narain, Priyamani, Mamitha Baiju, Monisha Blessy, and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar in key roles. It is expected to be his final acting project as he embarks on his political career.

Meanwhile, the highly anticipated reboot of the 'Superman' franchise, 'Superman: Legacy', is set to relaunch the DC Universe. David Corenswet will take on the role of Clark Kent (Superman), while Rachel Brosnahan stars as Lois Lane. The ensemble cast includes Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio, María Gabriela de Faría, Wendell Pierce, Alan Tudyk, Pruitt Taylor Vince, and Neva Howell.
The film is scheduled for release in cinemas on July 11, 2025.