12 Best Superhero Movie Trailers Of All Time

4. Superman II

There’s no doubt that the art of making trailers has become much, much more sophisticated in the 21st century. Back in the late 1970s, trailers either did one of two things: they showed us virtually nothing, or they gave away nearly the entire movie.

The theatrical trailer for the first Superman movie fell into the former category, as it was nothing but the names of all the actors involved. More of a teaser by today’s standards. When it came time for Superman II, the people behind it chose to go the second route, but that didn’t stop it from becoming one of the best the genre has offered us over the years.

Why? A big reason was that it presented a physical challenge for Superman in the form of General Zod and his companions. Fies who could match the Man of Steel in the pure power department have been a problem even for comic book writers over the years, but this trailer went to great lengths to show that Superman would have his hands full, and that this movie would feature the kind of throwdowns lacking from its predecessor.

Despite special effects that are dated by today’s standards, it was hard not to get pumped by what this trailer showed us at the time. It even had Superman talking smack, with his famous “General, would you care to step outside?” The glorious John Williams theme and the exquisite tagline — “If you’ve only seen the first part, you haven’t seen the best part.” — help turn this into an all-time great.

(Note that the trailer for Superman III get kudos for its tagline too. “This time will be the best time of all.” Sadly it was not.)

Next: 3. The Dark Knight