A new image from M3GAN 2.0 shows the iconic killer doll preparing for battle. The 2025 horror-comedy movie, which was helmed by returning director Gerard Johnstone, is a follow-up to Blumhouse Productions and Atomic Monster’s 2023 smash hit, which grossed $181.8 million against a $12 million budget. The upcoming M3GAN 2.0 features the return of the тιтular killer AI doll (voiced by Jenna Davis and portrayed onscreen by Amie Donald), her creator Gemma (Allison Williams), and Gemma’s niece Cady (Violet McGraw), who M3GAN must fight to protect from a dangerous new robot named Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno).

ScreenRant can now share an exclusive first-look image from M3GAN 2.0 ahead of the movie’s official theatrical release date on June 27. The image shows the тιтle character in her upgraded body, suited up and ready for action while standing in what appears to be a well-appointed underground laboratory. See the full-size image below:

What This Means For M3GAN 2.0

It’s Embracing A New Subgenre

This new image emphasizes the fact that the sequel has added another subgenre to the varied collection that the original M3GAN already embodied, which included horror, comedy, science fiction, and even the musical genre. The malleable franchise has now seemingly embraced many of the tropes of the action genre as well. The sequence that is depicted in the new first-look image seems to evoke the intensity of John Wick, in addition to the overall premise of the sequel being reminiscent of James Cameron’s 1991 sci-fi action hit Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

The M3GAN 2.0 trailer has also revealed that the movie will fold in elements of the superhero subgenre as well. While the superhero genre is one that has perhaps oversaturated the theatrical marketplace in recent years, the fact that the horror-comedy is using it as one piece of a much more complicated puzzle adds many layers of texture and complexity to the familiar format that should help the new movie stand out among other 2025 superhero offerings such as Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

Our Take On The New M3GAN 2.0 Image

M3GAN’s Genre Shift Fits It Perfectly

Bringing in the superhero subgenre is perfect for M3GAN 2.0, which is a major expansion upon the original movie in a variety of ways. While M3GAN was a runaway box office success, its original release on January 6, 2023 presented it as a standard January horror movie. The follow-up’s new June release date positions it as a proper summer blockbuster, so the fact that it is embracing the tropes of other major summer popcorn movies should help the franchise thrive as it settles into place alongside other modern box office hits.