The Man of Steel is making a triumphant return in James Gunn's upcoming film, "Superman," set to launch in July. The newly released trailer has fans buzzing with excitement, featuring standout performances from lead actor David Corenswet and the beloved superhero dog, Krypto. However, the trailer's packed with so much action and so many characters that fans are curious about how the film will manage to weave it all into a coherent story.
On Reddit's r/Superman, reactions to the trailer have been mixed but passionate. One user commented, "Strong start to the trailer, but then practically every shot was another new character and I started worrying how the movie was going to tell a coherent story." Another fan echoed this sentiment, saying, "I’m gonna love it, he looks great as Superman, he looks great as Clark Kent, but the movie looks like it might be a bit busy, there's a lot going on here."
A third fan expressed concern over the numerous cameos, writing, "Now this, I love this trailer. From someone who never really liked the dark DC vibe I’m excited to experience a true comic superhero movie. But am I the only one who is worried for all the cameos that are in the trailer? Like I swear I was counting like 8 friends and foes in this movie. I know they want to set up James Gunn’s DCU with this but I would prefer it to be less heavy on cameo fodder and take more time to develop the characters that are needed to tell the story that they’re trying to tell."
Indeed, the trailer showcases a vast array of characters, including Clark Kent's Earth parents, love interest Lois Lane (played by Rachel Brosnahan), and a range of villains, led by the central antagonist Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). While some fans are concerned about the film being overly packed, others are thrilled at the prospect of these new character introductions.
Here's a list of the characters revealed so far in "Superman":
- Superman
- Lois Lane
- Lex Luthor
- Mister Terrific
- Guy Gardner
- Hawkgirl
- Metamorpho
- The Engineer
- The Hammer of Boravia
- Ultraman
- Rick Flag Sr.
- Supergirl
- Maxwell Lord
- Kryptonian robots, including Kelex
- Krypto
- Jonathan Kent
- Martha Kent
- Perry White
- Jimmy Olsen
- Steve Lombard
- Cat Grant
- Ron Troupe
- Eve Teschmacher
- Otis
One fan defended the packed cast, stating, "I'm glad there's a lot going on. We've seen him fight Lex & Zod countless times at this point, I want to see him completely overwhelmed and emerge as a symbol of hope," while another clarified, "It’s side characters, less cameos. Like Iron Man had several side characters." A third added, "Movies usually need secondary/side characters. Gunn here is just filling in those spots with rather big names, but I doubt he'll give them more than what they need."
Superman: Behind the Scenes Cast and Character Images
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Despite concerns about the film being overstuffed, the excitement remains high. One fan noted, "It looks good but wondering how they’re going to shoehorn so many different characters into one movie," to which another responded, "It's not any more characters than the average comic book movie. It's fine." A third even quipped, "Kinda like Guardians of the Galaxy…?"
James Gunn has reassured fans that the film is not an ensemble piece, emphasizing in an early 2025 Instagram Live session that "At the middle of everything is Clark, Lois, and Lex. It’s about these three characters." How he manages to balance this focus with the extensive cast remains to be seen.
"Superman" is set to soar into theaters on July 11, 2025.
