The Man of Steel is back, and the excitement is palpable with the release of the latest trailer for James Gunn's upcoming film, "Superman," set to launch in July. The trailer showcases lead actor David Corenswet's compelling performance and the dynamic action involving Superman's beloved dog, Krypto. However, what's capturing fans' attention most is the film's ambitious scope and the challenge of weaving a coherent narrative amidst a plethora of characters.
On r/Superman, a user commented shortly after the trailer's release, "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 expressed similar concerns, stating, "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 voiced their excitement but also their apprehension about the numerous cameos, saying, "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."
The trailer indeed features a wide array of characters, from Clark Kent's Earth parents to love interest Lois Lane (played by Rachel Brosnahan), and various villains, including the central antagonist Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). While some fans worry that the film might be overly packed, many are thrilled by the prospect of these introductions.
Here are all 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 countered the concerns, saying, "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 pointed out, "It's side characters, less cameos. Like Iron Man had several side characters." A third user added, "I don't feel like it's such a big deal honestly. 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 worries about the film being overstuffed, fans remain eager to see how it all comes together. One user 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." Another fan drew a comparison, saying, "Kinda like Guardians of the Galaxy…?"
James Gunn has emphasized that the film is not an ensemble piece, stating during an Instagram Live session at the beginning of 2025, "At the middle of everything is Clark, Lois, and Lex. It's about these three characters." How he manages to balance this core focus amidst the larger cast remains to be seen.
"Superman" flies into theaters on July 11, 2025.
