Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for ‘Superman’James Gunn’s much-anticipatedSupermanhas now been released to the masses, finally giving us a first look at what the filmmaker and DC Studios Co-CEO might have in store for DC Comics’ beloved characters. First and foremost, Gunn set out to createa good Superman moviewith the main purpose being to introduceDavid CorenswetandRachel Brosnahanas the Man of Steel and Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane. Gunn is also taking a very different approach than the one taken by his long-time palZack Snyder, when he was given the keys to the DC kingdom withMan of Steelback in 2013.
Shortly after the worldwide success ofMan of Steel,Snyder attendedSan Diego Comic-Con in 2013to tease what would eventually become 2016’sBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. At the time,Ben Affleckhadn’t been announced as Batman toHenry Cavill’s Superman, but it didn’t take long before it was obvious that the next DCEU movie would be a way to bring the DC heroes together for an eventualJustice Leaguemovie.Dawn of Justicewould give us our first brief glimpses atGal Gadotas Wonder Woman,Jason Momoaas Aquaman,Ezra Milleras The Flash, andRay Fisher’s Cyborg. Three of those characters would get their very own movies, and two of which spawned sequels. At the time, DC Entertainment was essentially trying to do what worked for Marvel Studios, except they were in too big a rush to get tothatJustice Leaguemovie.Counter tothat path, Gunn doesn’t even mention any of those other Justice League members, and that’s one of the many things that makesSupermanso different from Snyder’sMan of Steel.
Why Are There So Many Other DC Characters, Not Necessarily Superman-Related?
From the get-go,Supermanimmediately introduces us to other characters from DC Comics, and not justNicholas Hoult’s version of the villainous Lex Luthor. Firstly, there’s a duo of super-powered henchmen after Superman, with the “Hammer of Boravia” quickly being revealed as Ultraman, a significant DC super-villain, and a member of the Crime Syndicate of America from Earth-3. InSuperman, Ultraman is paired withMaría Gabriela de Faría’sThe Engineer to take Superman into detention. Like his Earth-3 counterpart in the comics, Ultraman has had far more interactions with Superman than the Engineer.
When a fire-breathing Kaiju dragon attacks Metropolis, Superman focuses on saving people before being joined by a trio of superheroes, with whom he is already familiar with. Gunn deliberately avoids retelling another Superman origin story for the umpteenth time, but he also brings us midway into the story with many relationships already established. Because of that, Superman already knowsEdi Gathegi’s Mr Terrific, as well as Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) and Green Lantern Guy Gardner, played by one of Gunn’s regular go-tos,Nathan Fillion.
Who Is Mister Terrific, the Other Hero in James Gunn’s ‘Superman’?
Edi Gathegi’s tech genius might hint at a greater heroic legacy in the new DC Universe.
The final significant DC Comics character introduced inSupermanhas also had many direct interactions with Superman in the comics. Metamorpho, as played byAnthony CarriganfromHBO’sBarry, was approached to be a member of the Justice League back in the ’60s.It wasn’t until decades later that he would join Justice League International and then Batman’s The Outsiders, a group that deliberately broke off from the by-the-books methodology of Superman and the Justice League.
Supergirl Isn’t the Only ‘Superman’ Character We’ll Be Seeing Again Sometime Soon
Towards the end of the movie,Supermanoffers us our very first look atMilly Alcockas Superman’s cousin,Supergirl. It’s just a quick introduction that gives us a small taste of her personality and the fact that Krypto is actuallyherdog, not Superman’s. This scene is significant since we already know that Alcock’sSupergirl will be getting her own movie, scheduled for August 16, 2025. We also already know that former Aquaman Jason Momoa will be shifted into a new role as Lobo for that movie. Once again,it’s giving Gunn and Safran a chance to introduce a character as part of something else before just jumping right into aLobomovie,which has been in the works seemingly for decades.
There have been incarnations of the Justice League with Superman, Guy Gardner, and Hawkgirl – maybe not all at the same time – and both Mr. Terrific and Metamorpho have also often been members of the superteam. There has never been a “Justice Gang” in the comics, and for good reason – it’s a stupid name for a superteam, Guy! But Mr. Terrific and Metamorpho have already been on another team together in the comics, the short-lived Terrifics, introduced in 2018 as part of the “New Age of DC Heroes,” which barely lasted two years.
Getting back to The Engineer, during Gunn’s very firstpress announcement of his DCU planson July 16, 2025, he announced a movie based onWarren EllisandBryan Hitch’s hugely popular 1999 series,The Authority.Angela Spica’s Engineer was introduced as part of that Wildstorm Comics group that was eventually merged into the DC Universe.Although we don’t learn much about her inSuperman, other than her powers, that’s one piece of a much greater puzzle Gunn has already put into play.
EvenFrank Grillo’s appearance as Rick Flag, Sr, the government agent helping Lex Luthor put a stop to his mortal enemy, is significant, not only due to being the father ofJoel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag, Jr, from 2016’sSuicide Squadand its Gunn-directed 2021 sequel. Grillo already voiced that character in the animatedCreature Commandos.In 2023, Gunn declared he would utilize the same actors to play their characters in all iterations, whether they be animated or live action; Grillo’s appearance confirms this. Grillo will also appear in thesecond season ofPeacemaker, and we already know that Fillion’s Guy Gardner will be appearing in theHBOLanternsseries.
There are other factors involved in where Gunn might take things. So far, there isn’t much to say about other planned projects likeSwamp Thing,Teen Titans, or anything Batman-related. We know thatMatt Reevesis working on a sequel to 2022’sThe Batman,reportedly as a standalone from what Gunn has planned, but there’s also the previously announcedThe Brave and the Bold,which would introduce a brand-new Batman and Robin.For now, those will all have to be tabled with no significant mention or even an Easter Egg withinSuperman.
Some might view how Gunn introduces all these characters inSupermanas something akin to what was done in the 2022 disaster that wasBlack Adam, just throwing in random DC Comics characters willy-nilly with little to no rhyme or reason.In fact, when you really think about the different pieces and what we know from what has already been announced, Gunn clearly knows what he’s doing when it comes to building out the DC Comics universe into planned television and movie projects.This might make Gunn’sSupermana movie that will be studied closely over the next five years, to see how much he covertly set up in advance without giving everything away.
