Superman Movie: Handling Side Characters Amidst High Expectations

The man of steel is back — almost, at least. The latest trailer for James Gunn's upcoming film *Superman* has been released ahead of its July launch, and it's packed with excitement. From lead actor David Corenswet's compelling performance to the awe-inspiring action sequences featuring Superman's beloved dog Krypto, there's a lot to unpack. However, the primary focus of fans' curiosity post-trailer seems to be the sheer amount of content and characters featured, raising questions about how the film will manage to tell a coherent story amidst all the action.

One Redditor commented on the r/Superman subreddit shortly after the trailer's release, saying, "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, 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."

Amidst the excitement, some fans expressed concerns over the numerous cameos in the trailer. One user wrote, "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 showcases a wide array of characters, including Clark Kent's Earth parents, love interest Lois Lane (played by Rachel Brosnahan), and several formidable villains, with Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) as the central antagonist. While some fans worry that the film may be overly packed, many others are thrilled by the potential that these character introductions bring.

Here's a list of 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

Despite concerns, some fans see the crowded cast as a positive. One user commented, "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 argued, "It's side characters, less cameos. Like Iron Man had several side characters." A third fan noted, "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

While some fans are concerned about the film being overstuffed, others remain optimistic. One user remarked, "It looks good but wondering how they're going to shoehorn so many different characters into one movie," to which another fan replied, "It's not any more characters than the average comic book movie. It's fine." A third user even quipped, "Kinda like Guardians of the Galaxy…?"

James Gunn has repeatedly emphasized that *Superman* is not an ensemble piece. In an Instagram Live session at the beginning of 2025, he stated, "At the middle of everything is Clark, Lois, and Lex. It's about these three characters." It remains to be seen how he will successfully balance this focus amidst the vast cast.

*Superman* flies into theaters on July 11, 2025.