Superman Movie: Handling Side Characters Amidst Complex Plot

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 brimming with excitement. David Corenswet's portrayal of the titular hero and the dynamic presence of Superman's beloved dog, Krypto, have fans eagerly anticipating the film. However, the sheer number of characters and plotlines introduced in the trailer has sparked curiosity about how the film plans to weave everything into a coherent narrative.

On Reddit's r/Superman, fans shared their initial reactions. "Strong start to the trailer," one user noted, "but then practically every shot introduced another new character and I started worrying how the movie was going to tell a coherent story." Another fan expressed similar concerns: "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 user, excited yet cautious, 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 (Rachel Brosnahan), and a variety of villains led by the central antagonist Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). While some fans worry about the film being overly packed, others are thrilled at the prospect of these character 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

Despite concerns, some fans are optimistic. "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," one user wrote, while another pointed out, "It’s side characters, less cameos. Like Iron Man had several side characters." A third fan 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 concerns about the film being overstuffed, fans remain enthusiastic. "It looks good but wondering how they’re going to shoehorn so many different characters into one movie," one user commented, to which another responded, "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 emphasized that the film is not an ensemble piece. "At the middle of everything is Clark, Lois, and Lex," he stated during an Instagram Live session at the beginning of 2025. "It’s about these three characters." How he plans to achieve this focus amidst the array of characters remains to be seen.

Superman flies into theaters on July 11, 2025.