Superman Movie: Handling Side Characters Creates Buzz

The excitement for James Gunn's upcoming film, *Superman*, is palpable, with its latest trailer released ahead of the July launch. Leading man David Corenswet's portrayal and the dynamic presence of Superman's loyal companion, Krypto, are among the highlights that fans are buzzing about. However, the trailer's packed with so many elements that viewers are curious about how the film will manage to weave a coherent narrative amidst the flurry of action and introductions.

On Reddit's r/Superman thread, 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." Echoing this sentiment, another fan added, "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 expressed excitement about the film's direction but also voiced concerns: "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 plethora of characters, from Clark Kent’s Earth parents and love interest Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) to formidable adversaries led by central antagonist Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). While some fans worry about the film feeling bloated, many are thrilled at the prospect of these character introductions.

Here’s a list of all the characters revealed in the *Superman* trailer so far:

• 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

In response to concerns about the film's crowded cast, one user wrote, "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 noted, "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 eager to see how it all unfolds. One user commented, "It looks good but wondering how they’re going to shoehorn so many different characters into one movie," to which another 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 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 focus with the extensive cast remains to be seen.

*Superman* is set to soar into theaters on July 11, 2025.