Superman is gearing up to fly into theaters. The rebooted DC Universe’s (DCU) first film arrives worldwide on July 11, so you’ll want to learn more about the ensemble starring in James Gunn’s Superman movie.
Below, I’ve compiled a list of every character appearing in the superhero flick. I’ll also tell you which actor is portraying them and where you might have seen them before.
One last thing before you proceed: I didn’t include characters who haven’t been confirmed as part of Superman‘s official cast. So, while a Guardians of the Galaxy star is said to have a bit-part role in Superman and a big fan theory about Ultraman’s real identity is circulating online, you won’t find those or other potential spoiler-based cameos in this guide.
David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman
Corenswet is the latest actor tasked with bringing Clark Kent/Kal-El to life in a live-action project, following stars such as Christopher Reeve and Henry Cavill. In the DCU’s iteration, Krypton’s most famous son will possess the superhero’s usual powerset, including heat vision, the ability to fly, super strength, invulnerability, super speed, and x-ray vision, among others.
Corenswet made a name for himself in Netflix‘s The Politician, but he’s also appeared in films like Hulu‘s The Greatest Hits and Universal’s Twisters, and in other TV shows, including Hollywood and Lady in the Lake.
Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane
Best known for playing Miriam ‘Midge’ Maisel in Prime Video‘s The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Brosnahan will portray combative journalist Lois Lane in this DCU Chapter One film. She’ll be less of a damsel in distress in Superman, with Brosnahan’s take on the character being feistier and more proactive than previous versions.
Her award-winning performance in the aforementioned Amazon TV Original notwithstanding, Brosnahan has had roles in Spies in Disguise, Manhattan, and The Amateur, among other productions. You’ll next see her in Presumed Innocent season 2 on Apple TV+, with Brosnahan recently announced as the crime anthology series’ next lead.
Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor
Hoult, who reportedly accepted the role of Lex Luthor in November 2023 before his official casting was announced just days later, will play one of Superman’s most iconic adversaries. Despite Superman‘s first-look image teasing the potential appearance of another big villain, Luthor will be the film’s Big Bad.
UK viewers will immediately recognize Hoult from 2002’s comedy-drama film About a Boy and Channel 4’s teenage drama Skins. Since then, Hoult has gone on to play a younger version of Marvel character Hank McCoy/Beast in Fox’s second X-Men film franchise, and starred in numerous other projects, including Renfield, Warm Bodies, Nosferatu, Tolkien, Juror No. 2, The Great, and The Menu.
Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt/Mister Terrific
Real name Michael Holt, Mister Terrific will make his first-ever live-action appearance in one of the DCU Chapter One’s most exciting movies. Gathegi will play Holt, one of three superpowered individuals who make up the corporately owned Justice Gang.
As for who Mister Terrific is: he’s a scientist-turned-superhero who uses floating orbs – known as T-spheres – to create holographic projections, hack into other machines, and emit energy bursts. He’s also incredibly smart – the man has 14 PhDs in DC Comics – and wealthy. Essentially, he’s got the finances and firepower to match that of the more famous billionaire vigilante Bruce Wayne/Batman.
Gathegi’s credits include multi-episode and/or multi-season appearances in Apple‘s For All Mankind, NBC’s The Blacklist, TNT’s Proof, and ABC’s The Family Tools. Some viewers may recognize him from X-Men: First Class and The Harder They Fall, too.
Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner/Green Lantern
Guy Gardner, one of many DC characters to assume the Green Lantern alias – individuals bestowed with a green ring that grants various abilities to its wielder – will be portrayed by Nathan Fillion. He’s one of three Green Lanterns confirmed to appear in this cinematic franchise, too, with Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart and Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan set to be introduced in HBO’s Lanterns TV show.
Most famous for playing Malcolm ‘Mal’ Reynolds in Firefly, Fillion has appeared in numerous other popular shows and movies. In a glittering career, he’s also renowned for playing Richard Castle in ABC’s Castle and The Rookie, T.D.K in The Suicide Squad, different characters in The Guardians of the Galaxy film series, and voicing characters in various animated TV series and Halo videogame franchise.
His appearances in new seasons of The Rookie and its Feds spin-off aside, Fillion will next be seen reprising his role as Gardner in Peacemaker season 2, which arrives on HBO Max in late August.
Isabela Merced as Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl
The third and final Justice Gang member, Hawkgirl – real name Kendra Saunders – is set to be played by Isabela Merced.
Hawkgirl has one of the most complicated histories in all of DC Comics. Essentially, though, Saunders is the latest reincarnation of Shayera Hol, a member of an alien race known as the Thanagarians. The third incumbent of the Hawkgirl mantle, Saunders possesses the memories of her forebears, Hol and Shiera Sanders. She’s also a reluctant and cynical hero, so expect her to butt heads with the more idealistic Superman. Abilities-wise, she can fly, is an expert combatant, and possesses the usual superhuman abilities.
Last seen playing Dina in The Last of Us season 2, Merced’s star is on the rise due to her performances in Spider-Man spin-off Madame Web, Alien: Romulus, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, and Turtles All the Way Down. She’ll also cameo in season 2 of Peacemaker next month.
Sean Gunn as Maxwell Lord
Ordinarily a Wonder Woman villain, Maxwell Lord will have a small role in Superman. Sean Gunn, frequent collaborator and brother of DC Studios’ co-chief, is playing the Justice Gang’s primary financier.
The voice of Weasel and G.I. Robot in HBO Max animated series Creature Commandos, aka the first DCU production to be released, Gunn has also portrayed Kraglin in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, Weasel in The Suicide Squad, and Kirk Gleason in Gilmore Girls. Like Fillion and Merced, Gunn will also show up in Peacemaker season 2.
Played by Barry alumnus Anthony Carrigan, Rex Mason/Metamorpho is another metahuman who’ll appear in a live-action capacity for the first time. Mason is an archaeologist who can alter his body’s atoms to change shape and consistency, and create any element he wants.
First revealed in a behind-the-scenes featurette, Metamorpho’s DCU design is near-identical to his look in the comics. Superman‘s official trailer and Superman‘s final teaser also indicate he’ll play a small but significant role in its plot, too – read my Superman trailer #2 breakdown piece to find out why.
Apart from his scene-stealing performance as NoHo Hank in Barry, audiences might have seen Carrigan in Gotham, Death of a Unicorn, Fatherhood, and The Forgotten.
Maria Gabriela de Faria as Angela Spica/The Engineer
Maria Gabriela De Faria is playing Angela Spica/The Engineer, a member of The Authority, a Wildstorm Universe/DC Comics anti-hero team unafraid to resort to extreme measures to save the day. Spica is usually depicted as having a liquid body and various superpowers due to her nanite-enriched blood. However, while her DCU counterpart is similarly imbued with nanotechnology, they act as a suit of armor, allow Spica to craft various weapons, and grant her superhuman abilities.
A Venezuelan actor who’s starred in various telenovelas, de Faria won’t be a familiar name to many. She’s guest-starred in some English-language series, including Deadly Class, The Moodys, and Animal Control, but her forthcoming appearance in Superman is her biggest international role so far.
Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr.
After surviving the events of Creature Commandos season 1, Rick Flag Sr. will have a small role to play in Superman. He was voiced by Frank Grillo in the adult animated show, so it’s no great surprise that Grillo portrays the newly installed Head of ARGUS’s live-action version, too.
A prolific actor, fans will know Grillo from playing Brock Lumlow/Crossbones in the MCU, Bill in Sylvester Stallone’s Paramount+ TV hit Tulsa King, Alvey in Kingdom, Nick in Prison Break, and Frank in Warrior, among many other films and shows.
Wendell Pierce as Perry White
Wendell Pierce has been cast as Perry White, the Daily Planet’s tough-but-fair editor-in-chief, who was last played on the big screen by Lawrence Fishburne.
Last seen in Marvel’s Thunderbolts* movie, Pierce is best known for Bunk Moreland in The Wire, aka one of the best HBO Max shows of all time. He’s also appeared as Robert Zane in Suits and James Greer in Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, and starred in a variety of highly rated films, including Selma, Ray, and Malcolm X.
Skyler Gisondo, Beck Bennett, Mikaela Hoover, and Christopher McDonald as Jimmy Olsen, Steve Lombard, Cat Grant, and Ron Troupe
White, Lane, and Kent – when the last of that trio isn’t being a superhero, anyway – aren’t the only Daily Planet employees we’ll see in Superman.
Gisondo is on board as Jimmy Olsen, the news outlet’s photographer and friend to Kent and Lane. Viewers may recognize him from The Righteous Gemstones and The Santa Clarita Diet.
Bennett (Saturday Night Live, Hamster and Gretel), Hoover (The Belko Experiment), and McDonald (Jill & Jack) round out the Daily Planet’s roster. They’ll respectively portray self-serving sports reporter Lombard, gossip columnist Grant, and general journalist Troupe.
Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell as Jonathan ‘Pa’ Kent and Martha ‘Ma’ Kent
Vince and Howell were confirmed to be playing Clarke’s surrogate parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, last April. It’s unclear how big a role they’ll have, but based on the footage we’ve seen, we know they’ll share some heartfelt scenes with the titular Kryptonian.
Superman will mark Vince’s first screen appearance in four years, with the Murder One, Stranger Things, Bird Box, and Beautiful Girls star’s last role coming in 2021’s Crime Story. Meanwhile, Howell’s acting credits include Beckinfield, The Edge of Sanity, and The Resident.
Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher
Typically, Teschmacher is Luthor’s assistant and love interest. While the latter has been retained for Supes’ next big-screen adventure, Sampaio’s version has been tweaked to also make her a social media influencer.
A runway model by trade, Sampaio’s filmography isn’t as extensive as many of her Superman peers. However, she has appeared in an episode of Billions, and had small movie roles in Crisis, Wifelike, and At Midnight.
Ouzo the dog as Krypto the Superdog
This list wouldn’t be complete without a nod to Krypto the Superdog, who stole our hearts when Superman‘s first trailer was released last December.
Based on James Gunn’s rescue dog Ouzo, Krypto will be a boisterous version of Supes’ canine companion. Indeed, we’ve seen him being a menace in the aforementioned teaser, Superman‘s first official clip, and other trailers for one of 2025’s most anticipated new movies. Don’t be surprised if Krypto, who’s also expected to appear in next year’s Supergirl film, is one of the movie’s highlights when it’s eventually released.
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tom.power@futurenet.com (Tom Power)
