We’ve known a Superman reboot has been coming since December, with its official title, Superman: Legacy, being revealed as part of the DC Universe Chapter One slate unveiling in late January, followed by confirmation in March that James Gunn is directing the reboot on top of writing the script. However, the last few weeks have been especially eventful for Legacy, with the latest news on this front being that other superheroes from different corners of DC lore will appear in the upcoming DC movie alongside the Man of Steel, who’s being played by David Corenswet.
As both a longtime Superman fan and someone who’s enjoyed all of Gunn’s superhero media movies so far (along with Peacemaker and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special), I’m excited for Superman: Legacy’s arrival in summer 2025 to help kick off the film side of the DC Universe franchise following the release of the Creature Commandos animated series on Max. However, these casting updates have me worried that the reboot will repeat a dangerous DC mistake, specifically one that plagued Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: overcrowding.
Which DC Superheroes Are Appearing in Superman: Legacy
In case you’re out of the loop, it was first announced earlier this week that Superman: Legacy will feature Nathan Fillion as the Guy Gardner version of Green Lantern, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl and Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific. A day later, word came in that Barry and Gotham’s Anthony Carrigan will appear as Metamorpho. On top of these four confirmed appearances, it’s also been reported that members of The Authority will show up in Legacy ahead of their own movie, though that has yet to be officially confirmed.
So for those keeping track, Superman: Legacy will now feature four other superheroes besides The Last Son from Krypton, and it’s possible more will be announced in the coming weeks/months. At this time, it hasn’t been clarified if these heroes will all appear together or will see them in separate scenes with David Corenswet’s Kat-El/Clark Kent. If it’s the former, I’m also wondering if they’re officially affiliated with one another through the Justice League or some other officially-formed team, or if it’s more of a loose gather that comes together suddenly. Either way, this will mark the live-action theatrical debuts of Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, Mr. Terrific and Metamorpho, so naturally fans of those characters will be delighted by their presence. Still, I worry that having so many superheroes around will prove detrimental to the story.
Why I’m Worried About All These Appearances
Although Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice naturally focused on the conflict and eventual joining of forces between Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel and Ben Affleck’s Dark Knight, the 2016 movie certainly wasn’t shy about planting seeds for Justice League either. Along with Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman playing a supporting role, we also got cameo appearances from Jason Momoa’s Aquaman, Ezra Miller’s Flash and Ray Fisher’s Cyborg, and that’s on top of the foreshadowing of Steppenwolf’s arrival from Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor. Regardless of how you feel about Batman v Superman, there’s no denying it did a lot of legwork to build out the wider DC Extended Universe.
Personally, I feel this was a mistake. While I’m not one of Batman v Superman’s detractors, and certainly feel that that the Ultimate Edition was a big improvement over the theatrical cut, I do think valuable runtime was wasted using this movie as a springboard to expand this universe. I understand Warner Bros. and DC were trying to catch up to where the Marvel Cinematic Universe was at that stage, but in terms of pure quality, Batman v Superman would have been a more enjoyable experience had it narrowed its entire focus strictly on those two heroes without drawing attention to other corners of DC lore. Ok, maybe Wonder Woman could have been kept too, but the point being is that there was already enough to entertain moviegoers by having Batman and Superman, two of pop culture’s most famous superheroes, coming together in a live-action movie for the first time.
Even though Superman: Legacy is the second DC Universe project (though Xolo Maridueña’s Blue Beetle is confirmed to be the franchise’s first character), James Gunn and Peter Safran, who co-run DC Studios, have said they consider this movie to be the “true beginning” of this new shared continuity. It’s also now abundantly clear that when the DC Universe kicks off, superheroes are already plentiful. Still, will having Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Mr. Terrific, Metamorpho and possibly Authority members deliver the same overcrowding issue that Batman v Superman had? Say what you will about Man of Steel, but at least when it started the DCEU, it was still delivering a story chiefly revolving around Superman lore; arguably the only deeper DC tie was a satellite bearing the Wayne Industries logo.
It’s also a little concerning that these superhero castings are being announced before we know who will play key characters from the Superman mythos, like Jimmy Olsen and Lex Luthor (though brothers Alexander and Bill Skarsgård are rumored to be contenders for the latter). To be fair though, casting is an intricate process, and perhaps simply more time has been needed to select actors for those roles compared to how long it took to bring in David Corenswet as Superman and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane (which is a perfect casting choice, by the way). In any case, now with my concerns out of the way, let’s talk about why I may be worrying too much about all this.
Why I’m Hopeful James Gunn Can Pull It Off
As I mentioned earlier, James Gunn has not yet disappointed me with any of his superhero movies, all of which have been ensemble-focused. So I know he can balance a large cast of characters; the trick is making sure that Superman: Legacy doesn’t lose sight of its main protagonist. Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like this will be an issue, as in a few Threads posts, he told fans that while these extra superheroes “fit the story” he’s telling, “[t]he primary story most definitely revolves around Superman and Lois.” Gunn also said that “the characters are there because they can help tell Superman’s story better, not so we can set up separate projects in the franchise.” Perhaps this means that Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Mr. Terrific and Metamorpho will only be around for a scene or two in Legacy rather than be crucial supporting characters, and their brief appearances will help push the Superman-centric story along.
That’s still a lot to ask for from the first movie in a new shared continuity, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in seeing how a more self-contained Superman movie might have done launching the DC Universe. Still, as long as Gunn understands that Superman: Legacy isn’t like the Guardians of the Galaxy flicks and The Suicide Squad, in that we need to walk away feeling that this is a story focused on the Man of Steel rather than him simply being the “leader” of a group of characters, then hopefully we’ll be all good with this aspect of the reboot. That’s not to say that Legacy is guaranteed to be a critical hit, although with Gunn’s track record, the chances of that happening are way more likely than not.
Superman: Legacy opens in theaters on July 11, 2025, and production is expected to being in early 2024. Keep your eyes peeled on CinemaBlend for more casting news and other updates on its progress. If you’re interested in watching the DC movies in order or revisiting plenty of past Superman media, that can easily be accomplished with a Max subscription.
