Superman Movie: Handling Side Characters Amid High Expectations

The Man of Steel is making a triumphant return — or at least, that’s the goal. James Gunn’s highly anticipated *Superman* film dropped its latest trailer ahead of its July release date, and fans are buzzing with excitement. From David Corenswet’s portrayal of the iconic hero to the adorable yet powerful presence of Krypto the dog, there's plenty to unpack. However, one of the biggest talking points following the trailer’s debut is just how much content it packs — and whether the film can successfully juggle all of its elements into a cohesive narrative.

“Strong start to the trailer,” noted one Redditor in a post on r/Superman shortly after the footage debuted. “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 chimed in: “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.”

“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 about all the cameos that are in the trailer?” another user questioned. “I swear I counted like eight friends and foes in this movie. I know they want to set up James Gunn’s DCU with this, but I’d prefer it not be overloaded with cameos and instead take more time to develop the characters essential to telling the main story.”

To be fair, the trailer does pack quite a lineup — including Clark’s Earth parents, Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), and an array of antagonists led by Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). While some viewers expressed concerns over the sheer number of characters, many others are eager to see what this expansive roster brings to the table.

All 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

“I'm glad there's a lot going on. We've seen him fight Lex & Zod countless times — I want to see him completely overwhelmed and emerge as a symbol of hope,” one user responded to the concerns. Another added: “It’s side characters, less cameos. Like Iron Man had several side characters.”

A third fan pointed out that this kind of character density isn’t unusual. “I don't feel like it's such a big deal honestly. Movies usually need secondary/side characters,” the commenter said. “Gunn is just filling those roles with bigger names, but I doubt he'll give them more screen time than necessary.”

Superman: Behind the Scenes Cast and Character Images

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Still, the idea that the film could be overstuffed has been raised more than once — though not enough to turn fans away. “It looks good, but wondering how they’re going to shoehorn so many different characters into one movie,” one user wrote. Another replied, “It's not any more characters than the average comic book movie. It's fine.” A third joked: “Kinda like Guardians of the Galaxy…?” Fair point.

James Gunn himself has clarified multiple times that this isn’t intended to be an ensemble film. “At the middle of everything is Clark, Lois, and Lex,” he stated during an Instagram Live session earlier in 2025. “This story revolves around these three characters.” How he manages to balance that central trio with the rest of the cast remains to be seen.

Superman lands in theaters on July 11, 2025.