The Man of Steel returns — well, almost. The newest trailer for James Gunn's upcoming film "Superman" has dropped ahead of its July premiere, and it's packed with thrilling moments. From David Corenswet's compelling lead performance to the impressive combat skills of Superman's loyal dog, Krypto, there's plenty to analyze. However, the main topic of discussion among fans seems to be the sheer volume of content hinted at in the trailer and how the film will manage to weave it all into a cohesive narrative.
"The trailer starts strong," one Redditor commented on an r/Superman thread shortly after the trailer's release. "But then almost every shot introduced another new character, and I began to worry about the movie's ability to tell a coherent story." Another user added, "I'm going to love it. He looks fantastic as both Superman and Clark Kent, but the movie appears to be quite packed; there's a lot happening here."
"Now this is a trailer I love. As someone who never warmed to DC's darker tone, I'm thrilled to experience a genuine comic-book superhero movie. But am I alone in being concerned about all the cameos featured in the trailer?" wrote another fan in the comments. "I swear I counted about eight friends and foes in this film. I understand they want to establish James Gunn's DCU with this project, but I'd prefer fewer cameo appearances and more time spent developing the characters essential to the story they're trying to tell."
To be fair, the trailer does showcase a wide array of characters. This includes Clark Kent's Earth parents, his love interest Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), and several formidable villains, chief among them the central antagonist Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). While many fans express concern that the film might feel overstuffed, just as many are excited about the potential these numerous character introductions bring.
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 actually glad there's so much happening. We've seen him battle Lex and Zod countless times by now. I want to see him truly challenged and ultimately emerge as a symbol of hope," one user wrote in response to the criticisms. Another added, "These are supporting characters, not just cameos. Think of how many side characters were in Iron Man."
A third fan noted that this approach is fairly standard. "Honestly, I don't think it's a huge issue. Movies typically need secondary or supporting characters," they commented. "Gunn is simply casting well-known actors for those roles, but I doubt he'll give them more screen time than the story requires."
Superman: Behind the Scenes Cast and Character Images
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That said, the concern that the movie might be overstuffed — if you're like us, you're probably eager to know the runtime — isn't exactly putting fans off. "It looks good, but I'm wondering how they'll manage to fit so many different characters into one movie," one user wrote. Another fan replied, "It doesn't have more characters than the average comic book movie. It'll be fine." A third user even joked, "Kinda like Guardians of the Galaxy...?" Honestly? Fair point.
Ultimately, Gunn has stated multiple times that this film is not an ensemble piece. "At the heart of it all are Clark, Lois, and Lex," he said in early 2025 during an Instagram Live session. "This story is about these three characters." How he accomplishes that remains to be seen.
Superman soars into theaters on July 11, 2025.
