Who’s Who in the New Superman Trailer? Meet the DC Reboot Cast

DC Studios is already moving boldly into the new era, as the next few months promise a cavalcade of new projects, first among them Superman, the rebooted, James Gunn-directed take on the classic superhero franchise. With a theatrical release just this July, the film has been getting some months of teasing, but the release of the first full trailer now means fans have plenty to be excited about. Starring a new Clark Kent, a snarky Lois Lane, a host of familiar DC heroes and villains, and one meme-worthy superdog, the film is looking to be a tonally fresh and emotionally grounded reboot.

A Journey, Not an Origin

Gunn has already said that this isn’t going to be a traditional origin story. While Superman will be the Kryptonian refugee from earlier DC films, as well as decades of comics and lore, Gunn instead described the film’s narrative arc as Clark Kent’s journey to find a balance between the royal identity he feels from his Kryptonian past and the down-to-earth Midwesterner he grew up to be in Kansas. It’s a theme that brings some emotional weight to the film in a way that many previous Supermans have missed.

Pearl and Hollywood alum David Corenswet is donning the cape as a 25-year-old Superman who is way further along in his journey than the wide-eyed, wet-behind-the-ears hero of past iterations. His struggle between Clark Kent and Superman identity is emphasized several times throughout the trailer, particularly in his scenes with Lois Lane.

Rachel Brosnahan (best known for her starring role on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) is Lois Lane, and she’s come for some blood. In particular, Lois is seen leading off the trailer with a unique set-up: she’s running a mock interview with, you guessed it, Superman. The dynamic between Lois and Superman here clearly has some flirtation and one-upsmanship at play, but it’s still not clear if Lois is in on Clark’s secret or not. On the internet, some are arguing that she is—others, this writer included, find that the moment the two share in the trailer is too ambiguous, particularly in the actors’ faces, to consider Lois fully in the know. Regardless, Brosnahan is setting the stakes for their relationship as key to the entire film.

Nicholas Hoult was another buzzy actor to be cast in the project, and he’s playing the villain we know and hate, Lex Luthor. We see his usual cross of conniving malevolence and corporate menace in the trailer, but it’s not his show alone: he’s joined by two other interesting pieces, Eve Teschmacher and Otis, played by Sara Sampaio and Terence Rosemore, respectively.

Krypto, Kaiju, and DC’s Expanding Universe

Speaking of interesting pieces, Superman has a pet white dog named Krypto. Fans first saw him last December in a movie teaser where he tugs a comatose Superman back to the Fortress of Solitude. The full trailer cements Krypto as a true breakout star, as we see him take on Lex Luthor himself, and a high-tech villain named Angela Spica, also known as The Engineer, played by Maria Gabriela de Faria. Decked out in futuristic black spandex with deadly rotating blades in place of arms (courtesy of a nanotech upgrade, no doubt), The Engineer looks like a very grown-up problem and kicks off a high-octane, full-force attack on the Fortress.

But the trailer doesn’t skimp on jaw-dropping moments like this either. Between flashy action, kaiju, and team-ups, we also get our first looks at a large ensemble of lesser-known, and often very interesting, DC characters. Nathan Fillion shows up as a bowl-cut-sporting Green Lantern named Guy Gardner; Anthony Carrigan is Rex Mason, also known as Metamorpho, an elemental shapeshifter who channels different elements through his body; Isabela Merced plays the winged warrior Hawkgirl; and Edi Gathegi is Michael Holt/Mister Terrific, a gifted inventor turned masked hero.

Rounding out the roll call of characters is Milly Alcock as Superman’s cousin Kara Zor-El, better known in the comics as Supergirl. This fact, plus a mid-trailer line by Lois referring to “the army of family” Superman’s apparently building, has fans theorizing this might be the opening salvo in a larger Kryptonian family saga. Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell also enter the picture as Clark Kent’s earthly adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, respectively.

DC fans will also recognize one other crossover from the trailer, as Frank Grillo (Captain America: Civil War, Birds of Prey) reprises his animated series role as Rick Flag Sr. from the Creature Commandos. Sean Gunn, meanwhile, plays Maxwell Lord.

Heart of a Hero

While the trailer has all the typical superhero action movie moments (splashy rooftop action, Thor-like strength, action on a cosmic level, etc.), it also manages to balance out those with moments of heart, humor, and an emphasis on Clark’s humanity. In one particularly telling line, Lois confronts Superman about the way his heroism is perceived by people like the U.S. Secretary of Defense. “People were going to die!” he shouts in reply, one hand on the hero spot of his costume, as if trying to hold himself together. It’s an interesting take, showing the fault lines in Clark’s journey right from the start.

This comes with humor and levity as well, and it’s especially clear in the movie’s closing moments. Superman is lying on his bed, finally still and not a hero for once. A gleeful Krypto has also stopped to rest, with his belly full on Superman’s chest. It’s a small moment, to be sure, but a clear encapsulation of what Gunn is going for, emotionally: a grand adventure story that is also deeply rooted in relationships.

Superman looks to be not just a reboot, but a complete reset for DC, and from the looks of this trailer, it’s a very promising one indeed.