James Gunn’s Superman arrived on the big screen and brought with it a whole slate of exciting new characters not included in the old DC Extended Universe. It even included a few characters never seen in a live-action film before.
Viewers interested in learning about the new characters in Superman can use our guide to discover more about them and their other appearances in film and TV.
Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi)
Mr. Terrific (Edi Cathegi) easily steals the show in Superman. He’s the smoothest, most incredible, and smartest superhero in the movie, with a laid-back personality and quiet moral convictions. In the comics, Mr. Terrific (aka Michael Holt) is one of the most intelligent individuals in the DC universe, utilizing his engineering and scientific brilliance to even the playing field between himself and superpowered beings. It was especially awe-inspiring to see him on the big screen, considering Superman marks his live-action film debut. While an iteration of Mr. Terrific, Curtis Holt (Echo Kellum), appeared in Arrow, his only other appearances have been animated, including in the Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths trilogy.
Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion)
Most viewers still infamously associate Green Lantern with Green Lantern (2011), the failed live-action film from 2011 starring Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan. However, Superman redeems one of the Green Lanterns, Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), who adds some much-needed comic relief to the film with his cocky, self-assured manner and comic book-accurate bowl cut. As a member of the Green Lantern Corps, he boasts a ring that gives him powers like energy projection and hard-light construct generation. Green Lantern’s inclusion in Superman is a nice warm-up for the DCU’s upcoming TV show, Lanterns, featuring the Green Lanterns Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre).
Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced)
Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) is part of Superman’s Justice Gang, alongside Mr. Terrific and Green Lantern. Her grumpiness and sarcasm add further comedic relief to the movie, while her power of flight and array of weapons make her a strong candidate for further development in the DCU. In the comics, she’s a reincarnated alien who retains knowledge from each of her lifetimes. Hawkgirl will return for Peacemaker's second season. Viewers can also find another live-action iteration of Hawkgirl (Ciara Renée) in the Arrowverse shows The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow.
Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan)
Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan) is one of the most unique new characters in Superman. He is a metahuman with the ability to transform his body into a wide variety of elemental compounds, including kryptonite. In the film, he’s held captive by Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), who controls him by threatening his son, Joey. Metamorpho adds emotional depth to Superman, as he grapples with concerns over his power and the conflict between doing what’s right and saving his son. The film marks his first live-action appearance. Previously, he appeared in the DCAU’s Justice League series and DCAMU’s Teen Titans Go! To the Movies.
The Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría)
In Superman, The Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría) is part of Luthor’s team and boasts nanotechnology powerful enough to contend with Superman (David Corenswet). As in the comics, she gained her abilities by replacing her blood with nanotechnology. She’s also a prominent member of the anti-hero team The Authority, which will reportedly get a self-titled film in the DCU’s future. The Engineer’s inclusion in Superman was quite epic, not only because of her fierce nature and incredible powers, but also because it marks the first on-screen appearance of a member of The Authority.
Ultraman (David Corenswet)
Superman features Ultraman (David Corenswet), another ally of Luthor. Masked and clad in black, viewers who aren’t familiar with the comics may have been surprised when Superman removed Ultraman’s mask and realized Ultraman was a clone of him. However, it makes sense because in DC Comics, Ultraman is an evil counterpart to Superman from an alternate universe. He’s supposed to be more of a variant of Superman, though the film makes him a clone. Ultraman has appeared in live-action before, as an iteration of the character appeared in Smallville as a variant of Superman adopted by the Luthor family.
Superman Robots (Alan Tudyk, Grace Chan, Michael Rooker, Pom Klementieff, and Jennifer Holland)
A host of robots appear in Superman, residing at the Fortress of Solitude to assist the hero. Viewers may have recognized several of the voices, as Alan Tudyk, Michael Rooker, Pom Klementieff, and Jennifer Holland have all collaborated with Gunn on past projects. The humanoid robots protect the Fortress and serve Superman, including helping him heal when he’s injured. They are similar to several robots that have appeared in the comics, including those in All-Star Superman. These specific robots in Superman haven’t appeared on-screen before, as they are a composite of various comic book robots.
Eve Teschmacher (Sara Sampaio)
Eve Teschamcher (Sara Sampaio) is Luthor’s girlfriend in Superman. Although she initially appears vain and clueless, her secret plan ultimately proves to be quite brilliant and vital in taking down Luthor. Teschmacher was created for the screen rather than comics, as she first appeared in Superman (1978) and its sequel, Superman II. Later, a very loose iteration of Teschmacher, Kitty Kowalski (Parker Posey), appeared in Superman Returns. As in Superman, Teschmacher is always depicted as an assistant/lover of Luthor, who grows disillusioned by his actions.
Krypto (Jolene)
Krypto also steals the show in Superman as the cutest, most mischievous character in the film. Krypto the Superdog appears in DC Comics as Superman’s pet, a superpowered dog who was the original test subject of the pods Superman’s parents would send him to Earth in. He eventually reunited with a teenage Superman on Earth and became his loyal companion. Krypto, who has behavioral issues in Superman, is mostly CGI, but a real-life dog named Jolene served as his stand-in. Krypto will return for Supergirl and has appeared in countless animated projects, including Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, Too! and DC League of Super-Pets.
Where To Watch The New 'Superman' Characters Online
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