You can follow our posts on Superman at this link, and our posts on the new movie, Superman (2025) at this link.
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So, this is my consideration of the casting and portrayal of some key characters in the film. I'm bringing my opinions as an avid Superman comics reader, who prefers certain portrayals - often tied to certain eras. But I'll be mostly discussing portrayals in the comics over the last two decades.
One thing that Gunn seems keen on doing is not re-imagining characters too much. Except when he does, and I'll get to that. But the default between Gunn and John Papsidera to go with types for archetypes. Which may be a bit different from what Sarah Hailey Finn has been doing at Marvel - to great success - which has been finding a personality that will be kind of what you expect, but with a spin. And that's how you wind up with Tatiana Maslany as She-Hulk rather than a 6'2" weightlifter.
SPOILERS FOLLOW
Our Hero
Superman/ Clark Kent/ Kal-El: After 87 years or so, 1000's of comics, cartoons, TV shows, movies, video games... everyone has a Superman that they see as the ideal version of Superman. That's natural, it's fine, and is the source of much consternation on the internet on any given day.
I stated before that this Superman felt like a Superman ripped from the pages of DC Comics, and that's true and it isn't. Superman has been a married guy since I was mid-way through college in the 90's. He's had a son for years now. He's presented as a guy who's been in the game for a while - I figure he's probably in his early 40's in the comics. If you buy an issue of Action Comics today, be ready to jump ahead a solid decade.
The guy we see in Superman is still *Superman* because writer/ director James Gunn understands the character, and the ethos at the core of what's made him work for so long. And that is what we get on screen. In fact, we get little one liners and speeches about who he is - and that's, for good or ill, because DC has to reset the table. And we kind of have to - because this movie is about the world really sorting out who he really is - and not just the kooky world of the movie, but our world. Because being online will tell you, we don't know what truth, justice and a better tomorrow look like. Or that right and wrong aren't that hard to sort out when people are dying and you can help them.
Between the script and the performance of David Corenswet, we get a very human Clark Kent (and if you like this take, I recommend looking into the recently concluded 4-season show, Superman and Lois, in which Tyler Hoechlin plays a very human Clark as well). But up on the big screen, Corenswet manages what we haven't seen in a while - and that's a Superman you would absolutely go to a ballgame with. Even if you didn't like the sport or team.
And he may remind movie audiences it's okay to do more than overcome sorrow - we can be kind, too. And even if we know Krypto isn't a very good dog, we still care about him - not because of some oath or code, but because we empathize with a lost dog and we want to make him feel better.
The Daily Planet Staff
From Superman's first appearance, we had George Taylor - who was renamed or replaced by Perry White in the comics. And from the first pages of Action Comics #1, we had Lois Lane. So, since 1938, a gruff editor and a strong-willed reporter of the female persuasion were the supporting cast for our Man of Steel.
For the first 60 years of Superman comics, the staff of the Daily Planet - and by extension WGBS - were the main supporting cast in the comics and TV series. And in the serials and first studio movies.
In the comics, until 1986's psot-Crisis reboot, Jonathan and Martha were dead and buried when Super-boy became a Super-man.* So, the Daily Planet staffers were his default family.
In other words, these are important characters and as central to Superman lore as Krypton, in their way. At least Lois, Perry and Jimmy.
Lois Lane: after our first viewing, I effused about Rachel Brosnahan as Lois, and on a second viewing, I'm even more committed to the idea. She really gets it - and is convincing as the driven reporter. But she's also the ideal challenge for Clark, from her willingness to press him on his actions to his journalistic integrity. Brosnahan plays Lois entering the world of superheroics, not taking any nonsense from the Justice Gang, and slowly letting herself see Clark for what he really is - and she responds with her own heroics. As the kids would cringe to hear me say - we stan.
Perry White: Perry can be an Elvis-loving weirdo to a grumpy old man to Michael McKean taking a role to hang out with Annette O'Toole (understandable). But I like what Wendell Pierce brings to the table as a sort of pure-Perry. It's his newsroom, and he calls the shots - but he also knows he's got the best working for him. He's just there to make sure they color inside the lines. It's not much screentime, but that makes it all the more important they get the casting right so everything just lands.
Cat Grant: This character has been portrayed many ways across media, maybe most famously by Calista Flockhart on Supergirl. In the comics, she has more backstory than you can shake a stick at, but here she's barely there to do the thing she's kinda supposed to do - which is flirt with Clark and give Lois a romantic rival. She maybe sorta does this for two seconds, but mostly she seems to be there to de-glam Lois a bit - which is actually, functionally, part of what she does in the comics. Cat works fashion and modern beauty standards - but that deep back story exists to remind you everyone is human and has stuff going on. Maybe she'll get to do more of this in the sequel.
Anyway - she's on screen for not long, but boy howdy, does Mikaela Hoover instantly have some fans.
Ron Troupe: Sadly, Ron has been mostly neglected in the comics since 1999 or so. But for a while, he was a major character, even marrying Lucy Lane - making him related to Lois and Clark by marriage. He's both an ace reporter and in the OG Death of Superman run had one of the best stories covering the rise of Cyborg Superman - and getting it wrong. I always wanted the follow up on that one. Here - Ron just exists. It's possible you didn't notice him in the movie except for one or two shots.
He's played by Christopher McDonald, and I wish I could say more, but I don't think Ron has more than one line.
Steve Lombard: a great invention of the Bronze Age of comics, Steve was introduced as the dumb-jock, ex-football player sports reporter who thinks Clark is a nerd and Lois is a catch. There have been other takes - I'm glad they went with Beck Bennett in full goofy-dope mode. This is the Lombard I need. And Bennett makes the most of his screentime - playing the version of masculinity that I'm pretty sure reflects a whole lot of dudes online who are mad at the movie.
Ironically, Steve is a huge Superman fan, and it often a bellwether for how the public feels about Big Blue in stories where public perception comes up, and this movie is no different.
Jimmy Olsen: You never know what they'll try with Jimmy. But for the first time since the 1950's TV show, this is the Jimmy I need. Others have been good, but none have really been written as Jimmy. But between the writing and performance, A+ marks for Skyler Gisondo as Superman's Pal. This is a Jimmy I can see stumbling into becoming Elastic Lad or Turtle Boy and dealing with it with mystified understatement.
Is Jimmy a player? Yes. In the 20 year run of Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen, he didn't just regularly get transmogrified into different weird humanoids, he was also regularly propositioned by alien princesses and enjoyed the reflected fame of being Superman's buddy. Lois' sister was his would-be-girlfriend and tormentor, but he was always happy to skip out on her to date green-haired space girls and Supergirl sometimes.
But, really, I knew when I heard Gisondo got the part that Gunn really got Superman in a way few others would. Heck, Snyder replaced him with one-note character Jenny Olsen and then killed a character named Jimmy Olsen in the first moments of Batman v Superman.
Jimmy's world, right next to Superman, is absolutely bat-shit insane, and the comics lean into it. You get the feeling there's a whole TV spin-off could work with Gisondo as the lead.
For more Jimmy reading:
- Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen: Who Killed Jimmy Olsen?
- DC Finest: The Giant Turtle Man
- The Amazing Transformations of Jimmy Olsen
But, yes. Amazing casting and performance. I laughed repeatedly. No notes.
The Justice Gang
We don't get much information about The Justice Gang's formation, just that they're corporate sponsored superheroes. And, of course, that sponsor is LordTech, run by Lex's corporate rival - Maxwell Lord.
There's certainly a thread in DC Comics that CEO's and billionaires are not great people if you go by Luthor, Lord and Simon Stagg, all of whom are in the film one way or another (more on that in a minute).
Green Lantern: The first time I laughed out loud at a superhero comic was reading Justice League International back in the 1980's. During it's bwah-ha-ha heyday, it was one of the top books on the shelf. The first issue of the comic more or less sealed who Guy would be, or who he would try to grow from as some writers - for reasons beyond my comprehension - decided to soften his edges. But in that one issue, he decides to pick a fight with Batman and it goes poorly.
Guy is the worst, and we love him for it. And Nathan Fillion? Absolutely understood the assignment.
And, yes, the dumb haircut is from the comics. It's part of Guy insisting it's everyone else who is wrong. He's not a smart-aleck like Tony Stark, he's just an asshole who happens to meet the criteria of the Green Lantern Corps, which is to have the ability to overcome great fear. But somewhere inside, he's kind of an okay guy. Way, way, waaaaay deep inside.
Hawkgirl: She didn't get much to do or say in this story, but we did get a sense of Hawkgirl as the flying warrior she is. No mention of Egypt, aliens or Nth Metal, but maybe one of these films.
This is Kendra Saunders, not Shayera Hall, by the way. But who knows how that even works anymore in DC Comics? I lost track several reboots ago. Kendra is a newer creation, appearing in JSA comics - I believe penned by Geoff Johns. I miss Shayera, but that hawk has flown.
Isabela Merced has already led movies (she's Dora the Explorer) and as Gunn intended - sure, I'd watch her be Hawkgirl any time.
Mr. Terrific: Probably my favorite new DC Comics character of this millennium, I lost my mind when they announced Mr. Terrific would be in the film. Like Kendra, Mr. Terrific is a JSA legacy character, I think also created by Geoff Johns and loosely based on a Golden Age character of the same name, but a very different guy.
Michael Holt is just... basically better than everyone else - and never brings it up unless asked directly. He's a gifted athlete and had PhD's by the time he was a young teen-ager. He identifies himself as Earth's Third Smartest Person - but he never says who the other two are.
Rather than fall into super-villainy, Mr. Terrific believes in Fair Play, as his sleeves on his jacket say. And he has a curious stoicism for a guy who has his name in cursive on his jacket.
In short Edi Gathegi *nailed* the character from the comics. He's as confident in his way as Batman - he just doesn't have all the hang-ups. He's much more "fight for the greater good" than "I must protect my city. Dark vengeance." I dug the "I am so exhausted from having to dumb things down" energy he carried. And his fight sequence had me cackling in the theater.
Metamorpho: Ah, had only Ramona Fradon lived a bit longer... The first time I saw Metamorpho was in a Batman and the Outsiders comic when I first started reading comics (and quite a title it was).
Over the years, Metamorpho is just one of those characters you love to see show up. He looks weird and has complicated powers, but he's still a very normal, kind of cheerful guy. Of all the characters in the film, this one felt most changed to me as he was portrayed as a bit of a sad sack, and I don't usually think of Metamorpho as down and out. But the film makes it work with his personal stakes in play. I enjoyed the take - and that they let it get real weird with Rex Mason.
We know Stagg Industries is out there because we saw Superman go into the lobby of their office. In the comics it's the company owned by the father of Rex's girlfriend/ partner/ wife - Sapphire Stagg, a rich Daddy's girl who could care less about Rex looking like a chemistry set come to life - much to her father's dismay.
Anyway, we're in 2025 and Sapphire is in a movie (for maybe two shots) before Wonder Woman or Batman. Curious times, indeed.
The Baddies
Lex Luthor: As much as I think Gene Hackman was the perfect vibe for a Bronze Age Lex Luthor, now I see Nicholas Hoult as an ideal version of a Lex pulled right from the pages of the comics I buy every month. He should have everything and be content - money, model girlfriends, an army of people around him, an actual flying army...
But instead of deciding to end heart disease or solve energy problems forever, Lex is still trying to kill Superman. What may have felt like a bit of narrative license a while ago for a billionaire now feels oddly on-the-nose.
Evil takes a lot of forms in the DCU. The Joker knows what he is as a mad man off a chain. Darkseid is the embodiment of the totalitarian. The list could go on and on. But Lex is not just the hero in his own story, he's humanity's savior, and they should be pre-emptively grateful. Or else.
Fueled by ego, megalomania and envy, Lex's great intellect could have saved the world, maybe. I mean, we've at least got Mr. Terrific over there trying.
As I said elsewhere - there's no one take on Luthor, or hasn't been since like 1969. But if you were to distill Lex since 1984 or so, this sure feels like our guy.
The Engineer: I liked the concept of the character in The Authority back in the 90's, but was probably more of a The Doctor and Jenny Sparks kinda guy. I just didn't think she was particularly ever given much character, but it's been almost 30 years since I read those comics.
Setting up the character as a product of LuthorCorp is a departure, but it's also fine. Speaking of fine, Maria Gabriela de Faria plays the role of the henchwoman well, and I was curious about her motivations in this context. But she was solid!
I don't know what to make of a Wildstorm character showing up like this. I'm not a huge fan of that line, and Authority only really works if you have a Justice League for comparison.
Ultraman: This one was a red-herring for comic nerds as Ultraman is the evil Superman of Earth II or III, depending on you stance. But this guy was not that.
I mean, this is basically the Bizarro origin story, so if it's not Bizarro, me am certain of what am not happening.
Eve Tessmacher: As much as I adore Valerie Perrine, I'm not sure you can go back to a character who feels like they stepped off of a Broadway show and into Lex's underground lair. But this take was really something, from the secret photos to whatever manic thing was happening with Jimmy. Good stuff. Here's hoping Sarah Sampaio returns for the next one.
Just FYI - Miss Tessmacher isn't really in the comics. She was a product of the 1978 movie, and there have been nods to her all over the place, but she isn't really a thing outside of live-action versions of Superman so Lex can have someone to work with and talk to.
Otis Berg: Well done, movie. Well done.
Parents
Jonathan and Martha Kent: I love that Jonathan and Martha are part of the mythos these days, and we don't just lose them when Clark leaves home. It helps keep Superman more human. I also dug the casting for Jonathan and Martha in Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell. I'm ready for this take on the Kents as recognizably modern mid-westerners rather than Norman Rockwell paintings.
Jor-El and Lara: So. Bradley Cooper. And Lady Gaga Angela Sarafyan. Look, we'll get into discussing the hologram message soon, but otherwise, yeah, they're fine? I guess. I don't speak Kryptonese. I totally bought them as Jor-El and Lara. Well done.
Fortress Friends
Number 4/ Gary and his pals: There's almost always a prime robot in the fortress, and there's no reason not to have one here, doing some wise-cracking. And if you're going to have a robot that is suffering inside because he worries he's just a machine, who better than Alan Tudyk to voice it?
The puppet built for the part is amazing, and just a good idea. Of course it's crazy that the robots wear capes, but that's kind of the point, isn't it? Yes, it's a Fortress of Solitude, but clearly Clark doesn't like being alone even there. The comics always have robots, but it's been a while since writers remembered to give these characters personality.
Supergirl: I imagine a lot of folks were surprised by both Kara's guest spot at the end (please go see her movie in 2026) and her characterization. I had someone on fb reach out to me about how odd they found how Kara was presented, but... look. (deep breath) DC has done Kara Zor-El dirty over and over since she showed up and they shoved her in a Midvale Orphanage. IYKYK.
She's been the ideal 50's teen girl, a lovelorn young woman, an angry young woman, a straight and kinda dull hero, an independent-minded hero, dead, MIA for 20 years of comics, a weird jailbait character, an angry stranger in a strange land, a serious young woman, a goofy teen and a refugee struggling with what she's lost.
She hasn't had a consistent supporting cast in fifty years, or a coherent origin story. She's handed around to people who don't seem to know much about her or care much about her, which you can tell, because they seem intent on putting their stamp on the character before disappearing again after a few months.
People seem to want to see her. And I count myself among the people who are just happy when she shows up. But few people buy comics with the name "Supergirl". I almost always do (I dipped out on the New 52 after 3 issues). I'm funny that way.
So, yeah, the take is as legit as the ray of sunshine that was Melissa Benoist or the ethereal approach of Helen Slater.
Next Time: We'll get into some of the conversations happening around the movie now that it's been out for a bit.
*not Lana-related
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