Jams Gunn wasn’t kidding when he said he intended to take the onscreen DC universe in a new direction, including that he would kick it all off with on the movie side with a fresh take on the Man of Steel with Superman: Legacy. Written and directed by Gunn, little is known about the story, though Gunn has noted the comic book All-Star Superman is an inspiration.
While plot specifics remain secret, there have been several casting announcements that continue to intrigue, starting with David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan signing on to play Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane. And now, we know who will be playing Superman’s arch-nemesis, with Nicholas Hoult set for the role of Lex Luthor.
However, there have been several other announcements for other roles in the film, beyond those core three, as, prior to the the SAG-AFTRA strike, we learned Nathan Fillion would play Guy Gardner, Isabela Merced is Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi is Mr. Terrific, and that Anthony Carrigan will play Metamorpho. Now, with the strike over, we’re beginning to get the first post-strike additions to Superman: Legacy, including Hoult, plus María Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer.
Gunn has stated several times that the current plan is for these actors to portray the characters across the board in an attempt to create a more cohesive world for the DC on the big and small screens. While the extent of their involvement in Superman: Legacy remains a mystery at this point, that won’t stop us from digging into these characters’ pasts to see what their inclusion might mean for the new DCU. We’re skipping rundowns of Superman himself, plus Lois and Lex, since we’re pretty sure most everyone knows the deal on those three, but here’s the info on the other characters announced for Superman: Legacy so far and how they may interact with the Man of Steel based on their history.
With the actor strike over, expect a good deal of new casting announcements to come along, especially for these new DC films. Just recently, it’s been revealed that Animal Control actress María Gabriela de Faría will appear in Superman: Legacy as The Engineer. This character originated in a separate comic book universe from DC called Wildstorm, in a comic called The Authority about a team of super folks who implemented their will on the world. The Authority movie was part of the big initial slate announced for the DCU by Gunn and Peter Safran and clearly we will get the beginnings of that in Legacy.
Angela Spica started life as a very smart kid who ultimately got into the field of nanotechnology. When an existing hero called the Engineer died, he passed his research on to her. Spica replaced her own blood with liquid machinery that allowed her to cover herself in a kind of armor that gave her defensive and offensive capabilities. Angela also used these devices to further her own scientific experiments which became even bigger and more complex after she joined the Authority. Eventually, the entire Wildstorm Universe and its many characters were integrated into a brand new version of the DC Universe dubbed the New 52. Superman was a part of that group for a time.
Here’s an interesting note, though: Before all that, in Action Comics #775, Superman encountered a group called the Elite that was clearly based on the Authority. The point of the story was to show that Superman’s dedication to truth and justice was superior to the dark and jaded antics of the Engineer’s group. It would be a strong move for Gunn to skip over the stand-ins and present the same story with the real team.
The Green Lanterns — who will be getting their own HBO Max series called Lanterns thanks to this new initiative — are essentially space cops who use magic rings to can translate their willpower into jade constructs. Lanterns will focus on Hal Jordan and John Stewart as its leads, but Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner can easily fit in there popping up as a fellow officer, considering there are thousands of Green Lanterns out there.
Most consider Jordan to be the most well known of the bunch, and he was the one portrayed by Ryan Reynolds in the not particularly well-loved Green Lantern from 2011. Then again, Stewart has been a popular choice going back to the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited cartoons as well as a shot-but-cut scene from Zack Snyder’s Justice League, where he was played by Wayne T. Carr.
In the comics, Guy Gardner was revealed to actually be the Green Lantern ring’s first choice, but it ultimately went to Jordan because he was physically closer. Eventually, Gardner became a Green Lantern himself and has been portrayed as everything from an obnoxious hothead who famously got knocked out by Batman with one punch to one of the bravest, most important members of the Green Lantern Corps – though, regardless, he’s rarely lacking when it comes to his amusingly abrasive attitude. He has also been presented as a big fan of Superman’s, though sometimes goofing on him for being a boy scout. That dynamic might change given the fact that Fillion is more than 20 years older than Corenswet.
Nathan Fillion is no stranger to Gunn’s films. He starred in the director’s 2006 horror flick Slither and also appeared in Gunn’s Super from 2010. The actor also appeared as the voice of an alien in Guardians Of The Galaxy, T.D.K. in The Suicide Squad and most recently as Master Karja in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3. Beyond that, Fillion also has experience portraying a Green Lantern, as he has done exactly that by providing the voice for Hal Jordan in DC’s animated features starting with 2011’s Green Lantern: Emerald Knights up through 2019’s Reign Of The Supermen.
It’s safe to assume that Fillion is not just around because his pal is directing. He can bring a charisma to the character who has been known to rub people the wrong way. As a member of the Corps, Gardner has served as an instructor for rookie Lanterns, a top member of the Honor Guard, and a hero of various space wars, so there will be plenty of avenues to explore for Fillion’s Gardner as Gunn and company continue building this new universe.
Over the decades, there have been a variety of Hawkgirls (and Hawkwomen), often linked directly to Hawkmen. Usually, the duos have some ties to the bird-loving planet Thanagar which employs soldiers who utilize wings to do their jobs. Sometimes those wings — made of Thanagar’s mysterious, yet powerful Nth Metal — look feathery, and other times they appear more metallic.
The Hawks have been presented as cops from Thanagar, a human couple who found Thanagarian artifacts on Earth using them to become heroes, and even reincarnated souls from across time and space. Regardless of the take, Hawkgirl is often presented as a fierce warrior who uses her wings as yet another piece of an arsenal that also includes spears, shields, and maces.
Looking at the casting so far, between Hawkgirl and the Green Lanterns, it seems clear that this new DC film universe will be going cosmic right from the jump. Beyond the sci-fi aspects, though, Gunn and company might also be leaning into the worlds of ancient mystical artifacts and maybe even reincarnated intergalactic spirits! While Superman and Hawkgirl would not be considered best buds, the two have spent a fair amount of time together as members of the Justice League, which might lead to that team showing up sooner rather than later.
Viewers have seen the character portrayed in the aforementioned Justice League and Justice League Unlimited animated series’ as well as in the Arrowverse shows, specifically DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. Even more recently, her male counterpart appeared on the big screen in Black Adam.
Superman: Legacy is just one of several franchises Isabela Merced (sometimes credited as Isabela Moner) has in the pipeline, including as one of the stars in the new Alien film and a role in Sony’s Madame Web, where she is rumored to be playing Marvel character Anya Corazon. The actress scored those roles based on excellent performances in films like Sicario: Day Of The Soldado and Dora And The Lost City Of Gold. She will likely bring those comedy and action skills along with a talking backpack full of charm to the role of Hawkgirl.
Superman: Legacy will also introduce one of the world’s biggest brains: Mister Terrific! The original version of the character, Terry Sloane, debuted way back in 1942 and became a member of the Justice Society Of America. He was born with a genius-level intellect, but also desired to train his body and became an award-winning athlete. He was dissatisfied with this life, though, and wanted to help people by becoming a hero, Mr. Terrific, who lived by the motto “Fair Play” which was even emblazoned on his jacket.
DC has long embraced the idea of legacy heroes, an individual picking up the mantle of a hero who has died or given up the game. In the late 90s, they did exactly that with Mr. Terrific by introducing Michael Holt, who was also a genius, an Olympic Gold Medal winner, and a tech entrepreneur. During a dark point in his life, Holt learned of Mr. Terrific and decided to take on the identity himself, assisted by the T-Spheres which he controls by way of his mask. These flying orbs act not only as advanced computers, but also defensive and offensive weapons. Mr. Terrific has mainly been a member of the Justice Society in the comics, but does work with Superman when the need arises.
Holt made a few appearances in Justice League Unlimited, but had a much more prominent role in Arrow, though his name was changed to Curtis Holt. No stranger to huge franchises, the actor playing Superman: Legacy‘s Mr. Terrific, Edi Gathegi, played Laurent in the Twilight films, portrayed Darwin in X-Men: First Class, and brought a simmering menace to Matias Solomon on The Blacklist. Given his experience, the actor should have no problem embodying the brilliant Justice Society member with a dedication for fair play.
The DC Universe has no shortage of individuals finding ancient artifacts that changed them forever. That’s how one version of Hawkman and Hawgirl came about and it’s also how Rex Mason became Metamorpho, the Element Man! Mason has the incredible ability to transform his body into any element on the periodic table, but can not return to his previous human form, making him more tragic than some of his heroic brethren.
Over the years, Metamorpho has had some solo adventures, but tends to be more of a team player, joining up with groups like Batman’s Outsiders and a few different versions of the Justice League. Over the years, Metamorpho and Superman have certainly built a camaraderie as heroes, but would not be considered close. At this point, we have no idea how long heroes have been operating in this new world, but it would be interesting to see more teams active including the Outsiders and Justice Society. In the films, it’s been pretty much just the Justice League whereas the comics have dozens of teams going at any given moment. Perhaps Metamorpho’s presence hints at that kind of group expansion.
Anthony Carrington might be best known as NoHo Hank on Barry, but he’s also gotten in on the comic book action previously in shows like The Flash and Gotham where he played The Mist and Mr. Zsasz respectively. While we do not yet know how the character will be used, Carrington seems more than ready to go in whatever direction they need him to.
Superman: Legacy is scheduled for a July 11, 2025 release.
This is an update to a story originally published August 14, 2023.
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