While the larger-than-expected cast of superheroes for James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy is surprising, it shouldn’t be met with concern by fans. Part of the rebooted DCU as envisioned by new DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran, Superman: Legacy is set to be the first official movie for a new interconnected universe of DC heroes. Additionally, Gunn has already proven initial concerns over the larger cast wrong.
Set to release in 2025, Superman: Legacy is being written and directed by James Gunn himself. David Corenswet has been cast as a new Kal-El/Clark Kent while Rachel Brosnahan has been cast opposite Corenswet as Daily Plant reporter Lois Lane. Surprisingly, a new wave of casting announcements has recently been made confirming appearances from several other DC heroes in the new movie, though Gunn’s preexisting track record means it shouldn’t be a problem for the first official DCU movie and the debut of its new Man of Steel.
Superman: Legacy’s Cast Size Is Potentially Concerning
Traditionally, overfilling a solo superhero film with other heroes and/or villains is a classic problem to be wary of. Keeping that in mind, quite a few other DC heroes have already been cast in Superman: Legacy despite still being 2 years out. Nathan Fillion has been cast as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Isabela Merced has been cast as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi has been cast as Mister Terrific, and Anthony Carrigan will be playing Metamorpho. As such, there are clearly going to be established heroes in the new DCU for Superman to interact with in Legacy beyond the characters he interacts with as Clark Kent at the Daily Planet.
Understandably, the initial reaction to be concerned is justifiable even though Superman: Legacy is meant to be the start of a brand-new DCU. While it’s been pitched as a fresh start for DC’s cinematic universe and its beloved heroes, Superman should still be front and center in his own movie. However, looking back proves that James Gunn will likely be able to achieve a solid and entertaining balance between the movie’s supplemental heroes and the true star with the titular Kryptonian.
James Gunn Has A Proven History With Ensemble Superhero Casts
It’s no secret that James Gunn is quite familiar with larger ensemble casts of superheroes. The evidence can be found in both the MCU with the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise and The Suicide Squad in the concluding DCEU. Giving each character time to shine, having multiple superheroes in the same movie is far from new territory for the writer/director/studio head. He’s already proven on several counts that he knows how to maintain a strong balance.
To that end, it’s highly doubtful that Gardner’s Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific, and Metamorpho will all have equivalent roles with Corenswet’s Kal-El in Superman: Legacy. Unlike the Guardians or the Suicide Squad who all needed their own moments with shared protagonist roles in their respective movies, Superman: Legacy implies that Superman will be the sole protagonist where superheroes are concerned. Gunn has already confirmed that the existence of these other heroes will serve to highlight Superman’s world, just as characters like Perry White and Jimmy Olsen will be part of Kal-El’s world as Clark Kent.
Superman: Legacy Is Still A Clark Kent & Lois Lane Story
It stands to reason that all the DC heroes who’ve recently been cast for Superman: Legacy will be secondary parts, most likely having smaller roles or cameo appearances in the upcoming DCU movie. For all intents and purposes, these heroes could all be part of a team whom Superman briefly meets at one point. They can confirm that he’s not alone in the DCU while also fulfilling Gunn’s promise that there won’t be a lot of origin stories for the new cinematic universe by featuring already-established heroes.
To that end, Gunn himself has also confirmed that Superman: Legacy will still be a Superman story and won’t be a big team-up right off the bat. Posting on Threads, Gunn reiterated on social media that “the primary story most definitely revolves around Superman and Lois“. If his prior success with large ensemble superhero films wasn’t reassurance enough, it’s nice that Gunn certainly seems committed to telling a story that will explore Kal-El’s relationship with Lois Lane (while also operating within his two respective worlds as both Clark Kent and Superman). The extra DC superheroes should prove to be a benefit to Superman: Legacy (and shouldn’t be a concern).
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