Cast of Superman Legacy became one of the biggest superhero searches when James Gunn started building his new DC Universe. There is one important update: Superman: Legacy is no longer the movie’s official title. James Gunn changed it simply to Superman when filming began in February 2024, and the finished movie arrived in theaters on July 11, 2025. The movie stars David Corenswet as Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, supported by a surprisingly large collection of DC heroes and Daily Planet characters. You can see the official movie information on DC’s Superman page.
Quick Overview of the Superman Legacy Cast
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| David Corenswet | Clark Kent / Superman |
| Rachel Brosnahan | Lois Lane |
| Nicholas Hoult | Lex Luthor |
| Edi Gathegi | Michael Holt / Mister Terrific |
| Nathan Fillion | Guy Gardner / Green Lantern |
| Isabela Merced | Hawkgirl |
| Anthony Carrigan | Rex Mason / Metamorpho |
| Skyler Gisondo | Jimmy Olsen |
| María Gabriela de Faría | The Engineer |
| Sara Sampaio | Eve Teschmacher |
| Wendell Pierce | Perry White |
| Pruitt Taylor Vince | Jonathan Kent |
| Neva Howell | Martha Kent |
| Frank Grillo | Rick Flag Sr. |
| Sean Gunn | Maxwell Lord |
| Bradley Cooper | Jor-El |
| Angela Sarafyan | Lara |
| Mikaela Hoover | Cat Grant |
| Christopher McDonald | Ron Troupe |
| Milly Alcock | Kara Zor-El / Supergirl |
| Alan Tudyk | Gary, voice role |
DC’s official cast list confirms Corenswet, Brosnahan, Hoult, Gathegi, Carrigan, Fillion, Merced, Gisondo, Sampaio, de Faría, Pierce, Tudyk, Vince and Howell among the principal performers.
Why Is It Called Superman Instead of Superman: Legacy?
When DC Studios first announced the movie in January 2023, the title was Superman: Legacy.
The word “Legacy” made sense because James Gunn’s story was designed around Clark Kent balancing two parts of his identity: his Kryptonian heritage and the human values he learned while growing up in Smallville.
Then something changed.
On February 29, 2024, Gunn announced that principal photography had started and revealed the shorter title:
Superman.
DC confirmed that the movie previously called Superman: Legacy would now simply be known as Superman.
So when people search “cast of Superman Legacy,” they are searching for the cast of James Gunn’s 2025 Superman movie.
David Corenswet as Superman and Clark Kent
At the center of everything is David Corenswet.
He plays both Clark Kent and Superman.
DC officially describes Corenswet as the actor taking on the dual role of the Daily Planet reporter and the Man of Steel.
Corenswet was born in Philadelphia in 1993 and had already appeared in projects including Hollywood, The Politician, Pearl, Twisters and Lady in the Lake before becoming Superman.
Casting Superman is never easy.
The actor has to look believable as one of the most powerful beings on Earth while also convincing audiences that people around Clark Kent might not immediately recognize him as Superman.
Corenswet’s version also had another challenge.
He was introducing the Superman of an entirely new DC cinematic universe.
James Gunn said he wanted this Superman to remain fundamentally good and compassionate rather than becoming a dark or cynical version of the character.
That kindness became one of the movie’s biggest themes.
Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane
Rachel Brosnahan plays Lois Lane.
She is not simply Superman’s romantic interest.
Lois is an aggressive, intelligent and fearless Daily Planet journalist who is willing to challenge Clark even when everyone else is impressed by Superman.
DC lists Brosnahan as one of the movie’s three principal stars alongside Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult.
Many viewers already knew Brosnahan from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Her experience with fast dialogue works particularly well for Lois, because the character needs to think and speak quickly.
Lois also helps keep Superman grounded.
He may be able to fly through buildings, but Lois can still make him uncomfortable with one difficult question.
Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor
Nicholas Hoult plays Superman’s greatest enemy, Lex Luthor.
This Lex is not interested in wearing a cape or becoming a traditional supervillain.
His greatest weapon is his mind.
Lex views Superman as a dangerous outsider who has been given too much power.
But there is also something personal underneath that argument.
Superman attracts admiration.
Lex wants control.
The existence of someone stronger than him is almost impossible for him to accept.
DC officially confirmed Hoult as Lex Luthor alongside Corenswet and Brosnahan when promoting the film.
Hoult was already familiar with superhero movies after playing Hank McCoy, better known as Beast, in the X-Men film series.
This time, however, he moved from hero to villain.
Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific
One of the biggest surprises in the cast is Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt, better known as Mister Terrific.
DC confirmed Gathegi as part of the movie’s main ensemble and separately identifies Michael Holt as Mister Terrific, a genius inventor, strategist and superhero.
Mister Terrific uses advanced technology called T-Spheres.
These floating devices can help him attack enemies, defend himself and process information.
He does not need Kryptonian powers.
His intelligence is his superpower.
The character became one of the movie’s strongest supporting heroes and gave viewers a very different type of DC superhero.
Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner
Nathan Fillion plays Guy Gardner, one of Earth’s Green Lanterns.
Yes, he has the famous bowl haircut.
And yes, it is supposed to look like that.
DC officially confirmed Fillion’s Guy Gardner while the movie was still in production.
Guy uses a Green Lantern power ring capable of creating objects and weapons from green energy.
But personality may be his bigger defining feature.
He can be arrogant.
He can be difficult.
And he definitely does not behave like Superman.
That makes putting Guy and Clark together much more entertaining than simply giving Superman another endlessly polite superhero friend.
Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl
Isabela Merced plays Hawkgirl.
Her character can fly and fight using powerful weapons, including her traditional mace.
DC’s trailer coverage showed Hawkgirl flying into combat and confirmed Merced in the role.
Merced had already appeared in projects including Dora and the Lost City of Gold, Alien: Romulus and The Last of Us before joining the DC Universe.
Hawkgirl’s inclusion was important for another reason.
It immediately told audiences that superheroes already existed in this world before Superman’s movie began.
This was not a universe waiting for its first costumed hero.
Superman was entering a world already crowded with them.
Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho
Anthony Carrigan plays Rex Mason, also known as Metamorpho.
He may be the strangest hero in the entire cast.
Metamorpho can transform different parts of his body into chemical elements and compounds.
That means his powers can look very unusual on screen.
Carrigan was already known to comic-book fans from Gotham, where he played Victor Zsasz, and from Barry. DC described his Superman appearance as Metamorpho’s cinematic debut.
Unlike Superman, Metamorpho does not exactly look human.
That creates an interesting contrast with Clark, who looks perfectly human despite being an alien.
Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen
Every Superman story needs Jimmy Olsen.
This time, Skyler Gisondo plays him.
Jimmy works at the Daily Planet and is traditionally one of Clark Kent’s closest friends.
DC confirmed Gisondo in the role before release and later highlighted Clark and Jimmy’s friendship in the movie’s trailer.
Gisondo has appeared in projects including Booksmart, Licorice Pizza and Santa Clarita Diet.
His version of Jimmy brings lightness to the Daily Planet scenes while also becoming unexpectedly involved in the larger story.
Wendell Pierce as Perry White
Wendell Pierce plays Perry White, editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet.
If Clark, Lois and Jimmy are the reporters, Perry is the man who has to control all of them.
That may be harder than fighting Lex Luthor.
Pierce brings enormous television experience to the role.
Many viewers know him from The Wire, Treme, Suits and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan.
DC officially lists Pierce among the movie’s principal cast.
Perry is important because Superman works best when Clark Kent’s ordinary life feels as real as the superhero action.
The Daily Planet helps create that world.
Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher
Sara Sampaio plays Eve Teschmacher.
The character is closely connected with Lex Luthor.
Longtime Superman fans may recognize the Teschmacher name from earlier versions of the franchise.
Sampaio is a Portuguese model and actress who became internationally known through fashion before expanding into acting.
DC officially confirmed her role as Eve Teschmacher during production.
Her character adds another personality to Lex’s inner circle.
And being close to Lex Luthor is rarely a safe job.
María Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer
María Gabriela de Faría plays Angela Spica, also known as the Engineer.
She is one of the more unusual characters introduced in the film.
The Engineer is associated with The Authority, a DC superhero team with a far more aggressive approach to justice than Superman.
DC confirmed de Faría’s casting before production.
Her inclusion is important because the original DCU announcement also included a future project centered on The Authority.
So even one supporting character can help connect Superman to the larger universe James Gunn is building.
Pruitt Taylor Vince as Jonathan Kent
Pruitt Taylor Vince plays Clark’s adoptive father, Jonathan Kent.
Jonathan and Martha Kent find the young Kryptonian child and raise him in Smallville.
They cannot give Clark superpowers.
He already has those.
What they give him is something more important:
A moral foundation.
Jonathan helps teach Clark that power is not the same as goodness.
DC officially includes Vince among the movie’s primary cast.
Neva Howell as Martha Kent
Neva Howell plays Clark’s adoptive mother, Martha Kent.
Like Jonathan, Martha represents Clark’s human upbringing.
Superman may have been born on Krypton.
But emotionally, Clark is also a son from Kansas.
DC lists Howell in the official cast.
The Kent family is central to understanding why this extremely powerful alien wants to help ordinary people rather than rule them.
Bradley Cooper as Jor-El
One of the movie’s biggest surprise appearances is Bradley Cooper as Jor-El, Superman’s biological father.
IMDb’s completed cast credits list Cooper as Jor-El.
Jor-El is the Kryptonian scientist who sends his infant son Kal-El away before Krypton is destroyed.
Cooper’s appearance is not the main focus of the movie.
But using such a recognizable actor adds extra weight to Superman’s Kryptonian family story.
Angela Sarafyan as Lara
Angela Sarafyan plays Lara, Superman’s biological mother.
She appears alongside Jor-El as part of Clark’s Kryptonian background.
IMDb’s completed cast list identifies Sarafyan as Lara.
Together, Jor-El and Lara represent the world Clark lost.
Jonathan and Martha represent the world that raised him.
That contrast sits at the center of Superman’s identity.
Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr.
Frank Grillo plays Rick Flag Sr.
His appearance helps prove that James Gunn’s DC movies and television series really do share the same continuity.
Grillo had already voiced Rick Flag Sr. in Creature Commandos before playing him in live action.
DC later confirmed his appearance in Superman and highlighted the character’s role in the wider DC Universe.
Rick Flag Sr. represents government power rather than traditional superhero idealism.
That naturally puts him into conflict with Superman’s independent decisions.
Sean Gunn as Maxwell Lord
Sean Gunn appears as billionaire businessman Maxwell Lord.
DC confirmed his appearance after the movie’s release and noted that Lord is connected with the heroes sometimes called the Justice Gang.
Sharp-eyed viewers can spot LordTech branding around the movie before Maxwell himself gets much screen time.
He also connects Superman directly with Peacemaker season two.
This is classic shared-universe storytelling.
A character can appear briefly in one film and become much more important later.
Milly Alcock as Supergirl
Here comes a major spoiler.
Milly Alcock appears as Kara Zor-El, better known as Supergirl, near the end of Superman.
DC officially confirmed the cameo after release.
Alcock then became the star of Supergirl, DC Studios’ next feature film, which arrived on June 26, 2026.
Kara is Superman’s cousin.
But James Gunn has emphasized that she had a very different upbringing.
Clark grew up with loving human parents.
Kara experienced the destruction and suffering surrounding Krypton much more directly.
That difference creates two very different personalities despite their shared family connection.
Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant
Mikaela Hoover plays Cat Grant, another Daily Planet journalist.
IMDb’s completed cast credits identify her in the role.
Cat has appeared in Superman comics, television and animation for decades.
She adds another familiar name to the Daily Planet newsroom.
Christopher McDonald as Ron Troupe
Christopher McDonald appears as Ron Troupe.
He is another Daily Planet journalist from Superman comics.
IMDb lists McDonald as Ron Troupe in the final credited cast.
That may seem like a small detail.
But filling the Daily Planet with actual comic-book characters makes Clark’s workplace feel like a real part of the larger DC world rather than just a background office.
Alan Tudyk as Gary
Alan Tudyk provides the voice of Gary.
Tudyk has a long history with voice acting and superhero projects.
IMDb’s final cast list identifies him as Gary.
He is one of several performers who may look less familiar on screen because audiences mainly hear the performance.
Krypto the Superdog
You cannot talk about this Superman cast without mentioning Krypto.
Krypto is Superman’s super-powered dog.
He can fly.
He has enormous strength.
And he does not always behave like the perfectly trained heroic pet Clark might want.
DC gave Krypto major attention in the film’s promotional material and currently includes him as one of the movie’s featured characters.
He quickly became one of the most popular parts of James Gunn’s Superman world.
Sometimes the biggest star does not even need dialogue.
Why Does Superman Have So Many Other Heroes?
This movie is not an origin story.
That was one of the earliest things DC Studios made clear when announcing Superman: Legacy.
Clark already knows he is Superman.
And the world already has superheroes.
That is why Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific and Metamorpho can simply exist without requiring four separate origin movies first.
This gives the DCU a different feeling.
Superman is important.
But he is not the only unusual person walking around Earth.
Is Henry Cavill in Superman Legacy?
No.
Henry Cavill does not play Superman in James Gunn’s film.
This version begins a new continuity with David Corenswet as Clark Kent.
That does not erase Cavill’s movies.
It simply means this is a different cinematic universe.
Corenswet’s Superman now anchors the new DC Studios continuity. DC describes the 2025 movie as its first theatrical feature within that connected DC Universe.
Is Superman Legacy Connected to The Batman?
Not directly.
Robert Pattinson’s The Batman belongs to a separate continuity.
James Gunn’s Superman belongs to the main DCU.
That allows DC to tell different versions of characters without pretending every movie happens in exactly the same universe.
The new DCU instead connects Superman with projects such as Creature Commandos, Peacemaker and Supergirl.
Who Directed Superman Legacy?
James Gunn wrote and directed the movie.
Peter Safran and Gunn produced it through DC Studios.
Gunn was already famous for directing Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy films and DC’s The Suicide Squad before becoming co-head of DC Studios.
His challenge with Superman was very different.
Instead of turning an obscure group of characters into stars, he was handling one of the most famous superheroes ever created.
When Was Superman Released?
Superman opened in the United States on July 11, 2025, with international releases beginning July 9.
The movie runs approximately 2 hours and 9 minutes according to IMDb.
It became the theatrical launch point for James Gunn and Peter Safran’s connected DC Universe.
Will This Superman Cast Return?
Some members already have.
Milly Alcock moved directly from her Superman cameo into Supergirl.
Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Sean Gunn and Frank Grillo have also crossed into other connected DC projects.
And Superman himself is not finished.
DC announced Man of Tomorrow as a follow-up arriving on July 9, 2027.
David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult are among the returning names associated with that next story.
So the 2025 cast was not assembled for one isolated movie.
Many of these actors are helping build a much larger DC Universe.
Why the Cast of Superman Legacy Matters
Superman movies have always depended heavily on casting.
The cape is famous.
The symbol is famous.
The powers are famous.
But viewers still need to believe the person wearing the suit.
David Corenswet had to make Superman feel hopeful without making him boring.
Rachel Brosnahan had to make Lois strong enough to stand beside someone who can literally lift buildings.
Nicholas Hoult had to make Lex threatening even though he cannot fly or shoot lasers from his eyes.
Then James Gunn added characters such as Mister Terrific, Hawkgirl, Guy Gardner and Metamorpho to show that this new world was already much bigger than Superman alone.
That ensemble is what makes the cast particularly important.
It is not simply the cast of one superhero movie.
It is the foundation of a new DC film universe.
Final Thoughts
The cast of Superman Legacy, officially the cast of Superman (2025), combines familiar DC characters with actors who had never played these roles before.
David Corenswet leads the movie as Clark Kent and Superman.
Rachel Brosnahan becomes Lois Lane.
Nicholas Hoult plays Lex Luthor.
But James Gunn did not stop there.
Edi Gathegi brings Mister Terrific to the big screen.
Nathan Fillion becomes Guy Gardner.
Isabela Merced plays Hawkgirl.
Anthony Carrigan becomes Metamorpho.
Skyler Gisondo steps into Jimmy Olsen’s shoes.
Wendell Pierce runs the Daily Planet as Perry White.
Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell play Jonathan and Martha Kent.
Then the larger DCU begins opening around them.
Frank Grillo appears as Rick Flag Sr.
Sean Gunn plays Maxwell Lord.
Bradley Cooper appears as Jor-El.
And Milly Alcock arrives as Supergirl before moving into her own movie.
That is why the old Superman: Legacy title still feels strangely suitable.
The word disappeared from the movie poster.
But the idea remained.
James Gunn’s movie was not only introducing another Superman.
It was establishing the legacy and future of an entirely new DC Universe.
FAQs About the Cast of Superman Legacy
Who plays Superman in Superman Legacy?
David Corenswet plays Clark Kent and Superman in the movie officially released as Superman.
Why was Superman Legacy renamed?
James Gunn shortened the title from Superman: Legacy to Superman when principal photography began in February 2024.
Who plays Lois Lane?
Rachel Brosnahan plays Lois Lane.
Who plays Lex Luthor?
Nicholas Hoult plays Lex Luthor.
Who plays Mister Terrific?
Edi Gathegi plays Michael Holt, also known as Mister Terrific.
Who plays Green Lantern in Superman?
Nathan Fillion plays Green Lantern Guy Gardner.
Who plays Hawkgirl?
Isabela Merced plays Hawkgirl.
Who plays Metamorpho?
Anthony Carrigan plays Rex Mason, better known as Metamorpho.
Who plays Jimmy Olsen?
Skyler Gisondo plays Jimmy Olsen.
Who plays Perry White?
Wendell Pierce plays Daily Planet editor Perry White.
Who plays Superman’s father Jonathan Kent?
Pruitt Taylor Vince plays Jonathan Kent.
Who plays Martha Kent?
Neva Howell plays Martha Kent.
Is Bradley Cooper in Superman?
Yes. Bradley Cooper appears as Superman’s biological Kryptonian father, Jor-El.
Is Supergirl in Superman?
Yes. Milly Alcock appears as Kara Zor-El/Supergirl near the end of the movie.
Who plays Maxwell Lord?
Sean Gunn plays Maxwell Lord.
Who plays Rick Flag Sr.?
Frank Grillo plays Rick Flag Sr.
Is Henry Cavill in Superman Legacy?
No. David Corenswet replaced him as Superman for James Gunn’s new DC Universe.
Is Superman Legacy an origin story?
No. DC Studios stated from the beginning that the movie would not retell Superman’s basic origin story.
When did Superman come out?
The U.S. theatrical release was July 11, 2025.
Who directed Superman?
James Gunn wrote and directed the film.
Is there another Superman movie coming?
Yes. DC announced Man of Tomorrow for July 9, 2027, continuing the new Superman story.
Is Superman part of the new DC Universe?
Yes. DC describes it as the first theatrical feature in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s connected DC Universe.
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