Summary

• Superman's main villain remains unconfirmed, leading to speculation over rumored villains like Brainiac and Mongul.
• Nicholas Hoult will play Superman's biggest rival, Lex Luthor, in the new DC Universe.
• The movie may feature the Authority, with María Gabriela de Faría confirmed as the Engineer.

While 2025's Superman reboot cast already hard at work on the movie, with filming for the project having begun in Norway — presumably for Fortress of Solitude scenes. The start of production on the DCU movie has brought forward a new exciting detail related to Corenswet's much-debated Superman costume.

Recently, James Gunn revealed that Superman: Legacy was retitled to just Superman.

To announce the start of filming, Gunn revealed the first look at the Superman costume, with the suit's logo and snow. Despite the costume tease and the confirmation of a series of cast that range from DCU heroes, classic Superman ing characters, an iconic DC Comics villain, and more, Gunn has yet to reveal key details about Superman's plot. The main villain of the DCU movie has not been announced so far, which has led to speculation over which foe Clark Kent will face. With rumors aplenty, some Superman comic book villains could become the film's main threat.

Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor Is Superman’s Classic Rival

Lex Is A Common Fixture Of Superman Adaptations

After having tried out for the role of Clark Kent in Superman, Nicholas Hoult ended up ing Gunn's reboot of the Man of Steel as the hero's most iconic rival instead: Lex Luthor. Be it in the comics, video games, animation, or live-action movies and series, Lex Luthor is Superman's most famous foe, just like the Joker is Batman's. As one of DC Comics' most famous characters, it was a given that Lex would play a role in the DCU's Superman reboot. However, that does not necessarily have to translate to Hoult's character being the main villain of the movie.

When talking about what fans could expect from the movie during Superman's announcement, DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran said, "[Superman] is kind in a world that thinks of kindness as old-fashioned.” Luthor is often portrayed on the other end of that conversation, with Safran's words teasing that Hoult's version of the character will once again refuse to understand that Superman can be extremely kind while also being all-powerful. During an interview with Smallville Lex Luthor actor Michael Rosenbaum on the Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum podcast, Hoult shared some insight on his preparation to play Lex Luthor.

Contrary to other versions of the character in live-action, Hoult revealed he has been working out for Lex Luthor. The villain has been depicted as his classic calm and collected persona in previous movies; however, Luthor's physical prowess has not made it to the big screen. Based on that, it is possible that Lex Luthor could end up being Superman's main villain, having actual fights with Corenswet's hero, perhaps with the help of his mechanical suit. However, early reports suggested Lex Luthor could be a ing character in the film, leaving room for another foe to battle Superman.

The Engineer And The Authority Could Face Superman & DCU Heroes

The Team Will Play An Interesting Role In The DC Universe

María Gabriela de Faría has been cast as the Engineer in Gunn's Superman. Reports from the time of the actress' casting interestingly teased what kind of role she could have in the movie, with some saying that the Engineer would be an antagonist, while others outright stated she would be a villain. That is intriguing due to the character's wider DC connections. The Engineer is part of the title team of The Authority, which is one of the movies that was announced by Gunn and Safran during the January 2023 slate reveal of the first projects in the DCU.

While details about The Authority are scarce, the movie will focus on a DC Comics team that has had some run-ins with Superman. In the comics, the Authority is a team of anti-heroes who are comfortable with having to kill whoever stands in the way of accomplishing their mission. The team has two who are often described as hyper-violent versions of Batman and Superman, which are Midnighter and Apollo, respectively. With no problem getting their hands dirty and having some incredible powers at the team's disposal, the Authority being the main villain team of Gunn's Superman would be thrilling.

Corenswet's Superman will not be the only DCU hero to appear in the film. ing him will be Nathan Fillion's Green Lantern (Guy Gardner), Edi Gathegi's Mister Terrific, Anthony Carrigan's Metamorpho, Isabela Merced's Hawkgirl, and reportedly Milly Alcock's Supergirl. With so many DCU heroes in Superman, it would make sense if the movie had multiple antagonists. While the Authority could possibly occupy the film's villain role — as more of the team are rumored besides the Engineer — one thing that will not happen in the movie is Superman being set up as a villain by Lex Luthor, according to Gunn.

There Are Multiple Rumored Villains For Gunn’s Superman

Brainiac Is The Fan-Favorite For The Movie

While Lex Luthor and the Engineer are already confirmed for the movie, other villains are rumored to take the fight to Corenswet's Man of Steel in Gunn's Superman. Chief among them is Brainiac, who is the fan-favorite antagonist for the movie. When suggesting which comic books influenced Superman, the official Twitter for DC's Gunn has addressed the Brainiac DCU rumors, saying, "Everyone seems to think everything is code for Brainiac in Legacy these days!"

Mongul Is Part Of A Superman Movie Theory

Another alien could be the main villain of Gunn's Superman. Mongul is known to be the ruler of Warworld, a mobile planet that is the home to the villain's bloodthirsty army. Gunn is known to tease characters and projects on social media before official announcements, and while not all of his teases have panned out so far, some have. In one of them, Gunn posted the cover of a Superman story that dealt with the aftermath of an arc with Mongul and Warworld. Since Gunn included Mongal — Mongul's daughter — in The Suicide Squad, the villain is certainly on his radar.

Action Comics #1050 is not a Mongul story; however, as it serves as Superman's return to Earth after a stint on Warworld, fans have pointed out the possible connection between the comic, Mongul, and Gunn's Superman.

A Character By The Codename "Apex" Has Been Reported

Deadline reported during the Superman casting process that a role that actors had been testing for had been labeled as "Apex." The name could have been a way to disguise Lex Luthor's casting process, as the Apex Luthor in DC Comics is a version of the character that is strong enough to physically fight Superman, which interestingly matches Hoult's workout comments. It remains to be seen if Apex Lex Luthor will be part of the DCU's first movie, with no villain yet set to be the main foe of James Gunn's Superman.

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Superman

Action

Sci-Fi

Adventure

Release Date

July 11, 2025

Director

James Gunn

Writers

James Gunn, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster

Producers

Lars P. Winther, Peter Safran

Franchise(s)

DCU

Cast

See All

• 
  David Corenswet

  Clark Kent / Superman / Kal-El
• 
  Rachel Brosnahan

  Lois Lane
• 
  Nicholas Hoult

  Lex Luthor
• 
  Edi Gathegi

  Michael Holt / Mister Terrific

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