SUPERMAN: 10 Supporting Characters We Have To See If And When MAN OF STEEL 2 Finally Happens

We still don't know what the plan for the original Superman is in the DCEU, but when a Man of Steel sequel does finally happen, these are the supporting characters we need to see alongside Henry Cavill...

By JoshWilding - Jun 06, 2022 12:06 PM EST

Filed Under: Man of Steel

Man of Steel received a mixed response from fans and critics, but it was by no means a flop. From there, Superman's story continued in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League. Where it goes next is hard to say, especially as there are conflicting reports about plans for the hero and still no sign of Henry Cavill reprising the role.

When Superman does (hopefully) get his sequel though, which characters from the comic books should join him? While we’ve already met familiar faces like Martha Kent, Lois Lane, and Perry White, there are still a lot of great supporting characters who could have a huge impact on the way the hero’s story plays out moving forward.

It's those we're taking a look at today as we delve into the ten supporting characters who could make that long-overdue Man of Steel sequel a much different experience than anyone expected.

To find out who has made the cut, all you guys need to do is click on that "Next" button below!

10. Steel

Does Metropolis have room for another superhero?

While he was originally introduced following the "Death of Superman" story arc, Steel’s origin story could very easily be changed to make him one of the people who were no doubt inspired by the Man of Steel’s heroic actions when he saved the city. After all, seeing him fighting side by side with his idol against a major new threat would do doubt make for enjoyable viewing.

"The New 52" comics portrayed him as being under the employ of General Sam Lane, creating this armoured suit for someone to use to take down Superman. However, he quickly realised the error of his ways and stole it to help the hero fight Brainiac, and that too has a lot of cinematic potential. Handle Steel the right way, and Warner Bros. could even give him a spinoff.

9. Sam Lane

In case it wasn’t already obvious from the name, General Sam Lane is the father of Lois Lane. Man of Steel was a pretty busy movie, so it’s easy enough to understand why he wasn’t included there, but it would be foolish of Warner Bros. not to use him somewhere down the line.

Sam and Lois have a complicated relationship, and he’s not a fan of either Clark Kent or Superman. In fact, his actions have bordered on the point of villainy a number of times in the past when he’s come up with various schemes to take down Metropolis' Man of Tomorrow.

Like Lex Luthor, Sam is convinced that the alien poses a threat to Earth, and even if a movie doesn’t go down that route, seeing him insert himself into the lives of Lois and Clark following the events of the past few Superman stories would shake their world up in a big way.

8. Lana Lang

Those of you who watched Smallville will no doubt be very familiar with Lana Lang. Clark Kent’s first love before he moved to Metropolis and became Superman, she’s one of only a handful of people who know his secret, and they’ve had a very interesting and complicated relationship over the years.

Lana has actually served in a number of roles in the DC Comics Universe, at one point becoming CEO of LexCorp and even suiting up as a costumed hero during the Silver Age.

While bringing "Insect Queen" to the big screen is far from a priority, it would be fun to see Lana make her presence felt in Metropolis, possibly leading to some sort of love triangle situation and really putting Clark’s relationship – which so far is going a little too perfectly – with Lois to the test.

7. Maggie Sawyer

The military factored into Man of Steel in a big way, and while they took a backseat in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, it's clear the hero is very much on their radar.

It would be a nice change of pace for his next movie to put the spotlight on the city’s police department and how they go about handling having this hero – and his villains – in their midst. In the comics, Captain Maggie Sawyer was introduced as the head of the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit, a branch dedicated to handling super-powered menaces when Superman is unavailable.

Openly gay, Maggie is in a relationship with Batwoman, and if her introduction in the sequel were to lead to that also playing out here, that would be no bad thing as the movies could make better use of Kate Kane than The CW did.

6. Superboy

Like most DC Comics characters, there have been a few different versions of Superboy over the years. Some have been younger versions of Clark Kent, while others have been clones or hailed from alternate realities, but utilizing this character in the movie could work really well.

Seeing as Lex Luthor got his hands on the corpse of General Zod in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the Kon-El/Connor Kent version – who was a hybrid of Lex ad Clark’s human/Kryptonian cloned DNA and created to be the ultimate living weapon – would perhaps work best.

That would be similar to Titans, of course, but it would also shake up Superman’s life in a big way, especially if he has to take this young hero under his wing and teach him the ropes.

5. Krypto

Is this too goofy for a movie set in the DC Extended Universe? Not necessarily, and while the introduction of Krypto would certainly be a departure from the serious tone of Superman's previous big screen appearances in this shared world, who doesn't love an adorable pooch on the big screen?

Krypto was the El family's pet dog on Krypton, who eventually wound up on Earth and gained superpowers like Superman's. This link to his homeworld could be surprisingly emotional for Clark Kent, especially after everything he's been through (being killed by Doomsday and later resurrected, for starters).

We're not entirely sure how Krypto would factor into a Man of Steel sequel, but as a supporting character, he could bring a lot to this movie, and audiences will be able to familiarise themselves with him in this year's DC League of Super-Pets.

4. Cat Grant

Cat Grant made her presence felt in the Supergirl TV show a few years back, but it’s worth noting that the version there was very different to her comic book counterpart. As a result, she could very easily also make her presence felt on the big screen.

The head of the Entertainment and Arts section of the Daily Planet, Cat is extremely flirty and sexual, and just so happens to have a thing for Clark Kent. Extremely provocative, she doesn’t hesitate to flaunt her newly augmented breasts in front of the reporter and the two even dated for a short time before he realised that Lois was the one he should be with.

Throwing this sort of spanner into their relationship would be a lot different to what we’re used to seeing in these movies, while Cat’s tragic past could also come into play.

3. Pete Ross

Man of Steel revealed that Pete Ross bullied Clark Kent as a youngster, but later seemed to confirm that he realised his childhood foe and Superman might actually be one and the same.

Exploring that in a sequel isn't exactly a must, but it's an idea with some potential. If Jesse Eisenberg were to return as Lex Luthor - and run for President - then Pete could be his Vice President, secretly doing what he can to ensure Superman is treated fairly by the new U.S. regime.

Throw in his ties to Lana Lang, and adding Pete to the mix could shake up Clark's personal life in a number of intriguing ways. There are plenty of comic books to take inspiration from, anyway.

2. Supergirl

A prequel comic for Man of Steel revealed that Supergirl actually arrived on Earth thousands of years before Superman in that crashed ship he discovered, which massively complicates her introduction in a future movie (despite theories she may have been the first Amazonian which didn't pan out).

The studio is unlikely to be beholden to a piece of barely seen tie-in material like that, so we're guessing it will be The Flash that finds a way to bring her into the DCEU on a permanent basis.

While there have been rumblings that the plan is for that movie to replace Superman with his cousin, we'd really hope that's not the case as it would be a real missed opportunity not to have these characters interact on screen. There's room for both, and Supergirl could easily receive equal billing in a future team-up movie of some sort.

1. Jimmy Olsen

Jimmy Olsen being left out of Man of Steel was a surprise, so adding Clark Kent’s best friend – and Superman’s close ally – to these movies is a must. Of course, we did meet "Jimmy" in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice where he was portrayed as a C.I.A. agent who, uh, got shot in the head.

Luckily, it wouldn't be remotely difficult for a sequel to explain that the man who died there was just posing as the real Jimmy, and that opens the door to a future movie exploring this friendship.

Superman definitely needs some levity in his future big screen adventures (that was the best part of Zack Snyder's reshoots), and this intrepid photographer could help with that in a huge way.

MAN OF STEEL Director Zack Snyder Says Superman Would Be Fake If He Hadn't Killed General Zod

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62 Comments

1 2

GhostDog - 6/6/2022, 12:09 PM

Seen this list about 20 times already

GeneralZod - 6/6/2022, 12:16 PM

Another stroke of Synder genius: the execution of Jimmy Olsen after introducing the character for a few minutes.

regularmovieguy - 6/6/2022, 12:18 PM

@GeneralZod

It was all part of the Snyder blueprint.

GhostDog - 6/6/2022, 12:31 PM

@GeneralZod - the epitome of an edgelord moment

QuietStorm - 6/6/2022, 12:17 PM

How bout they bring Brainiac back and move the story forward?!

HeavyMetal4Life - 6/6/2022, 12:18 PM

To be very honest, we have a perfect Superman offering right now with Superman & Lois, so a Man of Steel 2 doesn't excite me at all (especially since the first one was a very average film).

RichardGrayson - 6/6/2022, 12:28 PM

Lana Lang can [frick] right off. She was the worst part of Smallville and now she’s the worst part of Superman & Lois too. The rest of the list is good.

Ha1frican - 6/6/2022, 12:33 PM

I think Braniac, Supergirl, and the lost city of Kandor would be a slam dunk obvious choice for the next story if it was a continuation

MediaMan - 6/6/2022, 12:53 PM

@Ha1frican - Bingo! Kandor! You beat me to it! 👍

THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - 6/6/2022, 12:34 PM

"We still don't know what the plan for the original Superman is in the DCEU, but when a Man of Steel sequel does finally happen..."

You don't know if Man of Steel 2 is going to happen but it's going to happen?

GarthRanzz - 6/6/2022, 7:57 PM

@THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - A lot of rumors are saying Discovery is shutting down any Superman project that doesnt star Cavill. These are rumors so take it for what its worth, but with those rumors this article makes sense.

99OPTIMISTPRIME - 6/6/2022, 12:38 PM

Superspecialawesomeguy - 6/6/2022, 12:55 PM

Yeaah I still think that it would be a much better idea for WB to just reboot completely; I recently saw on social media the idea of August Butler (of recent Elvis fame) as Lex Luthor, even with a photoshopped bald head and how he'd do great in a Superman (played by David Corenswet imo) reboot.

GhostDog - 6/6/2022, 12:59 PM

@Superspecialawesomeguy - Damn! Butler looks like Rosenbaum a bit.

Would make for a great young Lex

1 2

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SUPERMAN: 10 Supporting Characters We Have To See If And When MAN OF STEEL 2 Finally Happens

We still don't know what the plan for the original Superman is in the DCEU, but when a Man of Steel sequel does finally happen, these are the supporting characters we need to see alongside Henry Cavill...

10. Steel

9. Sam Lane

8. Lana Lang

7. Maggie Sawyer

6. Superboy

5. Krypto

4. Cat Grant

3. Pete Ross

2. Supergirl

1. Jimmy Olsen

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