With Henry Cavill no longer set to play Superman, the Man of Steel sequel fans spent nearly a decade dreaming about will never happen. Instead, DC Studios is moving forward with Superman: Legacy, a movie written by James Gunn that focuses on a younger version of Clark Kent in Metropolis.
Very little is known about the reboot, though it has been confirmed that the story is inspired by Grant Morrison's All-Star Superman. We've also learned that this Man of Tomorrow will be roughly 25 years old, with the hope being that a youthful take on the character will put a much-needed fresh spin on the franchise.
We're obviously well aware that you all have some thoughts on which villain Superman should face when he returns to the big screen in 2025, but in this feature, we're focusing on the supporting characters we'd like to see flesh out this corner of the DCU...and there are some definite game-changers here.
Take a look through our top picks by clicking on the "Next" button below!
8. Sam Lane
In case it wasn’t already obvious from the name, General Sam Lane is the father of Lois Lane. While he's been part of Superman & Lois as an ally to his son-in-law, we'd like to see a more antagonistic dynamic in the new DCU.
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 on the page, mostly due to him coming 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 would give this reboot a fresh feel.
7. 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 someone who has been inspired by the Man of Steel’s heroic actions. Alternatively, John Henry Irons could be introduced and established here, setting the stage for him to suit up down the line.
"The New 52" comics portrayed him as being under the employ of General Sam Lane, with his armoured suit designed to take down Superman. However, he quickly realised the error of his ways and stole it to help the hero fight Brainiac, a villain we'd love to see take centre stage in Legacy.
6. 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 unlikely to be a priority for DC Studios, 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 budding relationship with Lois to the test.
5. 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 not a concept we're overly keen to see revisited in the DCU a couple of years from now.
It would be a nice change of pace for Superman's 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.
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, it would be no bad thing as the DCU can make better use of Kate Kane than The CW ever did.
4. Krypto
Gunn has made his love of Krypto clear on multiple occasions and strongly hinted that the powerful pooch will be a big part of the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow movie.
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 gives Clark Kent a solid connection to his home, and how better to establish the DCU as something totally different than having Supes joined in battle by his superpowered pet?
As a supporting character, Krypto could bring a lot to this movie, and audiences have already familiarised themselves with him after last year's DC League of Super-Pets. This would also go some way in laying the groundwork for the Supergirl movie.
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.
Like a lot of plot threads, Zack Snyder never followed up on that, but this reboot could establish an interesting dynamic between the two characters. If, in this world, Lex Luthor is already President of the United States, Pete can 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
Despite a prequel comic for Man of Steel revealing that Supergirl actually arrived on Earth thousands of years before Superman in that crashed ship he discovered, it doesn't appear Snyder ever had any serious plans to introduce Kal-El's cousin.
While the hero is set to appear in an altered timeline in The Flash, we don't anticipate Sasha Calle playing the character in the DCU moving forward (unless she's so good in that movie, DC Studios is left with no other choice than to bring her back).
While Superman: Legacy shouldn't devote too much time to Supergirl, it would be no bad thing to introduce the character here in order to better set the stage for her planned solo movie. Heck, she could even show up to offer to look after Krypto, perfectly teeing up the events of Woman of Tomorrow.
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.
That did not sit well with fans and probably wasn't the cute Easter Egg Snyder imagined for a character he had no plans of making a major part of his DCEU.
Jimmy should absolutely factor into Legacy, though, and as more than Superman's best pal. We'd like him to be given a meaty role in this story, every bit as important to the events playing out on screen as Clark Kent and Lois Lane.