Every Superhero And Villain In The Superman Trailer Explained

James Gunn has finally dropped the epic first teaser trailer for "Superman," and fans couldn't be more excited to see the Man of Steel back on the silver screen. Numerous heroes and villains appear, and in the background is a remake of the John Williams score from 1978's "Superman: The Movie." It's a glorious return for the Last Son of Krypton, and it looks like he's in for a fight. While there are recognizable characters like Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), Jonathan Kent (Pruitt Taylor Vince), and others, not all of them are easy to identify.

Granted, superfans who've been reading the comics for years might recognize most of the folks who appear in the trailer, but the casual Superman or DC fan might not know everyone. Doubtless, more will be revealed when further trailers are released, but a lot is covered in the teaser, which opens with Superman (David Corenswet) lying bloody in a crater and really picks up when Krypto comes to the rescue.

In addition to the Dog of Steel, we see Clark Kent and the Daily Planet, as well as Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) and several superheroes. Gunn is all about connecting characters between projects; he did it with the "Guardians of the Galaxy" films for the MCU, and he's doing it for the DCEU, so expect to see all kinds of good and bad guys when the film is released. For now, here's each superhero and villain that appears in the first teaser for "Superman."

The teaser opens with Superman crashing down into the snow in a manner familiar to "Dragon Ball Z" fans, seemingly landing near his Fortress of Solitude. As blood drips from his mouth and pools in the icy powder, it's not looking good for the Last Son of Krypton. But if there's one thing that is true of Superman, it's that he doesn't give up. With a super whistle, he calls Krypto, who comes tearing through the snow to find his friend.

Superman hands the dog his cape and tells Krypto to pull him home. The rest of the trailer shows glimpses of what Clark Kent and Superman might get up to in the movie. As Clark, David Corenswet's hair looks very different from Superman's, further separating him from his superhero alter ego. He has a few scenes in and around the Daily Planet, mostly alongside Lois Lane. It's obvious that the two are already in a relationship, though it's unclear if Lois knows the truth about Superman's identity.

It seems likely that she does, though, as "Superman" begins long after Superman's debut. Other scenes show Superman fighting a variety of characters, and we also see his allies. This film isn't short on superheroes, as the trailer shows several. Not much is known about the film's plot, but given Corenswet's age and how he's presented, it's likely Clark is in his mid-20s and is trying to sort out who he is in the world.

For those who are more familiar with the movies than Superman's comics, it might seem odd to learn that he has a superpowered, cape-wearing pup named Krypto the Superdog. The character debuted in 1955's "Adventure Comics" #210, so he'll have been around for 70 years by the time the movie is released. While Krypto has appeared in animated form and on live-action television, James Gunn's "Superman" is the first live-action feature film to star the character.

Gunn has a penchant for using animals in his superhero movies. They're typically animated via CGI, and from the teaser, it appears that's true of Krypto in "Superman." While it's fairly obvious that he's animated, it's hard to argue the super pet doesn't look amazingly lifelike. In the comics, and now the film, Krypto has superpowers similar to Superman's. This is because, while he looks like a white dog, like his master, he's from Krypton.

In most of his early depictions, Krypto had the same set of superpowers as Superman, and though he wasn't as strong or as fast, he had superpowered senses and was about as smart as a human. Some of these aspects have changed over the decades, and the character has also looked like several dog breeds over the years, but Gunn based this interpretation on his dog Ozu, who he adopted shortly after he began working on the movie. Ozu actually inspired Gunn to add Krypto, who wasn't initially in the script.

There have been many Green Lanterns over the years, going back to the first in 1940. Modern Green Lanterns are different, and there are tons of them. Located within Space Sector 2814, Earth is under the protection of Hal Jordan (remember the Ryan Reynolds movie?), but he's not alone. Other humans have received Green Lantern rings, including Guy Gardner. Nathan Fillion plays this Green Lantern in "Superman," and, well, he may look a bit odd to his fans.

Fillion has a terrible bowl cut and barely looks like himself, but he looks exactly like Gardner in the comics, hair and all. Guy is vastly different from the other Earth-based Green Lanterns due to his incredibly egocentric and arrogant demeanor. Green Lantern rings are powered by a person's will, and Gardner has it in spades, making him one of the greatest Green Lanterns in Corps history. Still, he can be challenging to work with at times, but he may be on Team Superman in the film.

He's shown briefly, entering a building surrounded by civilians. Superman is upset and off to the side, so Gardner uses his ring to obscure the windows, seemingly giving the superpowered folks a little privacy. As for Gardner's favorite types of constructs, there are many. He's been known to create hockey sticks, giant boots, a cosmic motorcycle he enjoys riding, a monster truck, and more. He's limited only by his imagination and his incredibly strong will.

Mister Terrific is another character many outside the comics fandom might not recognize. There was a Golden Age hero called Mister Terrific, but the one featured in the film is Michael Holt, who was introduced in 1997's "Spectre" #54. Played by Edi Gathegi, the hero is instantly recognizable thanks to the large "T" emblazoned across his face.

A relatively new character, this Mister Terrific wasn't initially superpowered and was instead more of a street-level hero who used his physical abilities and know-how to fight the bad guys. He's since gained the ability to become invisible to technology, but his primary "power" is that he's über-intelligent. He created the T-Spheres, which are kind of like floating deus ex machina-esque orbs that he controls and uses to perform a variety of tasks. Some of Mister Terrific's other powers and abilities include flight, force field generation, the ability to sense danger, and invisibility, among others.

Mister Terrific progressed from street-level to international superhero, which is how he appears to be represented in the teaser, though he doesn't do much in the "Superman" teaser. One notable moment comes toward the end of the footage — Mister Terrific is surrounded by bad guys, casually standing there and letting them expend their ammunition while some sort of half-dome forcefield surrounds him and a person he's protecting. Floating above that force field are what appear to be three T-spheres, so it's likely that they play a large role in the movie.

Alexander "Lex" Luthor is the OG villain from Superman's long history of publication and adaptations. He first appeared in "Action Comics" #23 in 1940, so he's been around for a long time. Luthor is Superman's nemesis, though their rivalry leans more toward Lex's side, as he's the one who has a problem with the Man of Steel. While Superman has tried to work with Luthor on multiple occasions, he always reverts to his villainous nature in the end.

Nicholas Hoult plays Lex in "Superman," and he truly looks the part in the teaser. Like his comic book counterpart, Hoult is completely bald in the film. This makes the young actor look more menacing, which is arguably the point. In the teaser, Lex appears several times, including one scene where he's holding a gun while admiring it or looking at something off-camera. Another scene shows him inside the Luthorcorp building, spinning around angrily as Superman flies by.

Outside of a few minor hints, James Gunn and everyone involved have remained tight-lipped about the story the film will explore. It's unclear exactly what Lex's role is, but from the teaser, it seems certain that he's either the big bad or one of several antagonists. Lex may even be responsible for whatever happened to make Superman fall as a bloody mess in the opening scene of the teaser. Lex typically likes to pull strings over getting his hands dirty, but he's not unwilling to take the fight to his Kryptonian adversary.

Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) and her counterpart, Hawkman, have been around since the Golden Age of comics, and they've changed a lot over the decades. Because of this, their origin story tends to be a bit messy, but things have stabilized in recent years, and it looks like the Hawkgirl featured in the "Superman" teaser is Kendra Saunders, the latest version of the character. This Hawkgirl first appeared in "JSA: Secret Files" #1 in 1999, so she's relatively new to the superhero game.

Saunders became a superhero after dying and having her body possessed by the spirit of the Golden Age Hawkgirl. She uses her namesake's equipment and becomes the new Hawkgirl, though the original, Shiera Sanders Hall, eventually left Kendra body and went on to the afterlife. In the teaser, there's a scene where you can see her flying down through the city as she wields her Nth metal mace, which is what gives her super strength.

This is the only scene featuring Hawkgirl in action, so it's unclear how she will be presented throughout the film. During an interview with Young, Bold, and Regal, Merced was asked to describe working on "Superman," and she said, "Playful. It was super fun every day. When I came to set, it was like, 'Oh, am I flying from wires now? Am I doing a scene with Superman today?' It's just super cool every day ... so exciting!" She didn't share any details, but it's clear Merced enjoyed becoming a DC superhero.

Ultraman is another character who might not be familiar to non-comic book readers, but he's been around for a while. Ultraman is the Superman from Earth-Three, and he's absolutely evil. The antithesis of the Superman we all know and love, everything in his world is backward; for example, the Justice League of America is known as the Crime Syndicate of America on Earth-Three.

The character has been around since 1960's "Superman Supacomic" #14, and he's gone through some changes since then. While several so-called "scoopers" have reported that Ultraman will be the film's big bad, director James Gunn has identified Lex Luthor for that role. There's no way to tell what kind of character he is in the film, other than the fact that he's fighting Superman and wears a costume that is vastly different from any outfit he's worn in the comics.

In the comics, Ultraman is typically shown wearing a costume similar to Superman's. However, instead of the Man of Steel's S-shaped emblem, he has a large "U" emblazoned on his chest. While we don't see Ultraman's face or even his front in the trailer, when comparing the set pics that leaked to the new footage, it's clear the person fighting Superman in the stadium is the same one as in the photos. Of course, if Ultraman is anything like his comic book counterpart, David Corenswet would likely play him.

In the teaser, there's a moment where Superman is inside the Fortress of Solitude, holding the hand of a broken robot. From the image, it's clear that the robot means something to the Man of Steel — it's obviously more than the Kryptonian version of a Roomba. While there are many robots featured throughout Superman's history in print and elsewhere, there's only one that this could be: Kelex.

In the comics, Kelex is Superman's robotic servant who takes care of things at the Fortress, but he's more than that. Kelex first appeared in "History of the DC Universe" #1, published in 1986. They initially belonged to Superman's father, Jor-El, and he arrived on Earth alongside Kal-El. In short, Kelex has been around for a while, though he's been destroyed and rebuilt a time or two. In one story, Lex Luthor destroys Kelex, so there's a chance that story arc may play out in Gunn's "Superman."

Superman has an emotional attachment to Kelex, stemming from the robot's connection to his late father. Kelex has appeared in various TV series, animated films, and video games, but has never been a major character in Superman's non-comic stories. While the destroyed robot's relationship to Superman has not yet been revealed, Superman clearly cares for it. If this truly is Kelex, the robot's destruction would sever one of the few significant connections Superman has to Krypton.

Another character from the teaser that few may recognize is Metamorpho, the Night King-looking superhero who we see briefly in a close-up. Metamorpho is an unusual character, as his superpowers include the ability to change himself into any element on the periodic table. He first appeared in 1965's "The Brave and the Bold" #57, which introduced the world to Rex Mason when he was given superpowers via an accident that occurred as the result of his villainous boss' machinations.

Anthony Carrigan plays the character in "Superman," but you wouldn't know it from his brief appearance in the teaser. As we see here, the comic book version of Metamorpho typically has a grey face, but it's the orange and purple shoulders that really give his identity away in the teaser footage.

Metamorpho's powers are nearly as malleable as his body, which he can shapeshift in addition to taking on different elements' attributes. He can turn his arm into iron and use it as a hammer, or he can turn parts of his body into pure Kryptonite. Of course, the latter element isn't found on Earth's periodic table, but Metamorpho can typically transmute his body into any element he encounters. Granted, he likely wouldn't do this under normal circumstances, and he'll most likely be a hero in the film and not a villain, but he has crossed that line multiple times over the years.

In the teaser for "Superman: Legacy," there's a giant dragon-like kaiju tearing apart a city that's most likely Metropolis. In the scene, the beast is facing Superman and breathing a large stream of fire that extends for around 150 feet or so. The massive monster's fiery discharge envelops the hero, but if you know anything about the Man of Steel, you know that this is little more than a minor annoyance to him. Fire can't harm Superman (unless it's magical in nature), and all he would care about at this moment is getting the monster away from innocent people.

It's clear from the teaser that this kaiju isn't a friendly creature, so it's probably unleashed on the titular hero by the film's big bad. That said, it doesn't appear to be directly influenced by a specific DC Comics character, even though the DC Universe does have plenty of gigantic monsters spread throughout its publication history, a number of which have even fought Superman himself. However, it's more likely that director James Gunn has created this creature for the film, though it is possible he took inspiration from an unknown character or characters.

Another character confirmed to appear in "Superman" is the Engineer, played by María Gabriela De Faría. That said, if you don't recall seeing her in the teaser trailer, there's a good reason; you'd need a magnifying glass to catch her — if she's even truly in the footage at all. In the shot of the Luthorcorp building, there's a person standing beneath the "R" atop the glass walkway connecting the two buildings that fans believe to be the DC character. She moves, but only slightly, so if you look closely, you can just make her out.

The Engineer is another relatively recent addition to the DC Comics universe, as she first appeared in 1999's "The Authority" #1. Angie Spica, one of the most intelligent people in the DC Universe, injected herself with a solution of nano-technological robots that replaced her blood. Instead of killing her, she was transformed into a techno-organic being with great powers. Some of her abilities include flight, force field generation, invulnerability, and time travel.

Though she's typically a hero in the comics, it's been confirmed that the Engineer is a villain in the film, but it's unclear if she's the one in charge. She could be working with or for Lex Luthor, another incredibly intelligent character, or she could be hatching her own plan against the Man of Steel. At this point, that remains to be seen, but "Superman" will include a plethora of powerful players, and the Engineer can count herself among the most dangerous.