Superman is a 2025 American superhero film written and directed by James Gunn. Based on the DC Comics character Superman, it is the first film in the DC Universe (DCU) and a reboot of the Superman film series. David Corenswet stars as Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman, alongside Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, and Isabela Merced. In the film, Superman faces unintended consequences after he intervenes in an international conflict orchestrated by billionaire Lex Luthor (Hoult). Superman must win back public support with the help of his reporter and superhero colleagues. The film was produced by Gunn and Peter Safran of DC Studios.
Development on a sequel to the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film Man of Steel (2013) began by October 2014, with Henry Cavill set to return as Superman. Plans changed after the troubled production of Justice League (2017), and the Man of Steel sequel was no longer moving forward by May 2020. Gunn began work on a new Superman film around August 2022. In October, he became co-CEO of DC Studios with Safran, and they began work on a new DC Universe. Gunn was publicly revealed to be writing the film in December. The title Superman: Legacy was announced the next month; Gunn was confirmed to direct in March 2023; and Corenswet and Brosnahan (Lois Lane) were cast that June. The subtitle was dropped by the end of February 2024, when filming began in Svalbard, Norway. Production primarily took place at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, with location filming around Georgia and Ohio. Filming wrapped in July. Some of the film's major comic influences include All-Star Superman (2005–2008) by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely and also Superman: Birthright (2003–2004) by Mark Waid, Leinil Francis Yu and Gerry Alanguilan.
Superman premiered at the TCL Chinese Theater on July 7, 2025, and was released by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States on July 11. It is the first film in the DCU's Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. The film grossed $618.7million worldwide, making it the tenth highest-grossing film of 2025, and received mostly positive reviews. Critics found it to be fun, colorful, and earnest, although some felt it was overstuffed, while the performances of Corenswet, Brosnahan, and Hoult were praised. A follow-up film, Man of Tomorrow, is scheduled for release in 2027, in addition to two spin-off television series featuring supporting characters from the film: The People v. Gorilla Grodd starring Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen and another for Gathegi's Michael Holt / Mister Terrific.
Plot Clark Kent / Superman stops the nation of Boravia from invading the neighboring country of Jarhanpur and warns Boravian President Vasil Ghurkos to leave Jarhanpur alone. In Metropolis, Superman is defeated for the first time by a metahuman called the "Hammer of Boravia" and flees to his Fortress of Solitude in Antarctica with the help of the superpowered dog Krypto. They are followed by Angela Spica / The Engineer, an ally of tech billionaire Lex Luthor. Superman's robots use concentrated solar radiation to heal him and comfort Superman with a message from his birth parents, Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van, who sent him to Earth to save him from the destruction of their planet Krypton. The message was damaged during the journey, so only the first half can be played. Superman returns to Metropolis and is again beaten by the Hammer, who is secretly Luthor's metahuman Ultraman.
Superman agrees to be interviewed by Lois Lane, his girlfriend and reporter colleague at the Daily Planet, leading to an argument when Lois presses him on the legal and ethical implications of his actions in Boravia. Luthor unleashes a kaiju on Metropolis as a distraction while he infiltrates the Fortress with Ultraman and the Engineer. They overpower the robots, capture Krypto, and discover the Kryptonian message; the Engineer restores the damaged portion. Superman rescues civilians while fighting the kaiju with the "Justice Gang", a team composed of heroes Green Lantern, Mister Terrific, and Hawkgirl. Despite Superman wanting to take the creature alive, Mister Terrific kills it. Luthor broadcasts the Kryptonian message and Superman is shocked to hear the second half, in which his parents urge him to conquer Earth and take many wives to restore the Kryptonian race.
Public opinion turns against Superman, especially when he angrily confronts Luthor, looking for Krypto. Lois reassures Superman that she believes he is good, and he confesses his love for her before surrendering himself to the U.S. government. They hand him over to Luthor for detainment and questioning inside an artificial pocket universe where Luthor secretly holds his enemies, including Krypto. Superman is imprisoned with the metahuman Metamorpho. Luthor uses Metamorpho's infant son Joey as leverage to force him to transmute one of his hands into Kryptonite, rendering Superman powerless. During questioning, Luthor murders one of Superman's supporters, Malik Ali. A horrified Metamorpho agrees to help Superman escape, and they free Joey and Krypto. Lois convinces Mister Terrific to help find Superman and they enter the pocket universe, rescuing the others. Lois takes Superman to recuperate with his adoptive human parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent. Jonathan tells the demoralized Superman that his choices and actions determine who he is, not the message from his birth parents.
Luthor's girlfriend Eve Teschmacher, who is infatuated with Daily Planet photographer Jimmy Olsen, provides him with evidence that Luthor is aiding Boravia in return for half of Jarhanpur's territory. Luthor imprisons her and lures Superman back to Metropolis by opening an unstable portal to the pocket universe, creating a rift in reality that splits the city in half. Superman sends Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Metamorpho to stop Boravia from invading Jarhanpur again. Hawkgirl kills Ghurkos and Green Lantern invites Metamorpho to join the Justice Gang. In Metropolis, Superman and Mister Terrific fight the Engineer and Ultraman. After Superman defeats the Engineer, he learns that Ultraman is a clone of himself created by Luthor. With Krypto's help, Superman defeats Ultraman and knocks him into a black hole beneath the rift. At Luthor's headquarters, Mister Terrific closes the rift. Luthor says he orchestrated the Jarhanpur conflict as an excuse to implicate Superman, driven by envy of his public admiration despite being an alien. Superman challenges his ideology, but Luthor remains defiant and is subdued by Krypto.
Lois and Jimmy expose Luthor's schemes to the public, clearing Superman's name. Luthor and his associates are arrested, and those trapped in his pocket universe, including Eve, are freed. Lois confesses that she loves Clark, too. As Superman recovers at the Fortress, his cousin Kara Zor-El drunkenly arrives to pick up Krypto. The robots comfort Superman with footage of his childhood on Earth with his human parents.
Cast
David Corenswet as Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman:A survivor from the destroyed planet Krypton who lives on Earth as a superhero. He maintains a separate identity at his day job, working as a journalist for the Daily Planet in Metropolis. Director James Gunn said Corenswet's Superman is around 25 years old, making him more established than Tom Welling's version from the CW series Smallville (2001–2011) but younger than Henry Cavill's version in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Producer Peter Safran described the film's take on the character for the DC Universe (DCU) as "the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way" and "kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old-fashioned". Gunn said Clark is becoming successful as both a journalist and a superhero in the film, but new elements in his life leave him unbalanced. These include being "madly in love" with his colleague Lois Lane and making friends with other superheroes who think he is naive. The film illustrates how these elements influence Clark's values and choices, which are flawed and lead him on a personal journey. Corenswet differentiated Clark's roles in his interactions with his parents, his job at the Daily Planet, and as Superman. He described Superman as a "public facing character" who wants to present himself as calm yet authoritative. Corenswet drew inspiration for Clark from the comic book All-Star Superman (2005–2008) by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely and the posture of Christopher Reeve's portrayal from the 1978–87 Superman film series. He was also inspired for Clark's voice and demeanor by his brother-in-law, whom he described as the "quietest, most wonderful man" despite his tall height and weighing 270 pounds, and described Clark as a "big presence" who is "desperately trying to be as small as possible and as quiet as possible". Gunn consulted DC Comics writer Tom King in relation to other characters' "suspension of disbelief" regarding Clark's dual identity, which was attributed to the use of hypnotic glasses to subtly distort his appearance. Gunn included this in the film, noting that it had "kind of been forgotten" from the comic book canon. Corenswet also portrays Ultraman, an armored clone of Superman created by Lex Luthor who masquerades as the "Hammer of Boravia" and is controlled via drones and voice prompts. Oliver Diego Silva portrays Clark at age two. Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane:A reporter for the Daily Planet who is a colleague of Clark, and "isn't so sure about him" and needs to be convinced about being in a relationship with him. Brosnahan described Lois as "fiercely intelligent" and feisty. She consulted with several journalists to help her portray Lois as a modern reporter. Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor:The CEO of LuthorCorp and the arch-nemesis of Superman, who hates Superman for having the power to do everything but not aligning with Luthor's own beliefs. Hoult described Luthor as obsessive, determined, and relentless, and wanted the character to feel like a credible threat to Superman. He has his end goal in sight and is motivated by a range of emotions, including a desire to be recognized for his scientific genius. Hoult was inspired by Michael Rosenbaum's Lex Luthor in Smallville and by billionaire Steve Jobs for Luthor's uniform, choosing to work out for the role based on the depiction of Luthor in All-Star Superman. Hoult's head was shaved by his son Joaquin in preparation for the role. Gunn took inspiration for the character from Brian Azzarello's limited comic book series Lex Luthor: Man of Steel (2005) as well as Jerry Siegel's "reckless scientific genius" version of Luthor in comic books from the 1950s and 1960s. Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt / Mister Terrific:A superhero and inventor who uses a variety of high-tech gadgets to fight crime, and is a member of the Justice Gang sponsored by Maxwell Lord. Gathegi described his character as an "atheist who believes in justice", and said Mister Terrific found meaning in "knowledge" after experiencing the death of his wife. Anthony Carrigan as Rex Mason / Metamorpho:An archaeologist and superhero who can "transmute elements in his body into various forms". He becomes a member of the Justice Gang. Carrigan said it was refreshing to play a superhero after previously portraying the Batman villain Victor Zsasz in the television series Gotham (2014–2019). He felt that he could bring some "authenticity and truth" to the role by comparing Metamorpho's concerns about his abilities to Carrigan's own alopecia.