The Superman trailer has been released and it is absolutely glorious. It showed us that its 2025 release can’t come soon enough. David Corenswet has already made fans across the world excited for his take on the Man of Steel, while Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult have done the same with their takes on Lois Lane and Lex Luthor.
Of course, audiences are waiting to see those iconic three characters on the screen again, but the trailer revealed some of the other characters that will appear in the movie too like Guy Gardner, Metamorpho, and Hawk Girl.
Many people who will go and see Superman in theaters won’t have read comic books regularly or know the history. They aren’t aware that Krypto (the goodest dog in DC Comics) debuted in Adventure Comics No. 210 or how The Engineer, Angela Spica (played by María Gabriela de Faría) has multiple first appearances due to changes in her character and the DC Universe.
This article will break down the important characters in Superman, what comics they debuted in, and briefly talk about what happened in the issue. Let’s begin with a personal favorite character and actor.
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Guy Gardner
First appearance: Green Lantern No. 59 (1968)
Guy Gardner’s first appearance was more of a “What if…” scenario. Hal Jordan saw what would have happened if Abin Sur had given Guy Gardner the Green Lantern Ring instead of him. Eventually, Hal becomes a Green Lantern after Guy dies of the yellow plague and passes the ring to him. Even in Guy’s first appearance, it’s still all about Hal Jordan.
Nathan Fillion’s appearance in the Superman trailer has become a bit of a phenomenon, with fans pointing out the surprisingly comic-accurate hairstyle.
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Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders)
First appearance: JSA Secret Files No. 1 (1999)
Kendra Saunders’ first appearance came out of nowhere. With no time to prepare, her grandfather tells her to “get the wings” and she flies into action.
Kendra Saunders’ backstory has changed slightly in Hawkgirl written by Jadzia Axelrod (art by Amancay Nahuelpan). It’s unclear which version of the character we’re getting in Superman, but this writer hopes it’s the latter. There’s a lot of depth to Hawkgirl and it would be great to see it on-screen.
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Metamorpho
First appearance: Brave and the Bold No. 57 (1965, allegedly)
Normally, you can go to DC Infiniteto see when your favorite DC comic book characters made their debut. In this case, though, I couldn’t. DC Infinite skips Brave and the Bold Nos. 50-53 and 55-59. That unfortunately means you can’t read Metamorphos debut there. That said, he did seemingly make his debut in issue No. 57 of the run.
Anthony Carrigan will bring him to the big screen in Superman. The actor is no stranger to DC Comics, having played Victor Zsasz in Gotham and The Mist in The Flash.
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Rick Flag Sr.
First appearance: Secret Origins No. 14 (1987)
Of course, Rick Flag Sr. made his first appearance in a comic book highlighting the origin of the Suicide Squad. In this issue, Flag fights an insubordinate soldier who learns that you need to back up smart talk. And while he wasn’t the most popular leader, he kept his guys alive during the war.
Frank Grillo made his debut as the character by voicing him in Creature Commandos. Now, he gets to play him in live-action.
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Mr. Terrific (Michael Holt)
First appearance: The Spectre No. 54 (1997)
It’s funny that a man of science would first appear in a supernatural comic book starring the Spectre. However, writer John Ostrander connects it well with Michael Holt’s origin being tied to his future nemesis the original Mister Terrific, Terry Sloane.
Mister Terrific made his live-action debut on The CW’s Arrow but now he makes his big screen debut in Superman, which will definitely introduce him to his biggest audience yet. We can’t wait to see Edi Gathegi bring him to life.
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Supergirl / Kara Zor-El
First appearance: Action Comics No. 252 (1959)
Milly Alcock is set to bring the Girl of Steel to life in 2026’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow but she is expected to cameo in Superman before that.
Kara Zor-El stepped onto the scene already in her Supergirl outfit when she made her DC Comics debut back in 1959. Superman was surprised to see someone dressed like him and invulnerable. He was even more shocked that she was from Krypton and his cousin.
After a trip to the wig store, Superman leaves Kara at the Midvale Orphanage and helps her craft a new identity. While there, she learns that her abilities are like her cousin, Superman.
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Perry White
First comic book appearance: Superman No. 7 (1940)
While Perry White made his first appearance on The Adventures of Superman Clark Kent, Reporter radio show. His comic book debut was in Superman No. 7 and not Action Comics. His character was somewhat the same then except writers have made sure he’s evolved with the time.
Wendell Pierce brings him back to the big screen, and we can’t wait to see what kind of role he plays. If you read the comics, you’ll know Perry is important to the Daily Planet dynamics.
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Jimmy Olsen
First appearance: Action Comics No. 6 (1938)
There isn’t much to say about Jimmy Olsen’s first appearance. He overheard something in Perry White’s office and told Lois about it. But it should be noted that he didn’t always have red hair. He was originally blonde. The color change was simple, but it helped take away the “gee golliness” of him in future comics.
Jimmy has become more integral to the comics since his debut, but that doesn’t change the fact that his debut was pretty history-making in and of itself. Because of that, Superman has a best friend today. Here’s hoping we see that and more when Skyler Gisondo plays him in James Gunn’s upcoming film.
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Lex Luthor
First appearance: Action Comics No. 23 in 1940
Lex Luthor was enigmatic at first. It wasn’t until Clark Kent uncovered his secret that he was first exposed. Luthor was always an evil jerk who used his vast wealth (or access to it) to get his way. And, fun fact, he wasn’t always bald. He originally had red hair.
The character made his comic book debut all the way back in 1940, making him one of DC Comics’ oldest supervillains. The fact that he’s still causing the Man of Steel problems nearly a century later really does highlight his enduring appeal as a villain. Now, Nicholas Hoult gets to introduce him to a whole new generation.
Superman and Lois Lane
First appearance: Action Comics No. 1 (1938)
Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound (because he couldn’t fly yet)… IT’S SUPERMAN!
Superman debuted in Action Comics No. 1 with Lois Lane BACK IN 1938. In this issue, the Man of Steel stops criminals and saves Lois Lane – two things that he has continued to do in the years since. However, the people also forget that Lois fearlessly went after a story that could have killed her. It makes the beginning of their iconic relationship make a lot of sense.
James Gunn’s Superman will simply be the newest chapter in their iconic ongoing story.
Will you see Superman in theaters? What did you think of the trailer? Let us know on the Bam Smack Pow Bluesky, Instagram, and Twitter.
Superman’s first trailer left viewers speechless with help from the variety of DC Comics characters that appeared. Here’s when they all made their DC debuts. Read More