“Superman: Legacy” kicks off the new DCU on July 11, 2025. Will superhero movies still be a craze by then? We’ll see, but THR reports that DC Studios co-head James Gunn took to Threads to discuss his upcoming film. And one of Gunn’s first orders of business was to address fan concerns that he’d cast too many people in “Superman: Legacy.” His response? At least these characters won’t be like the cameos that currently inundate superhero movies, something Gunn can’t stand.
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“The whole point was it’s NOT a large film — I mean, not in terms of cast,” Gunn wrote. “It’s normal for single protagonist films to have other characters — much more unusual for them not to.” Then Gunn took a shot at an MCU favorite: a superhero showing up in something for no better reason than to simply appear. “I call that ‘Cameo Porn’ and it has been one of the worst elements of recent superhero films,” he continued. “If a character is in film, they have to have a reason to be there story-wise.”
So “Superman: Legacy” likely won’t have those big meaningless cameo sequences like “Avengers: Endgame.” But it’s not like fans expected that anyways; Gunn’s film is the first movie in the first chapter of a whole new cinematic universe. But Gunn clarified his comments further. “I don’t mind actual cameos — if it’s a glimpse or a moment, an Easter egg,” he said. “What bothers me is when they mangle an elegant story by shoehorning characters in — they aren’t there because the story calls for it, but for some other reason.” Oh, so like the girlboss cameo during the climax of “Endgame,” got it.
But this is big talk for Gunn to make as 2023, the year of “superhero fatigue,” comes to a close. All of the DCEU films from this year did poorly critically and at the box office, with “Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom” looking to do similarly. And Marvel is fresh off its worst-ever showing in theaters with “The Marvels.” Will “Superman: Legacy” swoop in to save the genre, or is it Summer 2025 theatrical release coming too late in the game?
“Superman: Legacy” stars David Corenswet as Superman, with Rachel Brosnahan and Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, and Sara Sampai as Eve Teschmaker. But then there’s all of these other people in the cast, and, well, they look like cameos. Isabel Merced as Hawkgirl? That sounds like a cameo. Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner/Green Lantern? That also sounds cameo-esque. Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho and María Gabriela de Faría as Metamorpho and Engineer definitely sound like cameos. But maybe these superheroes do serve a critical purpose in “Superman: Legacy,” even if their names aren’t in the title.
It’s too early to tell what James Gunn has in mind with “Superman: Legacy,” but let’s check back on these comments in 18 months and see how they measure up to the reality.
