James Gunn Shoots Down Superman: Legacy Cast Criticism Perfectly

James Gunn comes up with a perfect analogy to explain why Superman: Legacy’s large cast of heroes won’t be a problem for the DC Universe film.

SUMMARY

Gunn addresses concerns about Superman: Legacy’s large cast, comparing it to 40-Year-Old Virgin and questioning if Steve Carell got enough screen time.
The reason for the big cast is to establish a lived-in DC Universe.
With many DC characters, including Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, and Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, Superman: Legacy will kickstart the new DC Universe.

James Gunn shoots down Superman: Legacy cast concerns by using a perfect analogy. Gunn’s Superman: Legacy will be the first movie of the new DC Universe, introducing David Corenswet’s Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane. Lois and Clark might be the movie’s main characters, but there will be an entire host of iconic DC characters, including multiple heroes, when Superman: Legacy arrives in theaters in 2025.

On Threads, Gunn addressed a fan’s concern that Superman: Legacy‘s large cast could impact Corenswet’s screen time as Superman.

Gunn thinks there is no need for that fear, comparing Superman: Legacy to another film with a large cast, saying, “There are less characters than in 40-Year-Old Virgin. Did you think Steve Carell got enough time?” While the two movies couldn’t be more different, Gunn’s analogy hits the point home. Besides, Superman: Legacy needs to feature many DC characters for an important reason.

Why Superman: Legacy’s Cast is So Big

Besides Corenswet’s Clark Kent and Brosnahan’s Lois Lane, four more roles have been cast to bolster Superman: Legacy‘s cast. There are at least four other heroes of the new DC Universe in the movie, including Nathan Fillion as the Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, and Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho.

There is an important reason why there have been so many DC heroes announced for Superman: Legacy, with more possibly to be announced after the SAG-AFTRA strike is over. Gunn previously addressed concerns that with so many heroes in the movie, Superman: Legacy would lose focus of Clark Kent. As he does now, Gunn shot down that idea, revealing that the movie will be “entering a world where superheroes exist and have existed for quite a while.” They are part of Superman’s life, while Lois and Jimmy Olsen are part of Clark’s life.

With Superman: Legacy set to reveal that the Man of Steel exists in a lived-in DC Universe, it is necessary to show other heroes to cement that. Superman: Legacy introducing other heroes also helps the DCU avoid an issue that was present in the MCU and the DCEU, with both of the other universes later revealing that heroes had already existed during major events like Marvel’s Battle of New York in The Avengers or DC’s Battle of Metropolis in Man of Steel but were hidden or missing at the time. That way, Superman: Legacy is set to start the new DC Universe with a bang.