It has been announced! Actor David Corenswet will officially take up the role of Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman in James Gunn’s upcoming film “Superman: Legacy”. After the bombshell announcement that Henry Cavill was being dropped from the role, the DC Universe (DCU) fandom was left in a tailspin. We speculated that Gunn might be recasting the role to Tyler Hoechlin from “Superman & Lois”. Then we heard interesting news about how James Gunn’s film would take the character in a whole new direction. Though, he did confirm that his film would most definitely not be an origin story. Now that we finally got our hands on the new guy, we can break down what fans can expect to see with his character based on the actor’s history and more info from Gunn.
With “The Flash” bringing about a new era to the DCU, it’s time we meet our new Man of Steel, and see how he’ll compare to the old one. Let’s get into it!
Lois Lane Takes the Lead
Based on his performance as Jack Castello in his Netflix show “Hollywood”, we know that the man can definitely play the naive hopeful looking to make his mark on the world. He’s got that small-town charm about him that screams Clark Kent. The most insane feature of his is how much he resembles Henry Cavill in both face and body. It’s as if he’s a younger, American version of the actor. As DCU fans ourselves, we have got to say that we have high hopes for Corenswet. We think he has the talent and the heart to carry the role. That being said, “Superman: Legacy” won’t be entirely focused on the Man of Steel.
Based on reports, the film will follow his early years at Metropolis’ premier news publication, The Daily Planet. There he’ll learn the ropes and try to figure out how to be a great reporter. His co-worker and mentor will be the one and only Lois Lane! The dynamic of Lois Lane being the sharp-tongued reporter while Clark follows her around has been well established in TV shows like “Superman: The Animated Series” but that relationship has yet to be shown on the big screen. Most of the time, Lois is already in the loop with regard to Superman’s identity and playing the damsel in distress.
This time though, we’re getting a Lois Lane that’s more confident and interesting. Lois Lane will be played by Rachel Brosnahan who brilliantly played Miriam “Midge” Maisel in Amazon’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”. Seriously, if you haven’t checked it out yet, you should. You’ll fall in love with Brosnahan as the cynical, down-on-her-luck stand-up comedian.
We can’t wait to see the chemistry between both Corenswet’s Clark Kent and Brosnahan’s Lois Lane. Just imagine the banter between them as she tries to dispel his wide-eyed notions of truth and justice before being eventually won over. If James Gunn is great at anything, it’s comedy. So expect to see a lot of fun, cheeky chats between the two of them in the film.
The Villain is an Apex Predator
Here’s what we can certainly confirm: the main villain of the film will not be Zod. As of now, there have been mere rumours swirling around who the possible villain for “Superman: Legacy” could be. The only clue we have is the production name for the main antagonist, “Apex”. Word fact: the word apex is a noun to describe the very highest of something. Therefore, the foe Superman will face is someone who represents the very pinnacle of brain or brawn. And before you ask: no, it’s probably not Darkseid.
While it’s no secret that Superman has faced off against a ton of alien tyrants and superhuman foes in the past, we don’t think Gunn would just throw someone like Metallo, Parasite or Mongul against him. The clue is in what co-CEO of DC Studios and film producer Peter Safran said about the film: “It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old-fashioned.”
The film will see him go on a journey to reconcile incredible Kryptonian powers with his desire to do good in the world. Therefore, this villain will no doubt be somebody who believes that might, physically, mentally or both, makes right. The best candidate right now to challenge Superman’s sense of justice and to test him would be (and it’s a boring answer) Lex Luthor.
If the film is about Superman learning to fit in with the humans of Metropolis, who among them represents the top of the food chain? Lex Luthor. Also, throughout DC history, The Daily Planet’s Lois Lane has always tried to hold Lex Luthor accountable for his actions in Metropolis. If this is a Clark-and-Lois-centered story, it makes sense to have Luthor be the big villain. Both of them could uncover some sort of secret plot that could endanger Metropolis. However, the biggest indicator that Luthor could be the villain of the film is in the clue “Apex”.
During an issue of 2018’s “Justice League” run, Luthor was transformed by a multiversal, celestial being called Perpetua into a Martian-human hybrid, similar to Perpetua’s minions called Apex Predators. In the comics, he’s even literally referenced as Apex Lex! Coincidence? We think not! Now, we don’t think there’s going to be any sort of wild introductions of magic multiversal deities anytime soon into the DCU. That being said, the term “Apex” has only ever been officially associated with the character of Lex Luthor in DC comics and we know James Gunn is a major DC nerd. So there you have it!
What do you guys think about David Corenswet as the new Superman? Are you excited to see Rachel Brosnahan’s take on Lois Lane? Do you think Lex Luthor will be in “Superman: Legacy”? Be sure to let us know in the comments on our socials!
