Superman: Legacy Casts Three DC Heroes for James Gunn Reboot

James Gunn's Superman: Legacy has just cast three major DC heroes. On Tuesday, a report from Vanity Fair confirmed that Isabela Merced, Edi Gathegi, and Nathan Fillion have all joined the cast of Superman: Legacy in major roles. Merced, whose work includes Transformers: The Last Knight and the upcoming Sony/Marvel movie Madame Web, will be portraying a version of Hawkgirl. Gathegi, who starred in the Twilight films and in X-Men: First Class, will play Michael Holt / Mr. Terrific, a character who Gunn has repeatedly teased on his social media since taking the DC job. Fillion, who has already appeared in Firefly and in Gunn's The Suicide Squad as T.D.K., will be playing a Green Lantern, with the article suggesting it could be Guy Gardner.

Merced, Gathegi, and Fillion will join a Superman: Legacy cast that includes David Corenswet as Clark Kent / Superman, and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane.

Who Is DC's Hawkgirl?

DC has had multiple iterations of Hawkgirl, who first made her debut alongside Hawkman in the pages of Flash Comics #1. One iteration is Shiera Sanders Hall, the reincarnation of the Egyptian princess Chay-Ara, and the partner of Hawkman. In the Silver Age, the pair's canon was retconned into being cosmic police officers from the planet Thanagar, with Shiera now being known as Shayera Hol. Shayera later changed her superhero moniker to Hawkwoman in the 1980s, a name she has held in the years since.

The modern-day version of Hawkgirl is Kendra Saunders, who was created by James Robinson, David Goyer, and Scott Benefiel in JSA: Secret Files #1. Kendra was a a young Hispanic woman who became possessed by Shiera Hall after committing suicide, and who went on to reluctantly embrace her destiny as Hawkgirl, and still holds the mantle to this day. This will be the second time Hawkgirl is portrayed in live-action, after Ciara Renée played Kendra across The CW's Arrowverse of shows.

Who Is DC's Mr. Terrific?

The Mister Terrific mantle was originally held by Terry Sloane, a millionaire-turned-superhero who becomes a member of the Justice Society of America. He was subsequently succeeded by Michael, who was created by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake in 1997's Spectre #54. Michael is a genius Olympian who took up Terry's mantle, joined the modern-day JSA, and impacted the DC Universe with his super-skilled technology, including the T-Spheres.

Michael also became the leader of The Terrifics, an ensemble homaging Marvel's Fantastic Four that also stars Plastic Man, Phantom Girl, and Metamorpho.

Who Is DC's Guy Gardner? 

Created by John Broome and Gil Kane in 1968's Green Lantern #59, Guy is a blue-collar man who accidentally becomes a backup Green Lantern to Hal Jordan. He has gone on to have a unique DC tenure, both as a Lantern, a member of the Justice League International, and as the alien Warrior.

Guy Gardner has previously been portrayed in live-action by Matthew Settle in the ill-fated Justice League of America TV movie of 1997. Finn Wittrock was set to portray the character in Max's Green Lantern series, before it was scrapped and retooled into the current DCU Lanterns series.

What Is Superman: Legacy About?

Per DC Studios, Superman: Legacy tells the story of Superman's journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.

"We got James Gunn and Peter (Safran) working very hard on DC, which is going to be a very big growth driver for this company," Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav explained earlier this year. "We are very bullish on DC. The Superman script first draft is done. Gunn is on a mission from god. It is a really good moment to prove out on DC what we got and how strong it is globally for long-term sustainable growth."

What do you think of the new casting decisions around Superman: Legacy? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Superman: Legacy is set to debut exclusively in theaters on July 11, 2025.