James Gunn’s Superman Trailer Features Secret Cameo From Key DC Comics Villain

Look up! It’s not a bird or a plane, but brand new Superman trailer. absolutely packed with details and easter eggs that will have fans spending the rest of 2024 (and beyond) looking for it. Make no mistake, the footage still manages to set a fresh tone set by our core trio: David Carensuet’s Man of Steel, Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult’s straight James Bond Lex Luthor. But it’s impossible to miss the sense that this movie feels like a real ensemble piece, and the appearances of several major and minor DC characters prove it James Gunn is clearly creating his own wider DC universe.

While it includes all the obvious side characters that may or may not end up in this new Justice League after a while, one significant name was almost completely missing from the teaser: Angela Spica/The Engineer, played by Maria Gabriela de Faria. Eagle-eyed viewers could catch glimpses of the mysterious villain in a few shots, battling Superman in a baseball stadium or smashing through a wall with just brute force. However, there is one moment that is particularly easy to miss when it can be seen in its entirety. You might just need a magnifying glass to really notice. One Twitter fan account (Lex Luthor most determined calls it “X”) got to the bottom of it by posting a screenshot of a scene showing Luthor’s elaborate skyscrapers connected by a bridge — with a tiny figure of the Engineer standing out right on top of the massive structure. Check it out below!

What are we, some kind of suicide squad? Ok, sorry for the bad memories from the previous one mode of the DC franchise, but that’s what happens whenever I see a villainous team-up in the works these days. The Superman trailer doesn’t reveal much about the actual plot of the blockbuster, focusing instead on selling audiences on the look and feel of this reboot. Fortunately, all we need is a little research elbow grease to start connecting the dots ourselves, with one particular DC Universe fan account has already done the work for us by posting the following screenshot:

Engineer v #Superman pic.twitter.com/hOEpoixDRM

— Everything_DCU (@EverythingDCU_) December 19, 2024

It’s all related to a mysterious figure known as the Engineer. Under the name Dr. Angelo Spica, the character has always straddled the line between anti-hero and full-on villain since his 1999 appearance in DC Comics. In the source material, the Engineer is associated with a group of like-minded renegades called the Authority (which Gan previously described as his passion project). In the Superman footage, you can spot the Engineer in her signature outfit walking on top of Lex Luthor’s LuthorCorp building (or make buildingsas it appears to be two tall skyscrapers connected by the aforementioned bridge) on his way to what will likely be a one-on-one meeting with Superman’s main villain. While their interactions in the comics aren’t many, they certainly have a lot in common in terms of brainpower and ambition, two things that could easily lead to them joining forces against the Man of Steel.

We’ll find out exactly where this all goes when Superman hits theaters on July 11, 2025.