Superman is due to introduce a veritable cast of heroes and villains in the DCU, with some spectacular powers. While the DCU officially began with Creature Commandos in late 2024, Superman marks the first official theatrical release from James Gunn’s reimagined universe. And in typical Gunn fashion, the movie will feature a large cast of characters establishing the world where these characters reside.

However, while Superman is one of the most powerful heroes in comic book history, the various other characters who will also appear have some exciting powers of their own. From energy projection, to nanotech manipulation, there is a lot going on in Metropolis. And of course, that means a lot of exciting action and visuals throughout.

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Energy Projection

One of the powers that excites me the most personally from the upcoming DCU is energy projection. Specifically, the kind of energy projection that the members of the Green Lantern corps are able to wield. These heroes take their raw willpower, and through the power of their incredibly advanced rings, they can create hard light objects.

But beyond just creating and wielding energy, depending on the imagination and skill of the Green Lantern wielding this power, they can do just about anything. It’s a ridiculously powerful ability that characters like Hal Jordan have been able to use in spectacular ways. However, Guy Gardner is the main Green Lantern appearing in Superman, and despite being a less celebrated Lantern, he is already proving to have a unique style with his powers.

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Heat Vision

Heat Vision is an interesting ability that several individuals in Superman are likely to display. Of course, the тιтular hero is well known for his ability to produce and emit mᴀssive levels of heat and radiation from his eyes, but his cousin, Supergirl, who is also due to appear in the film, has the same ability.

In addition, there is also Ultraman, an evil counterpart to Superman, who appears to be working with Lex Luthor in Superman. Ultraman has many powers in common with Superman, including his laser vision. This ability varies in terms of power levels, but as seen in the trailer, Superman uses it to annihilate dozens of attacking robots as he spins at great speed.

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Elemental Transformation

Metamorpho is another exciting character to appear in Superman, played by the incredible Anthony Carrigan. While there are a lot of shapeshifters in comics, and individuals who can take on the same form as others to go undercover, Metamorpho’s transformative abilities work a little differently. Metamorpho actually has the power to shapeshift his body into any element or substance, including gases, liquids, and solids.

This power has potentially limitless potential depending on the imagination of the user. Not only would it make them extremely difficult to capture, but by transforming into hard or heavy substances, they could also become a lethal weapon. Metamorpho will certainly be an interesting character with one of the more unique powers in Superman.

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Super Strength

A foundational superpower that is often glossed over in superhero films is super strength. To some extent, pretty much every hero and villain has enhanced strength, endurance, speed, and all sorts of human abilities pushed beyond their limits. However, there is a distinction between simply being stronger than an average human, and being Superman’s levels of strength.

Superman can lift mᴀssive objects, like entire commercial planes, and buildings. This ability has been shown briefly in the trailer, but judging by the way James Gunn is taking the character of Superman back to its hopeful roots, and encouraging audiences to look up to the sky and spot them, it would make sense for the movie to include a big reveal moment of just how powerful Superman can be. And exerting his immense strength is a perfect way to do just that.

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Flight

Another power that appears to be common among several heroes and villains in Superman, flight, is perhaps one of the most straightforward powers in comic book movies, but it’s also one of the most thrilling. And the way that this movie presents flying, especially Superman’s own ability to fly, feels energetic, fast, and powerful.

Superman’s ability to fly is literally the character breaking gravity, and willing himself forward through his power and strength. Other characters like Hawkgirl also have the power to fly, but they are able to use a much more traditional method, considering they have literal wings. The way flight is presented in the DCU is important because it needs to feel super, despite several characters being able to take off to the sky.

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Extraordinary Intelligence

While the line between genius and superintelligence can sometimes be blurry, the level of intelligence that characters in these superheros possess often needs to be recognized and acknowledged as a superpower all of its own. In the comics, people like Mister Terrific and Lex Luthor are depicted as geniuses, but the fact that they are able to build such extraordinary technology should be recognized as a superpower in its own right. While this is unlikely to happen, the movie does showcase how the level of intelligence is a power.

Mister Terrific is a literal superhero. No, he may not have “powers,” but thanks to his determination, he has pushed his body to physical levels that exceed typical athletes in peak condition. And combined with his incredible intelligence, he has the means to compete with actual supervillains. Likewise, Lex Luthor has used his incredible intelligence to gain the support of other super-powered individuals, and built his own weapons of destruction to the point that he can literally fight Superman.

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Super Healing

The trailer revealed Superman looking battered and bruised. However, while this has led to a lot of speculation that David Corenswet’s Superman will be weak, I believe the opposite is true. The trailers show Superman at his lowest point, in order to reveal him soaring higher than ever before when audiences actually go and see the film. And this is even teased in the trailer when Superman is put on a table in direct sunlight to help power him up.

Superman gets much of his power from the energy and radiation of the yellow sun, which powers up his Kryptonian cells, and allows him to heal to the point of becoming indestructible. Superman is basically charging in the light of the sun, and after regaining his strength, his body will likely be ready to push him further than ever before and overcome the rivals who previously presented a threat to the Man of Steel.

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Nanotech Manipulation

Finally, there is another interesting and unique ability which is due to debut in Superman, from a character who has not traditionally been heavily involved in DC storylines. The Engineer can be seen working with Lex Luthor in Superman, but in the comics, The Authority, The Engineer is a superhero. And they have some incredible powers that are sure to be thrilling to see on the big screen. Namely, The Engineer has laced their blood with nanotech, and they are able to manipulate and control this technology to do just about anything.

From healing, to transforming, to shapeshifting, and enhancing her memory and durability. The Engineer may be a lesser-known character from the comics, but after Superman, their powers are almost certain to make them a character whose journey is well worth following throughout the DCU. It’s not clear how much of this power, or exactly how any of these powers will be represented beyond what has been seen in the trailers, but there is a lot to be excited about coming in Superman.