Warner Bros.There have been many theories about who Alan Tudyk would play in the upcoming DCU Superman movie, but now we know thanks to new footage shared at CinemaCon 2025 – and a confirmation from James Gunn himself.
The Man of Steel has quite the storied history on the silver screen, starting out with George Reeves’ iteration in 1951’s Superman and the Mole Men and culminating in Henry Cavill’s turn in the Snyderverse (for now).
However, it’s nearly time to usher in a new era for not just Superman but the DC cinematic universe as a whole. In 2022, shortly after Gunn and Peter Safran took the reins at DC Studios, they announced a standalone Superman movie that would serve as the entry point to the revamped DC Universe.
With just months to go until its release, Gunn appeared at this year’s CinemaCon, where he shared a sneak peak at the upcoming film. And some of you may have noticed a recognizable voice.
Alan Tudyk role confirmed in new Superman footage
Last September, it was revealed that Alan Tudyk had been cast in Superman in a secret role, with speculation ranging from Brainiac to a live-action version of one of his Creature Commandos characters. However, if you listen closely, you’ll hear his unmistakable voice as Robot 4:
Tudyk’s appearance in the sneak peek footage arrives after Clark Kent’s (David Corenswet) doggo Krypto drags him to safety, and a series of Kryptonian robots get to work on the wounded hero.
“Thank you,” he says, to which Robot 4 replies, “No need to thank us, sir, as we will not appreciate it. We have no consciousness whatsoever. Merely automatons here to serve.”
Tudyk’s casting would make a lot of sense. After all, he’s no stranger to playing machines, having voiced Sonny in I, Robot, and K-2SO in Star Wars’ Rogue One.
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Later on, we see a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it clip of Superman hunched over a robot and visibly emotional – the same one we saw in the trailer.
This has led to speculation that Tudyk’s Robot 4 is actually Kelex, a longtime Kryptonian service robot from the comics who has worked as Superman’s assistant and a caretaker at the Fortress of Solitude.
Creative CommonsAlthough he didn’t mention Kelex, director James Gunn has since confirmed that it’s Tudyk’s voice you’re hearing in the new footage.
On Threads, a DC fan wrote, “I’m so looking forward to this! And was that Alan Tudyk I hear as one of the robots?” To which Gunn replied, “You’ve got me.”
Superman flies into cinemas on July 11, 2025. Until then, check out every upcoming DC TV show and movie, see what’s going on with Gunn’s Batman movie, and read everything we know about Clayface.