Highest paid Superman actor neither the supe himself nor Lois Lane, but one who was an X-Man, a zombie

Launching a new chapter for the DC Universe, James Gunn’s Superman is winning hearts all around, sparking new hopes for what once seemed like a lost cause. Now that the big-screen ticket is out in theatres, the salaries of the ensemble involved in the latest comic book movie have also become jaw-dropping hot topic of discussion among fans.

One would expect the namesake of the ambitious movie to be crowned as the highest paid actor of the lot. However, the common trend of things, neither the leading man of the star cast, David Corenswet, aka Superman himself, nor Rachel Brosnahan, aka the woman of the hour with a knack for hard-hitting journalism, Lois Lane, led the money-talk.

The highest paid Superman actor is…

Racing past them in typical tech billionaire Lex Luthor fashion, it was British actor Nicholas Hoult instead who won the big paycheck. Despite other star-studded inclusions involved, he was the only one to have made a salary that crossed the million-dollar mark. Hoult reportedly earned $2 million for the 2025 summer blockbuster. On the contrary, Corenswet and Brosnahan stood at the same stage, pocketing a cheque of $750,000 each.

The simple answer to why that was is decoded by Hoult’s filmography, as he easily surpasses his co-stars in movie business experience. Backed by unquestionable star power, Nicholas has long been an epic franchise stalwart. The British Academy Film Award nominee has prominently starred in multiple X-Men movies (First Class, Days of Future Past, Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix) as Henry ‘Hank’ McCoy, better known as Beast.

His other popular credits include bringing Jack from the fairy tales “Jack and the Beanstalk” and “Jack the Giant Killer” to life in the 2013 fantasy adventure Jack the Giant Slayer and playing a zombie named ‘R’ in the romantic-comedy Warm Bodies, which gives Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet a paranormal spin.

Beyond that, Hoult even led the way in the post-apocalyptic action film Max Max: Fury Road, the biographical drama Tolkien, dark comedy The Menu, legal thriller Juror #2, and, of course, the Oscar-nominated Nosferatu.

Meanwhile, David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan have also made their mark across mainstream titles, but currently remain more celebrated for their TV features.

Superman cast salary revealed

Top cast members may also be paid extra on the basis of the Superman‘s box office numbers. These details are yet to be revealed.