Thanks to some newly spotted concept art, fans got a taste of the original design for Superman's sidekick in his DCU debut. David Corenswet's Man of Steel had no lack of allies when he made his big-screen debut in James Gunn's Superman movie. The character was seen palling around with several characters, including Krypto the Super-Dog, the Justice Gang, and even Supergirl.
There was one character, however, who received extra special placement among Superman's friends: his loyal mechanical bestie, Robot 4 (voiced by the venerable Alan Tudyk). Tudyk's character served as a caretaker to Supes' Fortress of Solitude, holding down the superhero's snow-clad base of operations. In the final film, Robot 4 sported a blue exterior similar to Superman's own Kryptonian costume, but that was not always the plan.
New concept art revealed in the official Superman: The Art and Making of the Film book revealed unused, alternate designs for Superman's robotic sidekick in the 2025 blockbuster.
As spotted by fans on Reddit, the unused designs included different variations on the character than what ultimately made it into the movie, with several pieces of his mechanized body swapped out, as well as a few shocking paint job options.
Four of the alternate designs shown off feature a similar blue and yellow look to the one we ultimately got, with a few different body pieces swapped in and out.
Meanwhile, a few others reveal what could have been a more metallic look for the characters, each opting for several different variations of silvery chrome instead of the blue.
In the comics, Superman's robot assistants often have a generic silver look, but it seems as though James Gunn and the DC Studios team wanted to go for something a little more reminiscent of the Kryptonian hero himself with their final design.
Robot 4 (along with Superman) can now be seen in 2025's Superman, streaming on HBO Max. The new DC reboot follows the titular Man of Steel (played by David Corenswet) in his first meeting with his arch nemesis, Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult).
Where Will Superman's Robots Turn Up Next?
Alan Tudyk's Robot 4 and the rest of Superman's robot army were one of the highlights of James Gunn's high-flying blockbuster. Yes, they were torn apart in Lex Luthor's siege of the Fortress of Solitude, but they will seemingly return in the DCU going forward.
Fans got one last glimpse at Tudyk's robotic DCU character in Superman's final few moments. As Superman returned to the Fortress, following his clash with Lex in Metropolis, it was the robots who settled the Man of Steel into his icy home, playing a trip down memory lane for the character with an Iggy Pop-soundtracked slideshow.
One can assume that Superman's robot sidekicks will return when, if the Fortress of Solitude is featured in DC Studios' new comic book movie canon. Currently, Supes has been confirmed to appear in one, solitary DCU project: Superman: Man of Tomorrow.
That 2027 sequel to Gunn's debut DCU film will see Superman forced to team up with Lex to take down a common foe (assumed to be Brainiac). This likely means Robot 4 and the rest of the Fortress staff will play a key role in the upcoming sequel.
Outside of that, though, it seems unlikely that the characters will return any time before then. There is always the chance, given the main character's Kryptonian heritage, that the robots pop up in next year's Supergirl, but it is unclear just how much of that movie will play out on Earth, if at all.
