All eyes are on the main heroes in James Gunn’s Superman as Superman (David Corenswet), Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Hawk Girl (Isabela Merced), and Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion) try to thwart Lex Luthor’s (Nicholas Hoult) plans to destroy Metropolis and start a war in a foreign country for his own gain. Superman puts the spotlight on those everyone expects to save the day with their special powers, but there’s an unsung hero who deserves some praise: Eve Teschmacher (Sara Sampaio).
Having appeared in movies and comic books as Lex’s assistant and lover, she is often portrayed as a seemingly shallow, glitzy, and flirtatious character who occasionally questions Lex’s morals and evil plans. In Superman, Eve is given a redemption arc beyond just being a pretty social media influencer when going against Lex and his evil plans to become an ally to Superman, Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), and the Daily Planet. A deeper look into her overall role and helpful actions within the movie proves that without her, Superman and the rest of the characters might not have won against Lex.
There’s no denying that Eve is a bit out of place among the other characters in Superman. There’s Lex in his pristine all-black suit, relishing his victory alongside his staff as they execute the perfect combos to defeat Superman in a fist fight. Amid the chaos, there’s Eve looking glamorous in her yellow dress, styled hair, and taking smiling selfies with the fight between Superman and Ultraman behind her. She’s really just there for the photo ops and getting the perfect angle with the best lighting… or so we think. She exists on the sidelines of the story, attached to Lex more as an accessory than a person with any real agency. While venturing to Superman’s fortress of solitude, she’s dressed in a perfect lavender snowsuit and follows behind Lex like a puppy, taking as many selfies as possible. Amid the Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría) killing Superman’s robots, she seems unfazed; it’s only when the Engineer hurts Krypto that Eve shows a level of sadness and shocked emotion.
Eve appears vapid and disinterested in the reality of what she’s a part of by being with Lex. By his side, she’s very much aware of his shady dealings with Boravia, but it appears that she couldn’t care less or has no real knowledge of the gravity of what he’s doing to a country full of innocent people. By all accounts, Eve appears to have no real place in the battle between Superman and Lex, until her storyline takes a dramatic turn that has audiences looking at Eve with a shocked “Really? Her?” expression.
While Lois is frantically chasing leads to Lex’s plan and Superman’s whereabouts, Jimmy Olsen (Skylar Gisondo) reaches out to one of his contacts. He’s looking for something solid, real intel, and what he gets is a bombshell: Superman is in a pocket dimension. Naturally, audiences brace for the reveal of a shadowy and grizzled whistleblower behind the tip, but it’s someone no one expected, Eve. Up until this point, Eve’s been played as a sparkly, tone-deaf sideshow: a walking distraction, all lip gloss and selfies. Her presence in Lex’s world seemed ornamental at best. But suddenly, she’s not just in the know — she’s the source.
Eve’s Discreet Intel Saves the Day in Stopping Lex Luthor’s Plans
The journalists at the Daily Planet do deserve their props for exposing Lex’s geopolitical dealings with Boravia and Jarhanpur, which is framed as humanitarian support, but is actually aimed at trading territory and solidifying his influence. Lois was able to start the investigative chain reaction by finding documents that prove Lex was giving away firearms to Boravia for free, but that’s where the trail goes cold. Jimmy realizes that despite their immense connections, Lex’s hold on the government makes finding intel nearly impossible. That’s when Eve unexpectedly reenters the picture and becomes the key to unraveling the entire operation as an unsung hero.
Having been old flames, Jimmy reaches out to Eve and learns Superman is being held in a pocket dimension. How does she know that? Despite her being mostly focused on taking selfies, she’s been there during every major plan Lex has concocted in his efforts to take down Superman. It’s because of Eve that Mister Terrific helps Lois find the exact location where Superman was taken through a portal into the pocket dimension. Looking at the storyline of Superman and his rescue, would any of the characters have been able to find him if it were not for Eve? It’s a bit of a comedic twist that the key to finding Superman comes from a person who, as Jimmy says, “doesn’t know anything about anything, really.” But in truth, Eve turns out to be the perfect fly on the wall, holding onto secrets that could either help or be incredibly detrimental.
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Eve strategically and knowingly sent Jimmy photos that showed them the bigger picture of Lex’s plans with Boravia and Jarhanpur. In the background of all her selfies were classified secret documents and maps proving Lex’s agreement with Boravia to get half of Jarhanpur after the invasion. It begs the question if Eve’s influencer persona was exaggerated so no one would think twice about her taking photos of secret documents, and whether she was always aware of what was hidden in her photos to one day take down Lex. It’s no exaggeration to say that without Eve’s strategic photo drops, The Daily Planet wouldn’t have had enough hard evidence to go public with the story. For Eve, being overlooked became her greatest strength.
Sara Sampaio Played into Eve’s Influencer Persona Seamlessly in ‘Superman’
To play the role of Eve, Superman needed to cast someone who could embody her outside beauty, glamorous appeal, and overall presence in any room and on social media, all the while flipping the switch and portraying Eve’s moral compass and subtle intelligence hidden beneath the surface. And Sara Sampaio tapped into Eve’s duality flawlessly.
Her background as a real-life model added a level of authenticity to Eve, as Sampaio is no stranger to the world of taking photos, posting selfies, and attending lavish events. As Eve, Sampaio retains a level of superficiality that comes with the stereotypes of a social media influencer, as she understands the mechanisms of visibility, image curations, and public perception. At the same time, Sampaio always makes it clear that Eve is more than what people see on social media. She gives Eve just enough vulnerability and depth to make her both relatable and surprising, like her heartfelt reaction to seeing Krypto get hurt at the hands of the Engineer, or the pain-stricken gaze when Lex yells and throws something at her.
In a story filled with superheroes and award-winning journalists, Eve is the last person anyone expects to break the case wide open. Eve creates a contrast between perception and reality, turning a seemingly superficial figure into an unsung hero of the story. Elevated by a perfect, layered performance from Sampaio, Eve subtly proves that not everyone needs to have superpowers to be considered a hero when it matters the most.
Superman is in theaters now.
