Did You Know ‘Superman’ Villain The Engineer is Latina?
Warner Bros. Pictures
Superman is officially in theaters! The new blockbuster features María Gabriela de Faría’s The Engineer, alongside Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor. But did you know the epic villain – reimagined by James Gunn – is Latina? Remezcla got to chat with the Venezuelan actress María Gabriela de Faría about her villainous role and representing Latinas during the movie’s press junket in Los Angeles, CA.
In March, Remezcla caught up with de Faría at the 2025 Premios Platino Awards in Madrid, Spain. At the time, we didn’t know much about her role – only that she went through a major physical change. “My character as The Engineer is a very physical character. And not only because of the image that the character has in the comic. But because of all the things I had to do on set,” she told us. She also mentioned that the “long process” left her with a gift that she describes as “a love for movement.”
But once we watched the film – we realized that her role is not only played by a Latina but also is a Latina. In Superman, you hear de Faría shout Spanish curse words, confirming that The Engineer is of Latine heritage.
“It’s crazy! Especially because the character is Latina, which is insane. When I read the script – my heart like almost burst with happiness,” she told Remezcla at the press junket in Los Angeles. “And that was James [Gunn], you know, I think even before he cast me, he had that character already, setting his mind as Latina – and that’s so wonderful. I’m so grateful! It’s insane.”
When asked what Spanish words she would use to describe The Engineer, she said: “feroz” which means “fierce,” “fuerte” which means “strong,” and “determinada” which means “determined.” And if you see Superman, you’ll see exactly why these three words are perfect descriptions of the fierce bad gal.
Moreover, we also asked her Latina co-star Isabella Merced about her role as Hawkgirl. Merced used the words “empoderada” which means “empowered,” and “traumatizada” which means “traumatized” to describe her character.
“I think she is one of the most beautiful, most honest, most down-to-Earth women,” de Faría said about Merced back in Madrid. She also mentioned that if there’s “anyone that represents Latinos in Hollywood, it’s Isabela Merced.” Which makes sense since earlier this same year, she was promoting the second season of The Last of Us.
Superman is out in theaters now.