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Summary
- Solaris, the Tyrant Sun, might be attacking Metropolis, tying into James Gunn’s Superman vision.
- Mongul and the Warworld, a major Superman villain, could pose a threat in the upcoming film.
- Brainiac, an iconic Superman villain, may be behind the attack on Metropolis, linking to Supergirl’s involvement.
After so much waiting, fans finally got their first look at actor David Corenswet in his costume for Superman from director James Gunn. The reveal of a new Superman suit is always a big deal for fans, and the May 6th, 2024, released photo certainly had fans debating many aspects, from the collar on the suit to the New 52-inspired texture to even the fact that it had red trunks. While the focus was on the official costume, one couldn’t help but notice the image in the background of the photo, a giant pink orb attacking the city of Metropolis.
This effect was reportedly done on camera, according to James Gunn. While it certainly made for plenty of jokes from some about how Superman is taking his time getting ready while the city is being attacked, it also feels like a big reveal alongside the first look at the costume. There is the chance that this image might not be anything and is just a cool effect for the photo, but that seems unlikely, given that this was clearly planned as part of the official photo. Whatever is attacking Metropolis here is likely a big part of Superman. Here are five possible guesses for who or what is attacking Metropolis.
Solaris
The first answer many might assume is Solaris. Solaris, also known as the Tyrant Sun, was created by Grant Morrison and first appeared in DC: One Million #1 in 1998 before Morrison brought the character back in All-Star Superman. He is from the 853rd century and is a secondary artificial sun, a sentient machine. Solaris was originally created in the 20th century and was an enemy of Superman, battling Superman’s lineage for years into the continue until the 505th century, when Superman sacrificed his life in order to reprogram the artificial sun. At that point, Solaris will repent and work for the betterment of humanity, becoming an ally of the Superman dynasty.
All-Star Superman has been a big influence on James Gunn’s Superman, as the image for All-Star Superman #1 was used to announce the project in January 2023. Even the reveal of Superman’s new costume, which is a more casual look, seems to evoke the All-Star Superman vibe. It would make sense for Gunn to bring in Solaris as a big threat for this younger Superman to fight, as it would likely be a job none of the other DC heroes could do on their own.
Mongul and the Warworld
There is also the possibility that the giant sphere attacking Earth is, in fact, Warworld, and it is Mongul at the helm. Mongul debuted in DC Comics Presents #27 in November 1980 and was created by legendary comic creators Len Wein and Jim Starlin. Mongul is an alien tyrant who controls the Warworld, a planet-sized command ship created by an ancient alien race. The Warworld is very similar to the Death Star from Star Wars, and while it cannot destroy planets with a single blast, it is a powerful artificial planet that has enough firepower to make whoever wields it one of the most dangerous beings in the galaxy.
Mongul is one of the most famous Superman villains who has not been adapted in live-action before in film or television, so including him in Superman would be a bold mission statement to make James Gunn’s movie stand out from what had been seen before. Mongul’s daughter, Mongal, was featured in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, played by Mayling Ng. While the status of projects like The Suicide Squad and the spin-off series Peacemaker exactly relate to James Gunn’s new DCU remain unknown, Mongul and the Warworld’s inclusion could tie back to Gunn’s first DC project.
Brainiac
The other major Superman villain it could be is Brainiac. Brainiac was created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino and debuted in Action Comics #242 in July 1958. There have been many different versions of Brainiac through the years, but the character is often an artificial intelligence that goes around collecting as much data in the universe while destroying planets to make the information it collects more valuable. In some media, Brainiac is responsible for the destruction of Krypton and, in most incarnations, also shrunk the planet’s capital city of Kandor in a miniaturized bottle.
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Brainiac is one of the most iconic Superman villains that filmmakers have attempted to bring to the big screen, from Kevin Smith and Tim Burton in the abandoned Superman Lives to Zack Snyder even wanting to make him the villain of Man of Steel 2. Brainiac also tends to have a connection to the character Supergirl, as Kandor was her home city. Supergirl is already confirmed to appear in Superman and will be played by Milly Alcock before spinning off in her own feature film, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. With Superman reportedly being about the title character coming to terms with his Kryptonian heritage along with the values he was raised with on Earth by his adoptive human family, bringing in his cousin Supergirl and a villain like Brainiac who destroyed their home world would make sense thematically.
The Authority and Their Base
Right now, The Authority is one of the biggest and most unknown quantities in the DCU. The team originated in the Wildstorm imprint as a rebrand of the superhero team Stormwatch. The Authority debuted in 1999 and was created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch. They are a superhero team that uses more brutal force than teams like the Justice League or Teen Titans. They have been known to do whatever it takes to save the day by any means necessary, including killing individuals and even taking over the planet to enforce their rule. Their base of operations is a mobile vehicle known as The Carrier.
The Authority has already confirmed that it will be getting its feature film as part of the DCU. María Gabriela de Faría has been cast as Angela Spica / The Engineer in Superman, so that film might plant the seeds for the Authority movie, and the Engineer might be one of the antagonists of Superman. Superman fought a pastiche of the Authority in the form of The Elite in the comics, so there is a chance the DCU might merge that storyline with the actual Authority characters for the feature film.
Lex Luthor
Easily, one of the most obvious answers to who is attacking Metropolis is Lex Luthor. The character is Superman’s arch-enemy, and it is already confirmed that Nicholas Hoult has been cast to play the villain. As of this writing, Lex Luthor is the only confirmed major Superman villain for the movie. Lex Luthor has been portrayed as a mad scientist, career criminal, and evil businessman, but in all incarnations, he is known as a master planner, one who is great at controlling the situation, so whatever is attacking Metropolis, Luthor could very much be behind the attack, orchestrating a false flag alien invasion and putting the blame on Superman.
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There are many comics this could be pulling from, and Gunn could be doing an amalgamation. The Batman/Superman comic featured a storyline with Lex Luthor and a Kryptonite asteroid. In Superman: Birthright, a comic that James Gunn has cited as an influence, Luthor is responsible for orchestrating an alien invasion, and in All-Star Superman, it is Luthor who brings Solaris to Earth. Lex Luthor might be the safe bet and could showcase how this version of the character is more powerful and resourceful than any other live-action incarnation.
