James Gunn’s Superman: Everything You Need to Know About Its Mystery Villain

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The release of the first teaser trailer for 2025’s Superman from James Gunn took the internet by storm. Along with first looks at Krypto, Lex Luthor and other heroes, viewers got a quick look at a close-up of Anthony Corrigan’s deep-cut DC Comics figure. Metamorpho is a Silver Age character who is usually a hero, but may be a villain Superman faces off with in the first DC Universe film.

Created in 1965 by Bob Haney and Ramona Fradon in The Brave and the Bold #57, the character is an odd choice for inclusion in Superman. While most adaptations on the big screen tend to water down the weirder elements of the comics, Metamorpho proves the new DCU embraces them. The character has appeared infrequently in animated adaptations, though Corrigan played a similar villain in the Arrowverse. As The Mist, he could transmute his body into a poisonous gas, an ability which just scratches the surface of what Metamorpho is capable of. While he is one of DC Comics’ classic tortured heroes, he could debut in Superman as an antagonist, given his connection to villain Simon Stagg.

Sending Up Heroes From Marvel to DC’s Metal Men, the Element Man Caught On With Fans

Bob Haney and Ramona Fradon created Metamorpho as a kind of parody of popular comics characters in the 1960s, like Marvel’s then-new Fantastic Four. The Element Man, as he was called, was so popular he got his own solo series which ended after 17 issues in 1968. The series marked the beginning of a shift in DC Comics’ approach to making comics, with Fradon and Haney working closely together. Up until then, she often didn’t even know who wrote the scripts she drew.

“Metamorpho was George Kashdan’s idea… Bob Haney…fleshed it out brilliantly. I believe George continued to supply the “scientific” details for Bob to use throughout the life of the feature… I drew him in tights, with a body made up of four different colors and textures that were supposed to indicate the four elements.” — Ramona Fradon to CBR in 2013.

In 1975, Haney and Fradon returned for a one-shot featuring the character. Metamorpho would return as one of the initial characters in The Outsiders comic. Since then, he’s been a recurring character in DC’s stories featuring the group. Sadly, neither of Metamorpho’s creators survived to see their favorite character appear in Superman. Bob Haney died at age 78 in 2004, and Ramona Fradon passed away at 97 earlier in 2024.

More recently, the character is portrayed as tortured because of his inhuman appearance, which will carry over to Superman. Along with Metamorpho, Haney and Fradon created his central antagonist, Simon Stagg. This character has spread out to other DC stories and has appeared in live action before. He appeared in an early episode of The Flash series and was a small character in Wonder Woman 1984. Stagg recently died in DC Comics, but will live again in the DCU.

Rex Mason is a Less Well-Known but Nonetheless Important Character

Before becoming Metamorpho, Rex Mason was an archaeologist working for Simon Stagg and sent to retrieve an object called “the Orb of Ra.” When Stagg learns that Mason is dating his daughter Sapphire, he naturally hatches a plan to murder him. Stagg’s bodyguard Java knocks him unconscious in a room with the meteorite from which the Orb was created. The radiation gives him the powers of “the Element Man,” and the Orb of Ra is his only weakness.

Sapphire convinces him to use his powers for good, and Metamorpho becomes a hero, often facing off against her father. He was the second person in DC history (after Adam Strange) to reject an invitation to the Justice League, though he would eventually join the Outsiders. Despite Sapphire’s continuing affection for him, he considered himself more monster than man. His abilities allowed him to change his body in countless ways, save for appearing human. This characterization will likely carry over into Superman.

Metamorpho is effectively immortal, dying multiple times in the comics. Despite rejecting them at first, he did join the Justice League, specifically the European team. Still, the Outsiders are his main group, and he was responsible for saving them during The New 52 era. In the Doomsday Clock series, Metamorpho was cited as an example of government-created metahumans. A new series Metamorpho: The Element Man by Al Ewing and Steve Lieber will debut on Dec. 25, 2024 as part of the DC All In line of comics.

Metamorpho in the Film Will Certainly Be Tied to Stagg Industries

In July 2023, Anthony Corrigan was cast as Metamorpho, revealing the character would be in Gunn’s new Superman movie. The first teaser trailer also revealed the lobby set of Stagg Industries, which strongly suggests Simon will play a role in this movie, along with other DC Comics’ villains of industry: Lex Luthor, played by Nicholas Hoult, and Maxwell Lord, played by Sean Gunn. In the brief shots of Hawkgirl and Guy Gardner walking into the lobby, the Lord Tech logo can be seen on both of their costumes.

“[W]hen [Metamorpho] was transformed into his superhero state, I think he was very reluctant to have it because he felt like he was a freak…. I can…relate to that, in terms of my alopecia. So, that’s definitely something that I’ll…bring to the character.” — Anthony Corrigan in an interview.

The teaser also revealed a brief look at Corrigan’s Metamorpho, supposedly a practical costume. If Gardner and Hawkgirl are working for Maxwell Lord, it’s possible the billionaires of Metropolis are creating their own groups of superheroes. This suggests that, like in the comics, Metamorpho is linked to Simon Stagg, either as his own “hero” or an attempt to create one gone wrong. It’s possible the black-clad villain Superman fights in the trailer is part of Lex Luthor’s effort to get in on the metahuman action.

Since these moments in the trailer show Superman facing public anger and looking distraught, it’s possible Metamorpho is playing both a hero and a villain. He could either be going after Simon Stagg for causing his transformation, or working for him as Stagg Industries’ pet hero. Either way, it sets him up to be at odds with Superman during this film. Still, this is purely speculation, as the teaser trailer didn’t reveal much about the movie’s plot.

He Could Begin as a Villain and then Linger Around the DCU Forever

While Metamorpho has appeared in some animated films, like the recent Crisis On Infinite Earths trilogy, he’s only ever had speaking roles on television. These appearances could offer some clues to how James Gunn could deploy the character in Superman. In the DC Animated Universe and Beware the Batman, Rex Mason starts off as a villain. In each story, after his traumatic transformation at the hands of Simon Stagg, he goes on a rampage, but ultimately becomes a hero.

Similarly, in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Metamorpho is introduced as part of the Outsiders. In this series, Metamorpho, Black Lightning and Katana are teenagers manipulated by the villainous Slug. They believe they are heroes fighting against a “culture of garbage,” but Batman and Wildcat eventually convince them to change their ways. Also, in Young Justice, Metamorpho is already a hero working with Batman. In that episode, it’s revealed Rex is in “constant pain” because of his transformation.

In Superman, Metamorpho may follow a similar character arc. It’s possible his transformation causes him to go on a rampage and the other heroes have to stop him. Conversely, he could be working for Stagg Industries, behaving as a villain but convinced he’s a hero. As Metamorpho, he will almost certainly be self-conscious about his horrific appearance. He could also endure physical pain due to the transformation, for added pathos. Yet, by the end of Superman, he will likely be inspired to become a hero.

Superman debuts in theaters on July 11, 2025.

“}]] The teaser trailer for James Gunn’s 2025 film Superman revealed a first look at DCU’s Metamorpho, who has been both a villain and a hero in the past.  Read More