Superman: Legacy will be the first movie of James Gunn’s new DC Universe, and there are a plethora of obscure villains that could make their debuts.

SUMMARY

•  Superman: Legacy could introduce obscure DC villains to the relaunched cinematic universe, offering a refreshing take on the well-worn Superman story.
•  Characters like Mr. Mxyzptlk, Metallo, Parasite, Ultra-Humanite, and Prankster are potential candidates to join the film’s lineup as adversaries.
•  These lesser-known villains have the potential to add humor, mind-bending visuals, emotional depth, and a lighthearted tone to the DC cinematic universe. James Gunn’s previous work suggests an ability to tackle unconventional characters effectively.

James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy is already jam-packed with characters yet to be graced with their time in the cinematic limelight, and certain obscure DC villains would be perfect choices to join them. Superman: Legacy will be the first movie to kick off Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe, a reboot of the DC Extended Universe which is due to conclude with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. It promises to reinvent what the DC cinematic universe looks like – and if Gunn’s previous work is anything to go by, that will include plenty of interesting, and potentially quite humorous, lesser-known characters.

Confirmed casting for Superman: Legacy has revealed that Guy Gardner, Mister Terrific, and Metamorpho will join a who’s-who of DC characters in their first live action cinematic appearance. Between this and the unusual characters included in Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, it’s safe to assume that Superman: Legacy’s villains might also look a little unfamiliar to the casual viewer, which would be a refreshing take on the well-worn Superman story. With that in mind, here are some obscure Superman villains that would perfectly fit the bill.

10Mr. Mxyzptlk

Mr. Mxyzptlk is whimsy personified, a multidimensional trickster imp whose main purpose is to harry Superman with practical jokes, though he has adopted more sinister goals in the past. Mr. Mxyzptlk is particularly interesting insofar as he is one of Superman’s most powerful adversaries based on his nigh-limitless abilities unconstrained by the laws of objective reality. This could afford any movie in which he appears a wealth of opportunities to capitalize on some mind-bending visuals akin to sequences in Doctor Strange. An appearance by Mxyzptlk could also work to diminish the all-powerful nature of Superman, while giving the troublesome imp his first shot at cinematic stardom after appearing on the small screen in the Arrowverse.

9Metallo

Kryptonite has been used against Superman in a multitude of ways by all who become aware of his main susceptibility, often to great effect. A cyborg powered by the element, then, is bound to be bad news for the Man of Steel – which is why Metallo is an oft-recurring thorn in his side. A healthy dose of comic book science is involved in Metallo’s origin story, in which a Kryptonite heart keeps him alive while providing him with Kryptonite-based powers. These powers, however, have undergone many changes – making Metallo a persistent yet ever-changing adversary that could easily become a new recurring character in Superman’s story alongside Lex Luthor.

8Parasite

While one of Gunn’s calling cards is a healthy dose of humor, the grotesque Superman villain Parasite could be hard to play for laughs. As a being who feeds on living energy, he is certainly capable of standing up to Superman while providing a visual spectacle akin to that of King Shark, but harder to look at. Parasite is also capable of shape-shifting in certain iterations, which as always is a handy plot device that could be used to great effect if the intention is to break Superman emotionally.

7Ultra-Humanite

A mad scientist hellbent on dominion over the world, Ultra-Humanite is a classic super-villain in every sense and even precedes Lex Luthor as Superman’s primary adversary. His superintelligence allows Ultra-Humanite to transplant his brain into any host, though his preferred vessel is that of a psychic albino gorilla. Ultra-Humanite’s legacy as one of, if not the first super-villain of DC makes it especially heinous that he has not enjoyed a live-action outing on the big screen – and for this reason would make a refreshing replacement for Lex Luthor in Superman’s debut DCU appearance. None of that is to mention, of course, the obvious spectacle he would bring.

6Toyman

It’s easy to see how a villain whose arsenal comprises toy-based weaponry could fit well into a more lighthearted DC Universe. It also provides an unusual opportunity to convey a nuanced take on his preferred mode of attack, not unlike that portrayed with Polka-Dot Man in The Suicide Squad. That, or Gunn could fully lean in to the ridiculousness of Toyman’s tactics and set the tone for what to expect from the DCU early on. Needless to say, Toyman isn’t exactly Superman’s most threatening of enemies, but has every opportunity to become one of his most memorable in the DCU depending on how his affinity for toy-themed robotics is approached.

5Titano The Super Ape

Titano the Super Ape is DC’s answer to King Kong, except this is a Superman-specific villain, so naturally this King Kong boasts the power of Kryptonite Vision, adding extra difficulty to any potential encounters with Superman. As if King Kong himself isn’t evidence enough that Titano was made for the big screen, the air of silliness surrounding this particular giant ape is just the ticket for a lighthearted take on the Man of Steel. The Suicide Squad’s Starro sequences proved that a literal big bad at the climax can be executed with humor and high stakes aplenty, so witnessing Titano take to the skyscrapers of Metropolis could be on the cards.

4Gog (and Gog)

Gog is one of DC’s Old Gods with all the abilities that come with such status – making him more than a match for Superman. More interesting, however, is his relationship with the human William Matthews, AKA Gog, through whom his power surges to great effect. Matthews, who was imbued with Gog’s power by chance, has it out for Superman thanks to a misconstrued vision in which he saw Superman fail to protect citizens from a nuclear blast. From posing a genuine threat to sympathetic motives, Gog would be an intriguing lesser-known villain to explore, and a literal conduit through which to introduce the presence of gods in the DCU.

3Master Jailer

The DCU has a big opportunity to deliver a nuanced story in the form of Carl Draper, AKA Master Jailer, who harbors no superpowers beyond an exceptional intellect and skills to rival YouTube’s famous Lockpicking Lawyer. In the comics, Draper was inducted into the Suicide Squad, eventually dying a hero’s death after containing a nuclear blast. He also has Impulse Control Disorder – something that would certainly lend itself well to a sympathetic narrative as he navigates using his skills with locks to defeat a god among men.

2K-Man

Another Superman villain who capitalizes on Superman’s main weakness, the Clay Ramsay version of Kryptonite Man is one who sounds a lot more threatening than he really is. Ramsay is effectively a nobody who got on Superman’s bad side and caught a lucky break by being brought into the K-Man project. As an average Joe, however, K-Man would become one of Superman’s least consequential adversaries, eventually falling to the radiation of the Kryptonite that fueled his abilities. K-Man is villain with a grounded backstory – though heinous – and would make a refreshing deviation from the otherworldly and godlike threats that Superman is used to facing.

1Prankster

A villain who has the gall to make it his business to play pranks on the near-omnipotent Superman has to be given their due, as well as their time on the big screen. Oswald Loomis is one of Superman’s oldest and least-threatening adversaries on a par with Toyman, except Prankster is more accustomed to inconveniencing and incapacitating Superman. Including Prankster in Superman: Legacy would set a certain tone unlike anything the Man of Steel has encountered in his cinematic outings thus far. But it is also something that Gunn could pull off, providing an exceptionally unique villain for him to wrestle with.