It has almost been a decade since audiences across the world were introduced to Henry Cavill’s Superman with Man of Steel. In that time, audiences have seen the iconic character in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League, and now the highly anticipated Black Adam. Hope has never been stronger in the DCEU, and many are expecting Man of Steel 2 at any moment.
Fans are beyond eager to see Henry Cavill’s Superman return for a solo project. Man of Steel 2 would be the perfect fan service for the most iconic superhero of all time, yet, it begs the question of which villain will face off against Superman, as he has quite an incredible roster of villainy.
9 Metallo
Superman has a few weaknesses, but one of the most prominent is Kryptonite. In the comics, pairing that very weakness with a cyborg is a means to trouble Superman. The trouble that is found within the heart of Metallo, literally. Metallo is a cyborg, and is one of the oldest foes of Superman, due to his day in the DCEU against Superman.
Kryptonite is no stranger to the DCEU, and neither are those that see Superman as a threat to Earth. After suffering fatal wounds, John Corben was experimented on by Professor Emmet Vale, who placed Corben in a cyborg body with a Kryptonite heart to stop Superman’s potential alien threat.
8 Parasite
Superman may be a boy scout, but his villains are straight from horror movies. Parasite has the immense power to drain the life energy out of organic matter, a humanoid leech that desires the ultimate power of the sun that resides in Superman. It’s pretty grotesque, and extremely threatening to Metropolis and Superman.
Rudy Jones was Parasite and started as a humble janitor in S.T.A.R. Labs before an accident transformed him into a monster, hellbent on feeding off of energy. His size can grow, and his hunger is never quenchable.
7 Mongul
Superman has been absent from the DCEU for far too long, and perhaps Man of Steel 2 can act as a story that delves into just why Superman has been missing. Other than a few mentions and brief infamous headless cameos, Superman’s disappearance could be explained through Mongul, the tyrant dictator of Warworld.
Warworld is interesting in itself and acts as a place where creatures and beings across the galaxy are turned into slaves for gladiator combat. To see Superman free an oppressed people from another world, whilst battling Mongul and gladiators, could be a true thrill.
6 Brainiac
Few Superman villains have a deep-rooted connection to the character more than Brainiac. The villain features as a cosmic threat, one that could threaten the existence of Superman, and what he knows about his homeworld of Krypton.
Brainiac boasts of a twelfth-level intellect, and hatred for Superman. He has a vast thirst for knowledge, even at the cost of planets and the billions of lives among them. Knowledge is valuable as a rarity when only he possesses it, and Superman may want to know more about Krypton, as well as rescue the bottled city of Kandor, which remains in Brainiac’s possession.
5 Lex Luthor
There are those in the universe that may hate Superman for his power and his goodness, but few hate more than Lex Luthor. For Lex, Superman is in the way of his ego. An alien that has usurped the greatness that he thought he alone could possess. Jesse Eisenberg presented a complex, different, and divisive take on the character of Batman v Superman, and perhaps could see a more humbled return to the DCEU.
The development of Lex Luthor in the DCEU from a youthful egomaniac, to a more serious and determined hater of Superman, could be a ball to see, especially in the grand scope of all things Superman-related. After all, this is his nemesis.
4 Black Adam
The hierarchy of power in the DC Universe has been threatened by the arrival of Black Adam, played by Dwayne Johnson. It has been over a decade in the making, and Johnson has spent years trying to make the fight of the century between Black Adam and Superman a reality.
With the post-credits scene of Black Adam showing the triumphant return of Superman, perhaps the two will go toe-to-toe in a Superman sequel, or even have a rematch inside it, depending on how long it takes for Man of Steel 2 to come out. After all, one of Superman’s weaknesses is magic.
3 Mr. Mxyzptlk
Comics are home to all sorts of bizarre events, and it doesn’t get more bizarre than the Fifth Dimension. Mr. Mxyzptlk is an imp that originates from the Fifth Dimension and usually spends his infinite free time visiting and harassing Superman, by making the Kryptonian embark on whacky antics.
It might be completely out of place for Mr. Mxyzptlk to enter the DCEU, but it would surely create a more cosmic scope, especially since Earth has been the primary focus of all DCEU films, other than Apokolips’ brief tease in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Mr. Mxyzptlk would add a zaniness to Superman’s light tone.
2 Bizarro
There’s a lot of opportunity for themes around identity and disappointment with the inclusion of Bizarro. The character has been in comics for decades, and speaks in a rather bizarre and reversed pattern, where “kill” means “save”, and such. Bizarro is the reverse Superman but is not entirely a bad guy, he is just easily manipulated.
In more recent years, Bizarro has been presented as a failed clone of Superman through Lex Luthor’s efforts. Lex even felt somewhat of a kinship to Bizarro. The character’s appearance could be explained as an attempt to bring Superman back to the dead after he sacrificed his life to defeat Doomsday.
1 Darkseid
Perhaps the ultimate “big bad” of the DC Universe, Darkseid is the ultimate threat to life. He seeks the enslavement of all organisms with the Anti-Life Equation and rules over Apokolips with great power and a lack of mercy. His Omega Beams are mighty and will track their targets no matter how fast and far they run.
Darkseid has been alluded to in 2017’s Justice League and was seen in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Audiences are aware that Darkseid has plans for Superman, and perhaps the entirely good Superman will stand for truth and justice against the might of Darkseid and his Female Furies.