8 Villains Who Could Feature In Man of Steel 2

After Batman hijacked the original plan for Man of Steel 2 so that it became Batman V Superman, it looked like Supes' solo adventures on the big screen were at an end. Recently, however, it was revealed that Warner Bros. have put another Man of Steel movie into active development – which caused much speculation about what the new film could be about. Chiefly, the big question fans want to know the answer to is just who the movie's villain will be. With three of Superman’s biggest foes already accounted for – General Zod was in Man of Steel, Lex Luthor appeared in Batman V Superman and Darkseid surely has to turn up in the Justice League movies – just who the Last Son of Krypton will face in the Man of Steel sequel is still up for grabs.... 8) General Sam Lane Firstly, General Sam Lane is a familiar character to TV audiences – after having recurring roles on Smallville and Supergirl – but he has never appeared in the movies. A no-nonsense military man who hates Superman, the interesting twist is that he's the father of Lois Lane. Though Superman interacting with his practical father-in-law would be interesting, Lane turning up would also hopefully mean that Amy Adams would get more to do as Lois. General Lane is perhaps somewhat like Amanda Waller – someone who's so obsessed with ensuring the protection of the people to the extent that they often crossover into making the wrong decisions. For instance, Lane’s distrust of Supes often leads him to ally himself with Lex Luthor. The character might not be a big enough threat to carry the main villain role, but he could be a strong secondary antagonist in the movie. 7) Cyborg Superman Hank Henshaw was a NASA scientist whose wife was killed and his body damaged in deadly solar flare accidentally caused by Superman. As revenge, Henshaw uses Supes’ DNA and Kryptonian tech to create himself a new form that resembles Superman and goes about trying to destroy his reputation. Cyborg Superman would be the perfect foe for Man of Steel 2 if they want to carry on with the same tone as the previous DCEU Superman outings. As he's somewhat responsible for the villain’s creation, it would neatly continue the recurring themes of Superman’s actions having major consequences. It previously seemed like we were about to see Cyborg Superman on screen when his human alter ego Hank Henshaw was introduced in Supergirl. However, that character turned out to be Martian Manhunter instead, in a clever bait-and-switch move. 6) Metallo Metallo, otherwise known as John Corben, is someone that many fans have been calling for to be brought to the screen. It turns out it might have already happened, too, if Man of Steel 2 had been put into production earlier. Zack Snyder has previously stated that the kryptonite-powered cyborg was to be the main villain of the original MoS 2 before it became Batman V Superman. Subsequently, Metallo’s creator, Professor Emmett Vale, made a cameo in BvS as one of Lex Luthor’s scientists. Given that overwhelming evidence, Metallo would have been at the top of our list to make an appearance in Man of Steel 2. However, it was recently revealed that the character will be appearing in the next season of Supergirl. Wouldn’t DC keep a hold on the character if they were planning something major for him on the big screen? 5) Mongul A warlord from the planet, er, Warworld, Mongul is one of the toughest Superman foes around. Fond of partaking in gladiatorial battles, he can match the Man of Steel in strength, stamina and near-invulnerability. Fighting him in Man of Steel 2 wouldn’t be a walk in the park, then. Mongul is most known for being the main villain of the revered For The Man Who Has Everything comic by Watchmen creators Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. That storyline - which saw Superman trapped in a perfect dream world where Krypton never perished - could be a fascinating one to adapt for the big screen. If the DCEU is looking for more of the same for Man of Steel 2, then Mongul could be in luck, as he's something of a cross between the cosmic evil of Darkseid and the militaristic villainy of General Zod. 4) Parasite When janitor Rudy Jones comes into contact with radioactive material, he becomes a monster with the ability to feed off the life force of others. Of course, this doesn’t work with Superman, but instead Parasite is able to drain the hero of his powers – making him a tough foe to defeat. Many have called Cavill’s Superman unrelatable, so removing his powers for the majority of the film could be a very canny way of making him more down to earth. Another reason Parasite could be a good one to feature in Man of Steel 2 is because his creation is tied in with Darkseid in the comics. As the sequel will most likely arrive in the wake of the Justice League movies, the villain could serve as a welcome follow-through between the films. They're all part of one big Extended Universe, after all. 3) Lobo DC have been trying to get a Lobo movie going for years (with Guy Ritchie once attached to direct and Dwayne Johnson to star), but it has never gotten out of development hell. Clearly a solo film is not the way to go, then. Instead, maybe they should find a different way of introducing him to audiences. Perhaps as the villain in the next Superman movie? With the look of Gene Simmons crossed with a biker, Lobo is an interplanetary bounty hunter who gained a huge amount of popularity in the grim n’ gritty period of comics in the 1990s. Which is kind of ironic, as he was originally intended as a parody of the movement. Just as strong as Superman, Lobo has been known to go toe to toe with the Kryptonian and win. In short, he’s a worthy foe for the hero with lots of spinoff potential. 2) Bizarro Literally the anti-Superman, Bizarro is one of the Man of Steel’s oldest foes and has been continually revised over the years - which means there would be lot of ripe material for Man of Steel 2 to mine. Traditionally, Bizarro is an alternate version of Superman from the Bizarro dimension where everything is the exact opposite from the regular universe. For instance, the reverse S emblem on his chest. While that rendition would be too goofy for the DCEU, there is a lot of potential to do a modern incarnation of the character. Maybe Lex Luthor refines his Doomsday project and makes a clone of Superman? This Bizarro could be presented as a tragic Frankenstein’s monster type who, like the real Superman, would be the only one of his kind. All right, maybe that would stray a little too close to Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, but the idea could still have legs. 1) Brainiac The odds-on favourite to go against Henry Cavill in Man of Steel 2, however, is Brainiac. It’s not hard to see why – the villain is most probably the biggest Superman antagonist not yet adapted to film. Not including Darkseid, of course, as it has been all but confirmed that he will appear in Justice League. Brainiac is ripe for a movie appearance as he's both a formidable opponent and has a personal history with Superman, or at least his race. He's often depicted as a highly intelligent android who shrunk the Kryptonian city of Kandor. Interestingly, the viral marketing campaign for Batman v Superman already hinted at a DCEU version of Brainiac. A mocked-up website introduced the Lex/OS, apparently the world’s first operating system to have autonomous thought. Clearly, Luthor has not seen Avengers: Age of Ultron, or he'd know that this is not a good idea....