Man of Steel 2 is in development, ushering in a whole new era for the man from Krypton and the rest of the DCU. With his recent appearance in the Black Adam post-credits scene, now we know that Henry Cavill will be dawning the cape once more to protect Earth from huge interplanetary threats. But with his history in the DCU and the changes he’s experienced, where could we see Superman when he appears back in the DC universe? There are a lot of villains out there for him to fight, and watching him square up to Black Adam in that post-credits scene was quite telling of where his story could be going.
Superman could face other villains in Man of Steel 2. Perhaps filmmakers will use this as an opportunity, not just to have another regular Superman vs. supervillain boxing match, but to expand the DCU as a whole. Superman could face a smaller villain that would only lead to a much bigger threat for the whole DC universe. Or Black Adam’s challenge could set up a crossover film based on a very real comic book rivalry. Man of Steel 2 has a lot of places it could go; let’s speculate!
Superman Could Fight Intergang and Black Adam
DC Comics
One minor villain that was set up in Black Adam was Intergang. They patrolled Kahndaq, controlling its populous and making weapons out of Eternium, a rare element found there. In the comics, Intergang more often operates in Metropolis, regularly running a black market of alien weapons and secret technology. They are led by the crime boss Bruno Manheim who often uses these advanced weapons to keep Superman from destroying their criminal enterprise.
Intergang is pretty much just a souped-up mafia, and normally they’re too small-time for Superman to deal with. But now that they’ve made an enemy of Black Adam in this recent film, Superman might get involved with exactly how justice should be dealt to these low-level criminals. Maybe Black Adam will seek revenge on the members of Intergang for doing such damage to Kahndaq. He could follow them to Metropolis and, when he arrives, start destroying the city in pursuit of his enemy. This wonton destruction would motivate Superman to return to his home city and attempt to teach Black Adam a lesson in proportional response.
Superman Could Fight Major DC Villains Such as Brainiac and Zod
The super-intelligent Brainiac regularly fights Superman in his constant battle to conquer Earth. Having been sentenced to death on his home planet of Colu, the villain’s consciousness took over the body of a low-level telepath here on Earth. Eventually, using his super intellect, he grew a new body for himself and constructed several super suits in order to fight Superman. He continually uses telekinesis and advanced robotic technology to take on Superman, and his intelligent plans often require several DC superheroes to get involved in order to defeat him. He’s one of DC’s biggest villains and is a huge threat to the universe. He’s also one of the most requested villains to be seen in a big production.
General Zod is also a good option for a villain. Though Superman defeated Zod in the first Man of Steel, he is still floating somewhere in space, trapped in the phantom zone. But if he were to return, it would be a nice touch to the Man of Steel franchise, connecting the movies with one of Superman’s more personal conflicts. Releasing Zod from the phantom zone would also raise questions about how it was possible for him to escape. He might’ve needed aid from a bigger, badder villain, and his return could set up possibilities for a significant conflict down the line.
Darkseid's Epic Return
A big question coming up about the DCU is which version of the Justice League movie should be considered canon. While it is officially accepted that the theatrical cut is the canonical version of the movie, recent changes to DC’s management might leave a window open to alter the timeline slightly. Depending on how DC chooses to look at it, the Anti-Life equation and Darkseid could still be very real threats to Earth.
Alternatively, it’s possible that the Old Gods could have actually destroyed Darkseid, and that’s the end of that. Many fans, despite generally thinking that the Snyder Cut was a better version of the movie, want Darkseid to return. Some believe that Darkseid was far too weak in that version of Justice League, and it would be better for him to be somewhat equivalent to the MCU’s Thanos.
It’s always possible that what we see in Man of Steel 2 could set up the rest of the DCU for a big confrontation later in the franchise. He might fight a smaller but still dangerous villain, somewhat like Steppenwolf, that would act as a precursor to Darkseid.