Superman returns, or at least so it appears. Recent reports indicate that Warner Bros. Discovery is moving forward on a long-awaited Man of Steel 2 with Henry Cavill set to reprise his role as Superman, his first time since 2017’s Justice League. Dwayne Johnson has been sprinkling in expectations to see Cavill’s Superman appear in Black Adam, setting up a showdown between the two characters.

Cavill’s return as Superman would be a welcome one for fans, and with the possibility of Man of Steel 2 on the horizon, it raises a question of which villain will be featured in the movie. Superman has a great collection of villains in the comics, yet when it comes to his many film appearances they have mainly stuck with Lex Luthor (who has appeared in five of Superman’s seven live-action films), General Zod, or made-up new characters like Nuclear Man in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.

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The DCEU has made attempts to introduce other Superman foes like Doomsday, Darkseid, and Bloodsport but there are still plenty of iconic foes that have yet to grace the silver screen that would make for worthy opponents in Man of Steel 2. These are the five villains we think would make for great villains in Man of Steel 2.

Mr. Mxyzptlk

     DC Comics

Mr. Mxyzptlk is certainly a difficult name to pronounce, and this fifth-dimensional imp might seem like an odd pick to pit against Superman in a movie. After all, Superman films are often linked to science fiction given his alien heritage, and Mxyzptlk is a character with links to magic, but it is for that reason the character would make a great foe for a Superman movie. Neither the character nor the audience would have any frame of reference for how a character of great physical strength deals with a trickster god-like character.

Worth noting is that Mr. Mxyzptlk was also revealed as the grand final enemy of Alan Moore’s acclaimed “What Ever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow,” which was the final story for the original Golden Age Superman. The character has unlimited power which makes him a great fit for the strongest superhero in the DC Universe.

Livewire

Livewire, like Harley Quinn, originated not from the comics but from the animated series running in the 1990s. Livewire, real name Leslie Willis, originally was a shock jock but in other incarnations has been reimagined as a social media star and a content creator to keep the character relevant for a modern audience. She uses her platform to trash Superman, and one day is given electrical superpowers.

While the powerset and blue appearance may sound a bit similar to Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Livewire as a villain can examine how the media reports on Superman. She uses her platform to spread hate and misinformation, making her a foil for Superman’s alter ego Clark Kent who works for a credible newspaper. While Superman has to fight an enemy with raw untapped power, Clark Kent must win over the people from bad faith journalism and the public who buys into concepts like ‘fake news.’ Livewire could make for a very topical and timely Superman foe.

Metallo

     Warner Bros.

Superman in the DCEU has been a character defined by the world’s mistrust of him. It would stand to reason the government would create their own “Man of Steel,” a superhero they could control to stand opposed to Superman if he were to ever turn on him. Enter Metallo, who in the comics is a man named John Corbin who is enhanced with machine parts and is powered by a Kryptonite heart making him the perfect deterrent against Superman.

Metallo as the villain stands as a great contrast to Superman. Metallo follows any order without question and works for one single party while Superman operates for the betterment of everyone. If Metallo is a soldier created by the government, he stands as the embodiment of Superman’s original catchphrase “Truth, Justice and the American Way” and allows the filmmakers to examine exactly what that means in a modern context and assert Superman’s new catchphrase “Truth, Justice, and a Better Tomorrow.”

Mongul

While Darkseid is typically the alien ruler most fans think of, Mongul is another worthy opponent for Superman that does not require as much lore as Darkseid does. Mongul operates ancient alien starcraft known as the Warworld, a massive Death Star-like ship that is an artificial planet that Mongul rules over. He is an alien conqueror and was created in the comics specifically to pose a threat to Superman. The character is most famous for his appearance in the iconic Alan Moore storyline “What Do You Get For the Man Who Has Everything” which sees Mongul gift Superman an alien parasite known as the Black Mercy which traps him in a dream-like state where Superman lives a happy life of Krypton.

Mongul’s presence in the DCEU was teased already with his daughter Mongal appearing in The Suicide Squad. How and why the daughter of this alien titan was on Earth and working for a government black ops team was unclear and one of the great world-building mysteries, but it lays the groundwork for Mongul to come to Earth and seek revenge for his daughter and making Superman the one person on planet Earth who can stop him.

Brainiac

When it comes to Superman villains, the one that fans have been clamoring for years to see on the big screen has been Brainiac. The character was considered as the villain for Superman III and Tim Burton’s Superman Lives film. He was also floated as the villain for both a sequel to Superman Returns and the original plans for Man of Steel 2 yet they never came to pass. With reports of a new Superman movie in the works, Brainiac is the perfect foe for Superman.

Brainiac has many different origins in the comics, but the most common aspect of his character is that he is an extraterrestrial android/cyborg who travels the galaxy seeking knowledge. In most incarnations, he is responsible for shrinking the Kryptonian city of Kandor and in some versions is responsible for the destruction of Krypton. Brainiac in Man of Steel 2 allows Clark to confront a villain with links to his home world. He can also save the bottle city of Kandor and provide Superman with a living link to his people, a chance to restore some level of Kryptonian civilization. For Superman to fully move on with his future, he must confront a ghost of his people’s past.