By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 53 seconds ago
Part of why James Gunn’s Superman was such a good movie is that it was a relatively self-contained adventure that still planted interesting seeds for future projects. One of those seeds was the surprise appearance of a party-loving Supergirl, which set her up for her own solo spinoff film. Lex Luthor’s arrest, meanwhile, set up his fun cameo in Peacemaker and his future appearance in Superman: The Man of Tomorrow. We also saw Superman’s evil clone disappear into a black hole, which some fans saw as the end of his story. However, many others are convinced that this is setting him up to be the Big Bad of a future DCU film.
For example, it’s possible that the clone ended up in a different universe. That universe may be the DCU’s version of Earth 2, a world ruled by an evil Justice League. If so, the clone may reappear as Ultraman, who is the leader of that evil league in the comics. However, there is a different theory: based on his outfit in Superman, the clone may eventually resurface as Doomsday, the villain capable of outright killing Superman. It’s a cool theory, but if James Gunn chooses to go this route, audiences will be unimpressed. Why is that? Simple: this exact plot already appeared in the TV show Superman & Lois!
Attack Of The Clone
Early on in Superman, we discover that our titular hero has, shockingly, gotten his butt kicked by a guy named the “Hammer of Boravia.” Who could actually go toe to toe with the Man of Steel? Eventually, we learn the surprising truth: the Hammer of Boravia is actually Lex Luthor’s pet clone of Superman, one who can be given remote commands during battle. It looks like the clone might actually beat Superman near the end, but he gets tossed into a black hole. But fans have long suspected he might have ended up somewhere in the multiverse, especially after Peacemaker confirmed the existence of other realities.
One theory is that he ended up on Earth 2, from which he will eventually lead an evil Justice League. However, other fans have theorized that he could come back as Doomsday. While the clone doesn’t have Doomsday’s rocky face, he did wear a suit and mask very similar to what Doomsday wore in the comics, right down to the goggles. While this would be cool onscreen, it would also be more than a bit derivative. In Superman & Lois, Bizarro was an evil Superman clone that Lex Luthor transformed into Doomsday. Should this happen in the DCU, it may cause some fans to worry that James Gunn is officially out of ideas.
A Classic Comic Villain Returns
Obviously, all new comic book media borrows from what came before, so the DCU was always destined to have some similarities to previous DC media. Nonetheless, a major part of this cinematic universe’s success has been surprising us with beloved characters who are very different from previous onscreen appearances. Superman & Lois was a great show, one that all DC fans owe it to themselves to watch. But if Gunn ends up stealing the show’s idea of turning an evil Superman clone into Doomsday, future DCU movies may bomb like Supergirl did. After all, why head to the theater for a “new” story when you can just watch the reruns they stole from?
Obviously, we don’t know what the future holds (if anything) for the evil Superman clone. Should he return as Doomsday, Ultraman, or even just as himself, it won’t be until the third Superman film at the absolute earliest. Of course, we’ll be lucky to have a DCU by then; with Supergirl being a critical and commercial flop, Warner Bros. may completely reevaluate its approach to future superhero movies. That may mean getting a new leader to bring this cinematic universe to life. Who will it be? One thing’s for sure: it’s not going to be a clone (evil or otherwise) of James Gunn!
