The DC Universe just gave us its own rendition of Rocket Raccoon’s MCU origins with one character whose story may be more messed up than the Guardians of the Galaxy hero’s own. While the DCU timeline is still in its infancy, the releases we’ve gotten for the franchise so far have introduced a colossal range of characters.

One such DCU character is especially notable for having a backstory that sees them be made sentient by a cruel creator who disregards their free will and considers them the prototype for their later, “better” work. This is interesting by itself, but also for the way it mirrors Rocket Raccoon’s own origins, despite the pair otherwise being polar opposites.

Superman Effectively Makes Lex Luthor Into The DCU’s High Evolutionary Thanks To One Character

While Ultraman – Superman’s clone who Lex uses to fight the Man of Steel – is naturally the focal figure in Superman when it comes to Luthor’s creations, he isn’t the sole character Lex made. Indeed, Lex’s first DCU creation is also an undeniably interesting figure, first and foremost because he’s an eyeless supernatural-looking enтιтy called Mr. Handsome.

Prior to Superman‘s release, director and DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn teased a little about what to expect from the unusual figure, and how his story connects to Lex Luthor’s own in the DC Universe. In a June 2025 interview with Fandango, Gunn stated that Mr. Handsome was:

“Lex’s creature that he created in a petri dish that drives around on this flying platform that is the ugliest, grossest creature in the world.”

Later, Gunn clarified on social media that “Lex created Mr. Handsome in a Petri dish when he was 12 – he was trying to make a human. He didn’t come out so well, but he just might be the only one in the world Lex has any true sentiment for, as evidenced by the pH๏τo on his desk.”

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Mr. Handsome’s backstory as Lex’s first successful attempt at creating fully sentient life shows Luthor has been able to play god since 12. Based on Superman‘s plot, it also seems his first successful creation essentially became his subject – since Mr. Handsome is shown basically being Lex’s chaffeur in the pocket dimension – effectively making Luthor into the DCU’s High Evolutionary.

Though the blink-and-you-miss-it Superman easter egg that is Mr. Handsome’s DCU debut means the film doesn’t focus on the moral implications of this, it’s hard to not sympathize with the character. Based on his behavior, it doesn’t seem Luthor’s “sentiment” for Mr. Handsome translates to any real compᴀssion or respect – or even clothes, despite having tried to make him human.

Mr. Handsome’s Brief Cameo Makes His Story Even More Troubling

While the MCU’s High Evolutionary story is a deeply tragic one for those he experiments on – evidenced by just how immensely sad Rocket’s early life looks when shown in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – the franchise does begin with at least Rocket having escaped his clutches. For Mr. Handsome, however, it seems there may be no escape.

Though Gunn’s added backstory at least suggests Mr. Handsome’s name may not be the cruel joke it initially seemed it could be, Luthor’s perception of Mr. Handsome appear to reflect the High Evolutionary’s own when it comes to Rocket – that of pride in creating sentient life, but disrespect and disregard for the free will and humanity of these creatures also.

Indeed, while there’s plenty of reason to hope the unusual enтιтy makes another appearance, there’s no storyline that strictly requires his return, which means Mr. Handsome’s story may be even sadder in some aspects than Rocket’s own. If we don’t see the character again, it’s likely he either died in the pocket dimension’s collapse, or is still serving Lex off-screen.

That said, James Gunn’s history of taking more background characters – like The Suicide Squad’s Weasel or Polka-Dot Man, or Rocket himself – and giving them more focal stories does suggest this is perhaps not the end for Mr. Handsome. As such, it seems possible for the character to perhaps at least get a brighter future.

The Behind-The-Scenes Story For Mr. Handsome Makes A More Hopeful Future Seem Possible

While Lex doesn’t appear to hold Mr. Handsome in exactly high regard, he does clearly hold some feelings for his first creation. This is evidenced by Gunn’s previous statement that the creature “might be the only one in the world Lex has any true sentiment for”, and as Luthor keeps a picture of Handsome on his work desk also.

As such, it doesn’t seem impossible for Luthor’s changed life circumstances to perhaps also see him readdress how he treats his original creation – especially if Mr. Handsome ends up one of his few loyal followers in Superman‘s aftermath. Inversely, Superman‘s ending makes it possible for someone like Superman or Mr. Terrific to hunt back down the unfortunate-seeming enтιтy.

With Mr. Handsome seemingly not being directly drawn from the comics – as the comic Mr. Handsome is an average human criminal – there’s a lot of room for the DC Universe to forge new paths forward with this kind of bizarre but undeniably fascinating story. This seems doubly possible given James Gunn’s own self-described affinity for the character.

All in all, Superman managing to give Mr. Handsome its own messed up version of Rocket Raccoon’s MCU backstory in the background of the 2025 film is as impressive as it is surreal. Hopefully, the DC Universe‘s future follows up on one of its most unusual characters going forward, whether that’s to build him a brighter future or not.