One Superman villain has only been adapted to live-action once, and his TV appearance was so bad that DC Studios could redeem him just by bringing him into the DCU. James Gunn’s upcoming Superman movie will introduce the Man of Steel’s archnemesis Lex Luthor, played by Nicholas Hoult, as well as other antagonists such as Maria Gabriela de Faría’s the Engineer, a mysterious metahuman who appears to possess some of Superman’s abilities, and a fire-breathing kaiju. The DCU will already be populated by a wide variety of metahumans by the time Superman‘s plot takes place, meaning that several Superman villains may already exist by then.
Throughout the years, many of Superman’s classic villains have been adapted to live-action on the big and the small screen. Live-action Superman movies have repeatedly presented new versions of Lex Luthor and General Zod, and the DCU introduced the first-ever big-screen adaptations of Doomsday and Darkseid. Meanwhile, Superman TV shows have explored the Man of Steel’s comic book lore much more deeply. For instance, Supergirl introduced comic-accurate versions of Parasite and Metallo, Krypton introduced Brainiac and Lobo, and Superman & Lois featured Bizarro. Even Mister Mxyzptlk, Atomic Skull, and Manchester Black have made small appearances in Superboy, Superman & Lois, and Smallville, respectively.
Cyborg Superman’s Only Live-Action Appearance Was So Bad His Actor And Show Admitted It
David Harewood’s Cyborg Superman Had A Short-Lived Story In Supergirl
David Harewood played both J’onn J’onzz and Hank Henshaw in Supergirl seasons 1 and 2, which revealed that the famous Martian Manhunter had been impersonating Hank Henshaw after the latter’s death. Henshaw later returned in the form of a cyborg, calling himself “Cyborg Superman” due to his enhanced abilities. However, Supergirl‘s Cyborg Superman had no connection to Kal El, and his arc had little impact on the series’ overall story. David Harewood himself admitted Cyborg Superman was cheap-looking and boring, and Supergirl immediately discarded the villain’s storyline to put more focus on the fan-favorite J’onn J’onzz. Otherwise, Cyborg Superman remains completely absent from live-action.
Cyborg Superman Fits Perfectly Within Superman’s DCU Lore
Cyborg Superman’s Comic Book Origin Suits The DCU’s Current Landscape
James Gunn’s Superman takes place in a world filled with metahumans, superheroes, and supervillains. In fact, the Superman trailer reveals Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor owns a state-of-the-art LexCorp building in Metropolis, setting the stage for Cyborg Superman’s comic-accurate origin story. In the comics, Hank Henshaw experiences a disastrous accident during a LexCorp space shuttle mission, and he merges with LexCorp’s technology after his original body dies. Reborn as Cyborg Superman, Hank Henshaw becomes a supervillain set on killing Superman and replacing him. After Supergirl‘s inaccurate and “boring” Cyborg Superman adaptation, the DCU could present a faithful take on the often overlooked villain.
If the DCU doesn’t adapt Hank Henshaw’s transformation into Cyborg Superman accurately, the franchise can still link his origin to other characters. For example, Sean Gunn’s Maxwell Lord seems to be more involved in the superhero scene than Pedro Pascal’s, which makes him likely to search for Superman replacements that could lead to the creation of a cybernetic Superman copy. Whatever way the DCU could choose to introduce him, Cyborg Superman could be an exciting antagonist for David Corenswet’s Superman in a franchise that does him justice.
Upcoming DC Movie Releases
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Superman
- Release Date
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July 11, 2025
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Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow
- Release Date
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June 26, 2026
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The Batman Part II
- Release Date
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October 1, 2027
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