Superman, classic enemies and who's left in the New 52

[exile001]

Okay, so this is a two-part post.

1, who is your favourite Superman enemy? I have made this multile choice, so feel free to pick as many as you like.

2, what can be done to elevate/redeem/return classic Superman enemies?

One of the great logics of comicdom is that a hero is only as great as his enemies, and more marketable for having enemies marketable outside of the comic universe.

Basically, Superman currently has a real problem with his greatest and most recognisable enemies. He actually has relatively few and many are currently off the board.

Luthor is off limits in the Justice League, Metallo is a hero, Brainiac has been elevated to a universal threat, Doomsday is dead, Bizarro is featuring in a comedy mini-series, Maxima is gay, it goes on.

So, who is your favourite Superman enemy, either on the list or not, and what should be done to bring recognisible, recurring threats to Superman's universe?

Discuss.

P.S. I originally left off Darkseid, as he is currenlty a Justice League level threat and I don't think that's changing soon, but I kinda regret doing so now and can't figure out how to change the poll. Ha ha.

[Auguste Dupin]

OKay, so this is a two-part post.

Basically, Superman currently has a real problem with his greatest and most recognisable enemies. He actually has relatively few and many are currently off the board.

Luthor is off limits in the Justice League, Metallo is a hero, Brainiac has been eleavted to a universal threat, Doomsday is dead, Bizarro is featuring in a comedy mini-series, it goes on.

So, who is your favourite Superman enemy, either on the list or not, and what should be done to bring recognisible threats to Superman's universe?

Discuss.

These two don't seem much of a problem to me.
Brainiac may technically be a universal threat, but he's only been featured in Superman stories and crossovers (except Convergence, I suppose), with Superman being the one who does 80% of the work to defeat him. So he's perfectly usable, especially with his tendency not to die no matter what.
As for Metallo, well, he may be technically a "hero", but it's not like it would take much to bring him back to villainy. And considering the current context, it wouldn't take much effort to have him and Superman in antagonists positions once again,even if he stays a member of the military either. If anything, having him more of an antagonist and less of a villain per say can only give the character a few more layers, since Metallo is usually nothing more than an unidimensionnal thug who ends up playing the superpowered goons for Luthoror Intergang.
Anyway, with Superman being on the weaker side these days, it would be a good opportunity to bring back revamped take on his weaker ennemies, like Prankster or Toyman.

[DrNewGod]

...Metallo is a hero...

...As for Metallo, well, he may be technically a "hero", but it's not like it would take much to bring him back to villainy. And considering the current context, it wouldn't take much effort to have him and Superman in antagonists positions once again,even if he stays a member of the military either. If anything, having him more of an antagonist and less of a villain per say can only give the character a few more layers, since Metallo is usually nothing more than an unidimensionnal thug who ends up playing the superpowered goons for Luthoror Intergang.

You could easily clap a black hat back on Metallo by looking to the Silver Age. The original Metallo died pretty early on, only to be replaced by his vengeful and more dangerous brother. That could work here if you whack Metallo in a manner than makes his heretofore unseen brother hold Superman responsible.

[exile001]

Personally, I was always a fan of Conduit and would love to see him return.

From the list:

Lex Luthor - Obviously the greatest, very glad he is back to corporate Lex, while retaining the super-suit. Get him out of JL asap.
Brainiac - I like the enhanced threat (though disliked Morisson's reintroduction), but we should probably have drones show up as a threat for more regular appearences. Would LOVE more B13.
Zod/Faora/Jax-Ur/other Kryptonian - Not a big fan of Kryptonian survivors to be honest. Zod is the classic reverse of the main hero, so is definetely worth keeping. I like pre-Crisis Faora, too.
Toyman - Hard one this. I enjoyed the post-Crisis version (yes, even THAT issue), but he is a hard one to really see as a threat to Superman.
Prankster - Buseik got this spot on in Up, Up and Away.
Mongul - As stated in another thread, I loved pre-Crisis Mongul. He was as powerful as Superman, but a trained warrior. They regularly stale-mated.
Parasite - I'm fine with him. Get him out of Suicide Squad and maybe give him a solid purpose.
Mr Mxyzptlk - Love him, but Morisson pretty much tied up his entire New-52 existence (extremely well, IMO).
Bizarro - I preferred the tragic character of the post-Crisis stories. Johns toyed with this in Forever Evil and Lobdell never pulled the trigger on as H'El... I don't know.
Metallo - Hate everything about him in New-52.
Cyborg (Superman) - Hate that in New-52 he is Zor-El, but like the motivation that he considers himself perfection and dispises anything less.
The Legion of Super-Villains - while I don't want Clark to have been Superboy or part of LoSH, his inspiration to LoSH could be a source of antagonism and it'd be fun to see them traversing time for revenge.
Doomsday - I like Doomsday a lot, but it was super-nerfed in Doomed (although the concept was cool). Hopefully, the weird transition in Action, where it became a huge chrystaline thing leave a return open.
Gog/Magog - Really like Tomasi's version, though he is a bit depowered. Knowing Tomasi, he has more planned.
H'El - Okay, I wanted to put in a New-52 enemy and I quite liked H'El's arcs. There's plenty of room for a return.

[exile001]

You could easily clap a black hat back on Metallo by looking to the Silver Age. The original Metallo died pretty early on, only to be replaced by his vengeful and more dangerous brother. That could work here if you whack Metallo in a manner than makes his heretofore unseen brother hold Superman responsible.

Very true. I tend to forget SA Metallo, to be honest. Also, Metallo vs Metallo with a much better design) ith Superman in the middle would be cool.

[exile001]

To be clear, as I posted about Maxima before properly updating my thought and now can't update (obviously not meaning to just dismiss her as "gay"); As per Supergirl, Maxima is not attracted to males and is very attracted to Kara. This gives great scope for her to be a Supergirl friend/enemy, but kinda removes her motivation as a Superman enemy. That said, if she becomes obsessed with SG, it could crossover.

Same thought on Silver Banshee having a basis as a Supergirl character.

[superduperman]

Well. how about making some of his villains a little darker? Like Batman darker. Make Toyman an assassin for hire who uses toys to plant bombs to kill his targets. Or a serial killer who targets children using toys. Make Terra Man a xenophobe who hates aliens and wants to drive Superman and all other aliens off of Earth. And he has a growing fan base who agrees with him. Have the Kryptonite in his chest slowly making Metallo insane. Create an Earth 0 version of Solomon Grundy. Make Mongul a warrior who travels the universe looking for "worthy" opponents. And of course Superman is in his radar. Turn Prankster into a Joker like character for Superman. He has no real motive except just to annoy Superman for his own amusement. And he doesn't care who he hurts to do it. I don't see Bizarro as a serious character outside of making him a sort of un-living creature that can't be killed and doesn't think. But they seem to have made up their minds about him and gone in a more humorous route. I would opt for something a little more like what Morrison did in All Star. Doomsday and Parasite are fine the way they are. I don't want Doomsday showing up every issue anyway. He's supposed to be a one time "big bad". If Maxima isn't available maybe we can create a Maxima allegory that drains men of their "essence". The more she absorbs, the stronger she gets. Obviously Superman would be a perfect target. Never much liked Mxy. I would probably do away with him if it were up to me. Brainiac, if I had my way, would be an alien computer presence that would go from world to world "cataloging" each world by destroying them. He was created millions of years ago on Colu and long since devoured that world. Maybe make him responsible for the destruction of Krypton. But he's also a character that DC seems to have made up their minds about and that's fine. I don't know that their version is too much different than mine anyway. Maybe give him a dictator of a small ME country. An Assad like figure who kills his own people who dare rise up against him. But because a large chunk of Kryptonite landed in his country, Superman can't even fly too close to the ground there without getting weakened. Making him a realistic threat he can't touch. Sort of a Dr. Doom figure. He has diplomatic immunity so no one can touch him. He also funds various terrorist groups. Maybe an assassin for hire that has a suit that lets him turn invisible and has sonic devices that are so high, they damage Superman's ear drums. Don't be afraid to get creative.

[Jon Clark]

You left off Superman's first foe, the Ultra-Humanite.

I know there was a recent attempt to bring him back in Action, But I'd hope that one is forgotten (at least as a modern user of the name). I'd rather have back a body-swapping rival for Lex.

Picture an opponent who can be anyone. Instead of the old brain transplant- this guy is a disembodied psyche who takes over people's bodies. He discards lives like you or I discard empty soda cans and with about as much thought. A scientist on Lex's level who might be housed inside a child, or a prominent politician, or your best friend. But for whatever reason there is something that prevents him from taking over Superman's body- which is his ultimate goal.

[Ascended]

With Maxima, I think a great option would be to leave her as she's been introduced; the dutiful royal heir apparent who will, if she must, marry and make little royal babies, but really likes girls and would rather do her own thing.

Her mother, on the other hand.....could be almost a carbon copy of the original, and still pursue Clark as the only worthy mate and gene-donor for the family bloodline (Almerac is big on assassinations after all, a Queen cant have too many daughters!). Taking that and adding her daughter into the mix could make Maxima a breakout character. They could both even have the same name, much like how sons in the real world will carry their father's name as either a Junior or "The Third" or whatever. It could be a little "Game of Thrones" tossed into Superman's world.

And Superman absolutely needs one or two Arkham worthy villains. I really miss the old child killer Toyman from the 90's. I mean, its really the only way to make such a concept a real threat to Superman. Him and/or Prankster seem perfectly placed for such a spiral into true evil. Sure, they're not a physical threat but they dont need to be. The Penguin isnt a physical threat for Batman, but he's still a good foe. Toyman could be the same.

Parasite needs motivation and a purpose. So does Metallo, but at least as a former soldier-turned-WMD searching for purpose, he's got some mileage in him, and being the pawn of greater minds is built into his character. Parasite has typically just been a savage brute looking to feed. If that's all hes going to be, then DC needs to own that and make him really scary. As it is, he's just...bland.

And I agree that the monster from Horrorville makes for a poor updated Ultra-Humanite. I liked that story and I enjoyed the monster, but the name doesnt fit. Ultra could be what Lex no longer is; the insane mad scientist, experimenting on anything and everything just because science demands it! Alternatively you could use the "enlightened villain" troupe with him and play him closer to his JLU cartoon appearances. Either way would work for me.

And while I also disliked the name, I liked the idea of the "Russian Zod". The DCU needs a good dictator type character (Black Adam works great but he's not getting enough play) similar to Doctor Doom. There's a lot you could do with that these days, and Superman has several villains who could be bent to fit that shape.

And I'd really love to see some of the villains Morrison introduced in Action explored more. As well as Conduit, Manchester Black, and Solaris the Tyrant Sun.

[Jon Clark]

[QUOTE=Ascended;1439276]Parasite needs motivation and a purpose. So does Metallo, but at least as a former soldier-turned-WMD searching for purpose, he's got some mileage in him, and being the pawn of greater minds is built into his character. Parasite has typically just been a savage brute looking to feed. If that's all hes going to be, then DC needs to own that and make him really scary. As it is, he's just...bland.[\QUOTE]

Imagine a more conflicted Parasite. Picture Galactus on a human scale. Whatever changed him into the Parasite removed the normal ways of nourishing himself. He doesn't want to feed off of people but his only other option is to die. He can feed off of animal life in general but it is inefficient. Absorbing the life of most domestic animals might give him a few minutes of normal movement, if he sits or lies very still he might last an hour or so. Absorbing the life of a regular guy might sustain him for a few hours, a day if he doesn't do much more than breathe. Someone like Superman is his best hope ... except that Superman's energies are like a drug to him. If he stayed rational he could absorb a limited amount of Pre-Truth Superman's power and survive for quite a while. Superman might even willingly lose 10% of his power for a few hours every month to keep Parasite alive. Unfortunately when absorbing that level of power he gets a rush that overrides his reason. He wants it all and any thought of conserving that power takes more willpower than he has.

I can picture a scenario where Parasite is at points a vigilante. A rational man who like Man-Bat in the recent JLA animated feature tries to limit himself to feeding on the dregs of society to maintain himself. He doesn't want to hurt innocent people. But as he starts to feel the hunger or has absorbed too much energy from a superbeing he begins to lose focus on doing anything but getting more energy regardless of the source. And Superman being torn by the dilemma of trying to help (is there a way to stabilize Parasite? Might there be a way to restore him to human?) and dealing with the threat (If I don't stop him he will kill someone).

[QUOTE=Ascended;1439276] And while I also disliked the name, I liked the idea of the "Russian Zod". The DCU needs a good dictator type character (Black Adam works great but he's not getting enough play) similar to Doctor Doom. There's a lot you could do with that these days, and Superman has several villains who could be bent to fit that shape.[\QUOTE]

Maybe they could find a way to revive Lexor. It could be like the Silver-Age a planet where Lex is seen as a hero. Or it could be re-imagined as an Earth-based small nation whose population shares Lex's view that Superman is a threat to humanity by his very presence. This could get around a few problems with Lex. One if Lexor has some resources that fund Lex we bypass the question of how Luthor can afford to create all this tech. And if said resources include stuff the US needs then Lex doesn't need a Presidential pardon every other time he commits a crime, we just need to accept that Lexor gives Luthor a place to flee where the US won't authorize heroes going in to arrest Lex.

[ngroove]

You left off Superman's first foe, the Ultra-Humanite.

Ultra may be Superman's pre-Luthor "arch enemy", but Superman did have opposition, although may be crooks and crooked people, representing social injustices, the first twelve issues of Action Comics.

[ngroove]

1. Master Jailer, with Toyman and Prankster also regularly good.

2. Don't change them at all. Well, at least in the sense of retro-returning them to the forms / personas that I believe they were greatest by, Toyman for instance in his overgrown man-child Benjamin Franklin lookalike and Prankster in his bulbous, gap-toothed, comedic funnyman. Brainiac in his bald, green-skinned, clean-shaven diode-head look, regardless if classic Silver / Bronze age look, or Geoff Johns look, Metallo in his orange / green costume / armor, same either Bronze / Copper age look, or Geoff Johns look, which basically looked the same.

And Master Jailer, for all unfamiliar with him, was the original anti-Clark Kent's Smallville childhood guy, pre-Conduit, circa 1979, other time-and-agains since: his name, Carl Draper. Self-made man in his own build and supervillain imprisoning abilities, while holding "keys" that drains their powers for himself, as he once stolen Parasite's / Metallo's / Atom Skull's to combat Superman - with the kicker of his all-consuming drive: unrequited love towards Lana Lang.

[Prime]

Maxima is what now?

[Prime]

Like Superduperman and Ascended said, we really need to shake up some of Superman's villain. Those are nice ideas. Besides Zod and Luthor which Superman villain can carry their own movie without alerting he Justice League?

[superduperman]

[QUOTE=Jon Clark;1439448]

Parasite needs motivation and a purpose. So does Metallo, but at least as a former soldier-turned-WMD searching for purpose, he's got some mileage in him, and being the pawn of greater minds is built into his character. Parasite has typically just been a savage brute looking to feed. If that's all hes going to be, then DC needs to own that and make him really scary. As it is, he's just...bland.[\QUOTE]

Imagine a more conflicted Parasite. Picture Galactus on a human scale. Whatever changed him into the Parasite removed the normal ways of nourishing himself. He doesn't want to feed off of people but his only other option is to die. He can feed off of animal life in general but it is inefficient. Absorbing the life of most domestic animals might give him a few minutes of normal movement, if he sits or lies very still he might last an hour or so. Absorbing the life of a regular guy might sustain him for a few hours, a day if he doesn't do much more than breathe. Someone like Superman is his best hope ... except that Superman's energies are like a drug to him. If he stayed rational he could absorb a limited amount of Pre-Truth Superman's power and survive for quite a while. Superman might even willingly lose 10% of his power for a few hours every month to keep Parasite alive. Unfortunately when absorbing that level of power he gets a rush that overrides his reason. He wants it all and any thought of conserving that power takes more willpower than he has.

I can picture a scenario where Parasite is at points a vigilante. A rational man who like Man-Bat in the recent JLA animated feature tries to limit himself to feeding on the dregs of society to maintain himself. He doesn't want to hurt innocent people. But as he starts to feel the hunger or has absorbed too much energy from a superbeing he begins to lose focus on doing anything but getting more energy regardless of the source. And Superman being torn by the dilemma of trying to help (is there a way to stabilize Parasite? Might there be a way to restore him to human?) and dealing with the threat (If I don't stop him he will kill someone).

They need to do this right fricking now!