The newestSupermanmovie will be willing to share the spotlight with the Man of Steel, asMetamorphomakes his big screen debut, proving he’s one ofDC Comics’most underrated characters. With an appearance in the firstSupermanteaser trailer and a new ongoing solo series, 2025 is about to be the year of Metamorpho.
Metamorpho used to be decently popularas a character but slowly fell out of favor. He’s appeared in tons of comics, even headlining his own - like the newMetamorpho: The Element Manby Al Ewing and Steve Lieber, which includes a celebratory variant cover by Erica Henderson - and has appeared in several cartoons, most notablyBatman: The Brave and the Bold.
But right around the time of the New 52, Metamorpho slowly but surely became less and less important in DC’s comics. It’s a bit surprising that DC lost interest in him, considering how long he’s been around.Metamorpho first appeared inThe Brave and the Bold#57by Bob Haney, the legendaryRamona Fradon, Charles Paris, and Stan Starkman.
Metamorpho Is One Of DC Comics' Strangest Heroes
Metamorpho: The Element Man#2 Variant Cover by Guillem March
Metamorpho’s first appearance revealed the amazing origin of his powers. He was originally a mercenary known as Rex Mason who was hired by Simon Stagg to retrieve the legendarily powerful Orb of Ra. While he was able to track down the orb, he was betrayed by one of his companions, who left him in proximity to the same radioactive meteor that the orb was crafted from. Because of this exposure, Rex was transformed into Metamorpho, a being with thepower to transform his body into any element on the periodic table.
Metamorpho is a perpetual outsider - and not just because he’s often associated with DC’s calssic Outsiders team. When he first gained his powers, his immediate first thought was to ask the Justice League for help. While the Justice League was completely unable to cure him, they did offer him membership due to his incredible powers. Surprisingly, Metamorpho declined their offer. The closest he got to being a Justice League member was Justice League Europe and Justice League Taskforce, butthe original version of the character wasn’t on the Justice Leagueproper.
DC Creator Explains How Metamorpho’s New Comic Ties to James Gunn’s Superman
Metamorpho, one of the most underrated Justice League heroes in the DCU, is finally getting his moment in the spotlight in two major DC projects.
While he isn’t exactly a household name,Metamorpho went on tons of adventuresand was a fairly popular character from DC’s mid-century days.He often teamed up with Batman to help him solve crimes, and at one point, inWorld’s Finest#217 by Bob Haney, Dick Dillin, and Murphy Anderson, Metamorpho gained the powers of both Batman and Superman, becoming one of the strongest beings on Earth. While these effects were only temporary, it shows just how important Metamorpho was, as DC wouldn’t have made just any random character the center of such a story.
Metamorpho Was a Major Character in DC’s Bronze Age
He Was Even One of DC’s Strongest Heroes at One Point
Metamorpho’s powers may not be as impressive as characters like Superman, at least at first glance, butMetamorpho is incredibly powerful. Originally, Metamorpho was only known for his ability to transform his body into various chemical compositions. At first, he was limited to manipulating the chemicals that are found in the human body, but over time, he not only moved past this limitation, but his powers gained even more variety. Not only can Metamorpho change the chemical composition of his body into whatever he wants, but he’s also fully capable of stretching and shapeshifting as well, making such complex shapes as a fully functional tank.
Metamorpho will finally be getting the spotlight again…
Despite just how variable Metamorpho is, he really hasn’t been used much in recent years.He was a major character in the Bronze Age and even the Modern Age, then appeared intermittently during the New 52. He was rarely seen at all in DC’s Rebirth or Infinite Frontier eras.The most major story Metamorpho has had recentlywas a short segment in Mark Waid and Dan Mora’sWorld’s Finestwhere he was framed for a murder.
Metamorpho Is Finally Becoming the Center of Attention Again
Right Where the Element Man Belongs
But it seems that Metamorpho will finally be getting the spotlight again, as not only will he be making an appearance in James Gunn’s upcomingSupermanmovie as a major supporting character, but he’s also starring in his own ongoing series from DC Comics by two critically-acclaimed and fan-favorite creators. Anyone looking to learn more about Metamorpho after his appearance in theSupermantrailer needs tocheck outMetamorpho: The Element Manby Ewing and Lieber.
The DC Universe has so many characters that are worth exploring. DC has mostly stuck to just the Trinity and other standard Justice League characters because they sell the most, but there are so many more characters that the DC Universe has to offer, which is one of the most hopeful things about DC’s new movie universe: it doesn’t seem to be shy about showcasing more obscure characters.Metamorphohas only appeared sparingly in comics in the last few years, but hopefully, this character will return to his former popularity with a little help from Superman andDC Comics’newest ongoing series.
Metamorhpo: The Element Man#1is available December 26th, 2024 from DC Comics!
Superman
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Superman (2025): Superman follows the dual life of Clark Kent, a journalist in Metropolis, as he endeavors to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. Set against a backdrop of personal discovery, the film explores his journey of identity as he navigates his existence in a complex world.
