When it comes to a powerful new upgrade for a classic villain, Superman Maybe you want to listen to your cousin, supergirl. A classic enemy becomes bigger and badder than ever and even Kara Zor-El thinks his relative is playing with fire by not taking his new form seriously.
In Superman: Lost #8 by Christopher Priest and Carlo Pagulayan, a tsunami is endangering a peninsula and making things worse for Superman’s classic nemesis, Metallo. Metallo has absorbed several warships stationed on the peninsula and become a kaiju-sized monstrosity. Metallo can even send out Superman-sized drones, each with their own kryptonite power source.
Luckily, Supergirl comes to help her cousin, wearing Superman’s all-white suit to protect her from the radiation. She is furious that Clark did something so reckless saying that a kryptonite-powered lunatic could have easily killed him, especially with her upgrades. Superman disagrees, saying that he had things under control, but Supergirl thinks otherwise.
Superman has many deadly villains in his rogues gallery, but Metallo is by far one of the most dangerous. John Corben was once a soldier whose body was damaged and replaced with one powered by kryptonite, Superman’s radioactive Achilles’ heel. Metallo has been one of Superman’s most underrated threats. Not only does he send the most poisonous material to Clark, but John has taken on new dangerous forms over the years, sometimes powered by Lex Luthor or dangerous alien technology. No matter how many times Metallo is defeated by Superman, the villain always comes back bigger and better than before.
As far as Superman villains go, Metallo isn’t usually considered a serious threat, at least not as much as someone like Doomsday or Mongul. However, this new and improved version of John Corben is one of the most twisted forms of him. Not only is it literally made up of warships, but it can also send drones that can join and attack Superman. Even Supergirl recognizes that this version of Metallo is much more dangerous than she usually is (and that’s saying something given Kara’s past with Metallo’s similar partner, Reactron). While Kara was able to handle things thanks to Clark’s new costume, there’s a good chance that Superman would have been seriously outgunned by Metallo’s new and dangerous form.
Metallo finally has a body that rivals Superman
Although not seen for long, Metallo’s enhanced body is one of the largest and most devastating upgrades he has ever received. Even his recent Lex Luthor Orphan Box update didn’t give Metallo a kaiju-sized body or the ability to command copies of himself. It’s true that Kara was able to stop him thanks to Clark’s radiation-proof suit. But Supergirl is well aware that Clark facing the enhanced Metallo without any protection is an absolute death wish. With a little luck, Superman will listen supergirl the next time you face your upgraded enemy.
Superman: Lost #8 Already on sale.