Superman Movie Rumor Has Fans Speculating A Bizarre Villain's Live-Action Debut
A new rumor suggests that Bizarro, the fan-favorite, sometimes-evil Superman clone, might appear as one of the main villains in James Gunn's "Superman."
On X (formerly Twitter), scooper @MyTimeToShineH shared a screenshot from a video previously posted by actress Rachel Brosnahan featuring herself, David Corenswet, and Nicholas Hoult. The trio make up the main cast of Gunn's "Superman," playing Lois Lane, Superman, and Lex Luthor, respectively. Calling their reporting "a crazy DC scoop," @MyTimeToShineH captioned the photos, "Lois and the two main villains of Superman," hinting that Corenswet might be taking on a dual role as Bizarro in the film.
Bizarro, created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino, is a twisted version of Superman who debuted in the pages of "Action Comics" #254. Originally made as a duplicate version of Superman by Lex Luthor, who hoped to create his own controllable version of the Kryptonian hero, Bizarro became a Man of Steel with considerably less intelligence than the original. Still, Bizarro has proven to be one of the hero's most notable foes, as he has similar powers to Superman, making him a formidable presence despite his lack of wits. As a result, he's often been portrayed as a sympathetic character to varying degrees.
Bizarro has made several live-action appearances, including in "Superboy," "Smallville," and, most recently, "Superman & Lois." At one point, director Kevin Smith was even tackling a Bizarro episode for his now-canceled "Strange Adventures" anthology for Warner Bros. But despite his enduring comic book popularity, the villain hasn't appeared in any of the mainline Superman-starring movies.
Who is the main villain of Superman?
Right now, Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) is the only confirmed supervillain appearing in James Gunn's "Superman." Some fans believe DC Comics might have spoiled the main villain, Brainiac, based on suggestions the publisher shared as essential reading to prepare for the film. However, Gunn's brief mention of Brainiac on BlueSky didn't come with any confirmation or denial about the character's potential movie debut.
So, has Gunn hinted at Bizarro appearing in the "Superman" project? Well, sort of. On Instagram, Gunn shared his comic boom inspirations for the first film in the new DC Universe. Gunn has referred to "All-Star: Superman" (by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, Jamie Grant, Phil Balsman, and Travis Lanham) as one of his primary comic book touchstones for both the movie and his DCU as a whole. Issue seven of the series features a trip to Bizarro World, along with many different versions of the character. Another image from the post was a piece of pin-up art from "Superman Annual" #6 by legendary artist Curt Swan, which features the Superman Family, including the Legion of Super-Heroes, Supergirl, and Bizarro, among others.
Introducing Bizarro in the first "Superman" movie would be a curious move, as audiences still haven't seen David Corenswet in his first superhero role. Casting him as Clark Kent/Superman, as well as his evil clone counterpart, would be a bit of a surprise, as you might think Gunn would want to establish the new Man of Steel before bringing Bizarro into the fold, and yet, there continue to be indications this could be the case.
Will Bizarro appear in "Superman" in the DCU? We'll find out when the film arrives in theaters on July 11, 2025.