Superman is going to be one of the main villains in Superman is portrayed as an evil force to explore a different take on the character. Rocksteady is committing to Superman as a villain in their new Suicide Squad game, which is a far cry from James Gunn's Starro the Conqueror, and an interesting choice that should benefit the game.
Starro the Conqueror made his first appearance in the DC comics in 1960's The Brave and the Bold #28, which was the first comic that the Justice League ever appeared in as well. While a giant starfish doesn't seem all that threatening, Starro is actually one of the most powerful villains in the DC comics, almost defeating the Justice League several times. As seen in the movie, Starro has the ability to telepathically control living beings through miniature extensions of himself that he produces. He also has defied death in the comics by transferring his conscience into one of his clones or regrowing himself from a spore, making him a nuisance to the DC heroes multiple times since his introduction.
Superman was announced to be one of the main villains in Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League during the first trailer for the game. After Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, Harley Quinn and King Shark fight off Brainiac invading forces in Metropolis, they see Superman hovering over the city with a innocent helicopter pilot in hand. Once Superman melts through the pilot with his heat vision, the Suicide Squad quickly realizes that Superman is being controlled by Brainiac and that they are going to have to somehow kill the Man of Steel.
What Makes Superman A Great Villain Choice
Having Superman as the villain in Kill The Justice League is a great choice because of how the DC character is typically portrayed. Starro has always been a villain in DC canon, so James Gunn choosing to include the character in the new Suicide Squad movie makes sense logically. Superman's reputation, on the other hand, is generally as the world's greatest superhero, with the character being a comionate and upstanding figurehead for people to look up to. Positioning Superman as the main villain in the game works against that norm, delivering a unique twist on a character that usually sides with the good guys.
Superman also makes a great villain for the new Suicide Squad game due to how powerful he is in comparison to Starro. While the ability to produce miniature versions of himself that control people telepathically makes Starro a genuine threat in the comics/new movie, he has always been defeated in every encounter he has with the DC heroes. Superman is virtually indestructible, and has the powers of flight, super strength and speed, plus x-ray and heat vision that make him a threat the Suicide Squad is clearly not prepared to face.
To be fair, Starro was an effective villain in The Suicide Squad, with James Gunn instilling the character with menace and pathos that made for an entertaining watch. But in comparison to Superman as a villain, it's hard to beat seeing an evil interpretation of a usual force of good facing down the antiheroes of the Suicide Squad. It will be interesting to see how Task Force X handles Superman in Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, but it's fair to assume that Rocksteady will make it entertaining.
