The Superman has faced ittedly lackluster villains on-screen, which does a grave disservice to his otherwise excellent rogue’s gallery. Yet Solaris, introduced during the DC One Million crossover event, would be a most worthy foe for Superman to fight–and would guarantee fans an awe-inspiring, visually satisfying battle they would not forget.
Spearheaded by JLA writer Grant Morrison and artist Val Semeiks, DC One Million was one of the unique crossover events in the publisher’s history. For one month, each DC ongoing published a 1,000,000th issue. Furthermore, heroes from the 853rd century (the century in which a 1,000,000th issue would be published) traveled back to the present day to meet their heroic inspirations. Fans were treated to future versions of popular DC icons such as Superman and Wonder Woman; then popular characters such as Starman were given a chance to shine in the future as well. In addition to the heroes of the 853rd century, fans met its most vile villains–including the Tyrant Sun Solaris, who would make an excellent on-screen foe for Superman.
In DC One Million, fans are introduced to Solaris, who is described as the “Superman dynasty’s greatest enemy.” Created in the present day, Solaris was an artificial, living sun. Solaris would menace Superman and his descendants for many millennia, but by the 853rd century, it had gone dormant, watched over by Starman. However, Solaris eventually returned to its evil ways, allying itself with the immortal Vandal Savage and infecting the android Hourman with a computer virus that was unleashed on present day Earth, forcing a team up between the Justice League and the Justice Legion, their 853rd century counterparts. The of the Justice Legion describe Solaris as “the ultimate enemy of mankind.” During the crossover, readers learned that Solaris intended to create a “predestination paradox,” which would ensure its creation in the first place, but its plans were thwarted by the combined forces of the Justice League and Justice Legion.
Solaris Could Be Superman's Best Movie Villain Yet
As great as Superman’s rogue’s gallery is, they have not translated well to screen, but Solaris can potentially change that. All the on-screen versions of Lex Luthor have been underwhelming, and other heavy hitters such as Brainiac, Toyman and Metallo are nowhere to be found. Solaris was a visually impressive villain, whose unique powers would translate well to film, giving Superman his first true heavyweight threat. From a visual standpoint, a showdown between the Man of Steel and Solaris would be awe-inspiring, full of trippy and hard-hitting visuals. Superman and Solaris’ fight would be a visual feast for audiences. Furthermore, Solaris’ presence would give another, deeper layer to the film: Superman derives his powers from the sun, and there is something almost poetic about him having to fight the source of his powers.
Fans across the world cheered during Superman’s return in Black Adam’s mid-credit scene. Henry Cavill endured himself to the fans, even if the material he was working with was less than stellar; Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice stands out in particular. Whoever takes over the creative reins of the Superman films will need to create an awesome and compelling foe for him to fight, and they should look no further than Solaris.
