Ever since Tyler Hoechlin first showed up wearing Superman's iconic red & blue outfit on Supergirl, Arrowverse fans have been waiting for the chance to see the Man of Steel in his own series. As Supergirl's series prepares to come to an end, Superman, Lois Lane, and their two sons Jonathan & Jordan are making sure that there's still a Kryptonian protecting the world in Superman & Lois.
With over eighty years of characters to play with, the writers and producers of Superman & Lois have a huge treasure trove of great villains to pit against the Metropolis Marvel and his family, and while Lex Luthor is a shoo-in, there are some who absolutely need to show up at least once. From old classics to new threats, these are ten Superman villains we hope to see.
10 Bruno Mannheim
Bruno Mannheim, the head of Intergang, may not have superpowers, but he makes up for that with high-tech weaponry unlike anything else on Earth, thanks to a deal he has with a dark benefactor. What's really great about Mannheim and Intergang is that they are the type of problem that Superman can't just punch away; it takes some sleuthing to uncover what these villains are up to. And that's exactly where world-famous reporter Lois Lane can really get in on the action. Best of all, Intergang opens the door to one of the greatest villains in DC Comics history...
9 Darkseid
While he wouldn't be the easiest villain to pull off on the budgets that the Arrowverse shows have, Darkseid is exactly what a show like Superman & Lois could use. In the comics, Darkseid was supplying Intergang with weapons, which brought the evil ruler of Apokolips to Superman's attention, and the show could follow the same plot across a season.
Add in that both Darkseid and Superman are fathers who have vastly different parenting styles, and it would be great to see the Sons of Steel duke it out with Kalibak. The Arrowverse has stayed away from the New Gods for quite a while now. It's time to bring them into the universe.
8 Brainiac
One of Superman's oldest and best-known foes, Brainiac has played a major role in the Superman mythos and while Supergirl mentioned him multiple times – and even has his descendent Brainiac-5 as a member of Supergirl's team – the villain never showed up. But now that Superman is getting his own series, it seems like the perfect time to bring in the Coluan with a penchant for shrinking cities and keeping them in bottles to the Arrowverse. It may be difficult for Superman & Lois to make a better-looking version of Brainiac than we saw in Krypton, but that doesn't mean they should just ignore the character altogether.
7 Metallo
Another classic Superman villain, Metallo is essentially a kryptonite-powered Terminator that causes real problems for the Man of Steel. While the character started off as George Grant, a scientist in a suit of armor, the best-known version is John Corben, a smalltime crook who was fatally wounded in a car accident but was saved by a mad scientist who moved his brain into a robotic body.
For Superman & Lois, the best version of Metallo may be the Silver Age take on the character. In those stories, Corben was a reporter and serial killer who ended up in a robotic body after a car accident. Having Corben be a reporter at the Daily Planet before we learn his true evilness would be a wonderful plotline.
6 Lord Satanis
Coming from one million years in the future when human society had reverted to a medieval-mystical world, Lord Satanis is a magical villain, giving him one of the few powers that Superman is susceptible to. In his future time, Lord Satanis is at war with his wife Syrene as they both try to rule the world but can't because of a missing magical artifact called the Runestone of Merlin, which Syrene's father sent back in time with his dying breath. Along with wanting the Runestone of Merlin, Lord Satanis also wants to take control of Superman's body, believing that the Man of Steel's power will make him unstoppable.
5 Rogol Zaar
A very new Superman villain, Rogol Zaar is an alien being that has a serious problem with Kryptonians in general and the House of El in particular. Rogol Zaar takes credit for the destruction of Krypton – although he did not directly destroy the planet – and has made it his mission in life to kill every remaining Krypton alive.
In the comics, Rogol Zaar made his presence known by attacking the Fortress of Solitude and destroying the Bottled City of Kandor, killing hundreds of Kryptonians in an instant. Most recently, he appeared a thousand years in the future in Legion of Super-Heroes where a New Krypton has been created, which is sure to anger the evil alien.
4 General Zod
While there are plenty of different versions of an "evil Superman" none of them are as great as General Zod. A Kryptonian who tried to take over the planet and was imprisoned in the Phantom Zone for his actions, Zod believes that his failure was due to Superman's dad Jor-El refusing to join his revolution. Zod is as powerful as Superman but has almost no empathy for any living thing that isn't Kryptonian. This makes him one of the greatest threats not only to Superman but to the entire universe.
3 Paul Westfield
Like Bruno Mannheim and Intergang, Paul Westfield and Project Cadmus is a Superman adversary that has plenty of potential to weave Lois Lane's investigative skills into the story. In the comics, Project Cadmus is best known for creating Conner Kent, the clone of Superman and Lex Luthor, but that's just the tip of the iceberg for the secret scientific organization. Project Cadmus was all about being secret and keeping their experiments out of the view of the government, which led to the creation of the Underworlders, a society of failed Cadmus clone experiments that live underneath Metropolis.
2 Ultraman
While the heroes of the Arrowverse currently think that the Multiverse is gone, the truth is that it still exists, which is good because we never got to see the Justice League face off against the Crime Syndicate of America from Earth-3. Ultraman, the evil Superman of Earth-3 may not be as well known as Zod, but he's just as dangerous to Superman.
Adding to the fun is Superwoman, the Earth-3 version of Wonder Woman who uses the name Lois Lane as her secret identity. In the comics, Ultraman recently held Jonathan Kent captive in a volcano for a number of years. Hopefully, if he does show up in Superman & Lois, he won't do anything quite that evil.
1 Zha-Vam The Invincible
When the Olympians looked into the future and saw Superman, they believed that he was a rival god that would defeat them. To stop the perceived threat, the Olympians created a man out of clay and endowed him with their powers via a special belt. The man, who they named Zha-Vam, traveled to the future where he took control of the United Crime Syndicate before beating up Superman and exiling the hero from Earth.
To defeat Zha-Vam, Superman went back in time to Ancient Greece where he was gifted his own magical belt that would make him strong enough to beat his rival. Zha-Vam wouldn't be a villain that could last a whole season, but he would make for a great episode. It could even cross over with the Legends of Tomorrow!