Mr. Oz Kills Classic Superman Villain in Action Comics 987

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Action Comics #987, on sale today

Before Action Comics writer Dan Jurgens revealed the identity of the long-mysterious Mr. Oz in today's issue, he and artist Peter Bogdanovich took us on a journey through the villain(?)'s plan, which included a stop at ARGUS to seemingly murder one of Superman's best-known villains.

Metallo, a cyborg powered by a Kryptonite heart, was in pieces at ARGUS, being held by the government in order to keep him from doing more damage -- but when Mr. Oz came to "free" him, he did not do it the way Metallo had hoped.

Instead, Mr. Oz used that big scythe he has been carrying around since his first appearance to slice out and snatch the Kryptonite heart, leaving John Corben to die.

Over the years, there have been various different versions of Metallo, but they all more or less have the same backstory: an unsavory character is near death and has his brain transplanted into a cyborg body powered by a heart of Kryptonite. The Kryptonite is not only a clean-burning power source with a seemingly never-ending half life, but does a pretty decent job of keeping Superman at bay.

The post-Flashpoint version of Metallo was created during Grant Morrison's run on Action Comics, but his most recent appearance was as part of a strike force that tried to kill Superman in the recent "Revenge" storyline (which ended in July).

During that story, Mr. Oz helped Superboy pilot a Kryptonian battle suit (here: context helps. Spoilers!) to help defeat the Superman Revenge Squad, including Corben/Metallo.

So, what does Mr. Oz intend to do with the Kyrptonite?

It is not entirely clear; he's got it squirreled away in the same spot where he has been hiding Doomsday -- meaning that he literally possesses the only two things known to be fatal to Superman.

Whether he plans to use them against the Man of Steel -- or simply remove them from humanity's grasp since Mr. Oz seems to think people mostly suck, is anybody's guess at this point...!

Because the scene took place at the very beginning of the issue, you can see it in the preview pages attached.

You can get a copy of Action Comics #987 at your local comic shop, or buy a digital copy here.

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