Metamorpho is about to get the most spotlight the character has ever gotten. Metamorpho is going to be included in Superman, with James Gunn talking a lot about the character. Metamorpho has also gotten a new series, from writer Al Ewing and artist Steve Lieber, showcasing a Silver Age storytelling that perfect fits the Man of a 1,001 Elements. Metamorpho: The Element Man #5 is the penultimate issue of the series, revealing the truth behind the evil organization he’s been battling since the beginning of the series, C.Y.C.L.O.P.S. An old foe of Metamorpho, the Thunderer, appears and tells Metamorpho and the Staggs about the Sun Wars, battles fought between the champions of the stars of solar systems. Metamorpho and company are able to win against the Thunderer, through luck as much as anything, and the true enemy behind C.Y.C.L.O.P.S. is revealed: Solaris, a Superman villain who appeared in the greatest Superman story ever — All-Star Superman.
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Solaris has a very interesting history in the DC Universe, and him becoming a Metamorpho villain is a huge twist that no one would have seen coming. Solaris has gotten much more popular in recent years, all starting last year. A lot of people don’t really know much about Solaris — there’s honestly not very much to know — but bringing the Tyrant Sun into the comics right now is a very interesting development.
Solaris Is the Best Superman Villain You’ve Never Heard Of
Solaris the Tyrant Sun’s first appearance wasn’t in a Superman comic, but the 1998 event comic DC One Million. DC One Million revolved around the heroes of the 853rd century — when Action Comics would have reached its millionth issue — coming back to the past to invite the Justice League to see the Prime Superman leaving the Solar Fortress of Solitude for the first time in millennia. However, two villains of the future decide to try to destroy the past Justice League when they arrive in the future — an ancient Vandal Savage and Solaris the Tyrant Sun. The story establishes Solaris as a villain who has battled Superman and the Superman Dynasty for millennia, and shows the genesis of the villain, who is created in the present by the Justice Legion A to cure a virus sent to the present from the future. The story ends with the Prime Superman — Kal-El having spent millennia inside the sun absorbing solar energy and becoming what amounts to a god — destroying Solaris in the future.
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DC One Million was written by Grant Morrison, the same writer as All-Star Superman in the future. However, Solaris was never picked up as a big villain in the DC Universe; Morrison almost certainly created the character for the “Superman 2000” pitch they made to DC along with Mark Waid, Tom Peyer, and Mark Millar. However, DC laughed the group of creators out of the room, and Morrison ended up leaving DC. Solaris would stay dormant until All-Star Superman, when it was revealed that it was part of Lex Luthor’s plan. Solaris changes the frequency of the sun, and Superman goes into the sun to fix at the end of All-Star. This is how he becomes the Prime Superman of DC One Million, even though All-Star Superman isn’t actually canon. Morrison created their own canon for DC, and Solaris was a huge part of it.
Metamorpho Vs. Solaris on the Big Screen?
Superman’s costume in Superman was revealed last year. The picture showed a tired and beaten up Superman sitting in an apartment near a large window. Outside the window, there was a glowing sphere in the sky, and many fans decided that this was Solaris, partly from what it looked like and partly from James Gunn talking about All-Star Superman being an inspiration for the new Superman movie. Since then, we’ve seen this energy sphere in the Superman trailer, and most fans still agree that it’s Solaris.
Solaris appearing in a Metamorpho comic in 2025 is a huge coincidence, especially taking everything else we’ve seen lately into account. Now, comic companies don’t always know what the movie companies are going to do with their characters. However, there’s a good chance that DC knows Solaris is going to be in the movie, and decided to sneak the Tyrant Sun into a Metamorpho book, a little and sly nod for fans who are paying attention. Is this the case? We’ll find out on July 11, 2025.
Metamorpho: The Element Man #5 is on sale now.
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