Warning: MAJOR Spoilers! James Gunn’s Superman takes the Man of Steel on a new cinematic adventure as the DCU’s first big-screen movie, but one of the movie’s greatest heroes is one of its more minor characters. In Superman, David Corenswet’s Clark Kent is in his third year as Superman when the nefarious Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) hatches a plan to turn the world against the hero from Krypton. Lex’s method includes releasing a message recorded by Superman’s Kryptonian parents, Jor-El (Bradley Cooper) and Lara Lor-Van (Angela Sarafyan), which reveals that, despite his belief that he was sent from his planet to protect the people of Earth, Superman’s parents actually intended for him to conquer his adoptive homeworld.
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This shocking revelation causes Superman to experience an existential crisis about whether he is doing any good in the world, but one man’s faith in Superman never wavers, and that is Metropolis resident Malik Ali (Dinesh Thyagarajan). While Malik isn’t what one would call a major character in terms of screen time, he is nonetheless a major character in terms of his impact on Superman‘s story and his relationship with the Last Son of Krypton. Not only that, but Malik’s actions in Superman make him a true hero right alongside the Man of Steel himself.
Who Is Superman’s Malik Ali?
Malik Ali is introduced early on in Superman as a falafel cart owner in Metropolis who greatly admires the Man of Steel. During Superman’s introductory battle against the Hammer of Boravia (later revealed to be Superman’s clone, Ultraman, created by Lex Luthor), Malik gives the badly injured Superman a helping hand out of the crater he was smashed into by his enemy, showing how deeply Superman’s heroic deeds have inspired him. Despite the relative brevity of this exchange, it’s one that Lex takes note of through his surveillance of the situation.
After Superman is imprisoned in Lex’s own self-created pocket universe prison (after Lex releases the message from Superman’s Kryptonian parents and Superman turns himself over to the authorities), the villain interrogates Superman for more information by bringing Malik in as a hostage. Lex cruelly plays a game of Russian roulette with Malik as Superman begs him to stop, while Malik stands his ground, telling Superman that he believes in him as a hero and that he is prepared to fall on the sword for him. Sadly, that exact outcome happens when Lex shoots Malik in the head on the second spin of his Russian roulette game, leaving Superman emotionally broken. While Malik’s death is a tragic one, his relationship with Superman exemplifies how even the people of Earth whom Superman protects can become heroes.
Malik’s Role Shows Superman’s Power to Inspire the Best in People
Right from the beginning of their relationship, Malik shows Superman the simple but eminently kind-hearted gesture of helping a wounded warrior to his feet after his brutal defeat in battle. While another Metropolis denizen snidely comments that Superman essentially brought the situation upon himself by intervening in the military conflict between Boravia and Jarhanpur, Malik knows Superman as a local hero he’s seen or met on occasion before – a hero who has taken a severe beating, and generally does what he can to help. Moreover, Malik’s belief in Superman remains strong even after Lex’s release of Jor-El and Lara’s chilling message to the world.
Even held at gunpoint by Lex as a leveraging tool to gain more information about Superman, Malik not only stands by the Man of Steel as a hero but also makes clear how willing he is to sacrifice himself for Superman’s sake. Malik’s deep admiration of Superman ultimately costs him his life. Still, his actions help inspire not only Superman to rally and defeat Lex Luthor, but also force Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan) to choose the heroic path, despite his personal fears. Malik’s sacrifice also does not go unremembered by the movie or by the people of Metropolis.
Malik Is Remembered for His Sacrifice in Superman
After Lex Luthor is stopped and apprehended, Malik Ali is honored in an article in the Daily Planet recognizing his heroism even in the face of his death. For being a relatively minor character in Superman, Malik Ali nonetheless makes a huge impact as a man with no metahuman powers or billionaire-funded equipment, who nonetheless shows great heroism, sacrifice, and proves that Superman’s greatest power is to bring out the heroes inside of others.
Doing so, unfortunately, also made Malik a target of Lex Luthor, with Superman’s archenemy completely indifferent to Malik’s life and having a strictly utilitarian view of him as a means of squeezing more answers out of Superman. Even held in a prison cell in a pocket universe and weakened by Kryptonite, Superman could endure far more than was being asked of Malik, and yet the Man of Steel’s kind-hearted friend never wavered. Malik Ali gave his life for the hero he so deeply admired, and in doing so, he died every bit the pure-hearted hero that Superman is.
James Gunn’s Superman is now playing in theaters.
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Image Courtesy of The WB Television Network -
Image Courtesy of DC Studios.
