Superman: Legacy just added another cast member, with former Gotham and Barry star Anthony Carrigan set to play the role of Metamorpho the Element Man.
Just a day prior, DC Studios Co-CEO James Gunn confirmed the news that Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced and Edi Gathegi were joining the Superman: Legacy cast as Guy Gardner/Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Mister Terrific, respectively. With Creature Commandos already underway and Blue Beetle just on the horizon, the DC Universe is growing fast and wide.
But with so many superhero characters becoming part of Superman’s first DC Universe solo movie, could director James Gunn be biting more than he can chew? Check out his response to this concern in the details below.
DC Studios Co-CEO and Superman: Legacy director James Gunn shared the news of the new casting on his official social media such as Twitter, Instagram, and Threads.
I am unbelievably excited for Metamorpho (and this opportunity to work with Anthony Carrigan.) https://t.co/tdWrBsX1il
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 12, 2023
Interestingly, this is not the first time Anthony Carrigan will take on the role of a DC Comics character. Carrigan previously played a version of psychotic criminal Victor Zsasz in the Gotham TV series.
Rex Mason (aka Metamorpho) was created during the Silver Age of comic books in The Brave and the Bold #57. The character debuted in 1965 courtesy of writer Bob Haney and artist Ramona Fradon, establishing his origin as a soldier/archaeologist for hire who found the Orb of Ra, an ancient artifact made from an unknown meteoric substance. Rex gained the ability to transmute his entire physical structure into any element (including fictional ones) while retaining complete mental control of his body. Thus, Metamorpho’s body can take on solid, liquid, and gaseous forms, either in part or as a whole.
Metamorpho became a popular character with DC Comics fans even if he went without his own solo title for long stretches. He would gain more prominence as a member of super-teams, such as The Outsiders and the Justice League. Metamorpho has also appeared in the various animated series based on DC Comics characters, particularly in Justice League Unlimited and in Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
But with so many prominent superheroes set to appear in what is to be the first solo Superman film in the DC Universe, there are fans concerned that the Man of Steel may be outshined in his own movie. Gunn provided an answer to this concern posted on the filmmaker’s Threads post about Carrigan’s Metamorpho casting:
We’re entering a world where superheroes exist and have existed for quite a while. They’re a part of one side of his world just like Lois and Jimmy are a part of another.
Curiously, the castings of key characters in Superman: Legacy are coming in very fast, but one major role is still up in the air. After David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan were confirmed as Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane, fans were expecting the next casting news would be that of Superman’s arch-nemesis, Lex Luthor. However, while other castings have been announced and confirmed, there is no official word yet of who will be essaying the role of Lex Luthor.
What do you think of this new addition to the Superman: Legacy cast? Who do you think will be cast as Lex Luthor? Are you excited to see a more established superhero community in the DC Universe than in the previous DC Extended Universe?
Superman: Legacy is scheduled to fly into theaters on July 11, 2025.
