What Is That Villainous Orb in James Gunn's First SUPERMAN Photo
The first image of James Gunn’s Superman was shared yesterday featuring actor David Corenswet all decked out as Superman and preparing for battle in his luxurious downtown apartment. I didn’t realize reporters make that much money!
Anyway, most fans are talking about the suit design, but there is one other big thing in the image that was interesting… a giant floating villainous orb blasting a pink ray at the city.
This is what Superman is casually getting ready to battle. In that photo, he doesn’t seem like he’s too concerned or in a rush. But what is that orb!?
Fans are speculating that the deadly orb in the sky over Metropolis is the DC villain "Solaris," who was created by Grant Morrison in the 1998 series DC One Million, and also had a role in the All-Star Superman comic run.
Solaris is a stellar supercomputer the hails from the 853rd century. “This man-made tyrant sun sought to conquer two eras. By encoding its evil in a techno-virus sent back to infect 20th century machinery, Solaris literally created itself.”
Solaris can infect and consume stars, and it becomes obsessed with battling Superman and all his descendants, in a feud that lasts from the 20th Century all the way to the 853rd century.
In the comics, the JLA and its future counterparts of Justice Legion-A had to join forces to defeat this sentient star.
This is all just speculation, but it also seems like the kind of villain that Gunn would have some fun playing with in a Superman story.
In the All-Star Superman story, Solaris teams up with Lex Luthor to take down Superman by tinting the sun to red color, which would drain Clark Kent’s powers. Solaris ends up poisoning the sun, which forced Superman to sacrifice himself to re-power the sun.
Superman will tell the story of “Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.”
Superman stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent / Superman; Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane; Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor; Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern; Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl; Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt / Mr. Terrific; Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen; María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica, aka The Engineer; Sara Sampaio, as Eve Teschmacher; and Terence Rosemore as Otis.
Superman will get a theatrical release on July 11, 2025.
