DC Has Already Shown You 4 Times Who Its Best DCU Superman Movie Villain Could Be (& It’s Not Lex Luthor) (2024)

2025’s Superman will initiate the DC Universe franchise, and although Lex Luthor will debut alongside David Corenswet’s Man of Steel, a villain from the DC Extended Universe could be an even better first villain. The DC Extended Universe ended in 2023 with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, but the DCU will be a soft reboot, not a complete reset. Although Corenswet will replace Henry Cavill’s Superman, characters from the DCEU, such as Xolo Maridueña’s Blue Beetle and John Cena’s Peacemaker will carry over into the new franchise, along with perhaps some elements of their DCEU storylines.

Despite the partial announcement of the DCU’s opening slate of movies and TV shows in early 2023, more properties may be set in Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. Moreover, more characters from the DCEU may carry over into the DCU. One reoccurring antagonist from multiple DCEU properties and numerous other DC Comics adaptations will join the DCU. This character could be an excellent antagonist for Superman in his first DCU outing if these properties – as well as the character’s forthcoming DCU roles – are any indication.

Amanda Waller's Villain Potential Has Been Repeatedly Highlighted In Recent DC History

Amanda Waller made her DCEU debut in 2016’s Suicide Squad, and while the film was infamously poorly received, Viola Davis’s performance as the unscrupulous Director of A.R.G.U.S. was a stand-out part of the universe. Waller then returned to the DCEU in another major role in 2021’s The Suicide Squad, as well as two minor roles in Peacemaker and Black Adam, respectively. Viola Davis and her iteration of Amanda Waller will carry over into the DCU, despite being so closely tied to the previous franchise’s lore and having interacted with major characters who are due to be recast.

Waller has a rich history in DC’s comics, founding and serving as the handler for Task Force X (aka the Suicide Squad) and serving as the antagonist for numerous DC heroes, including, collectively, the Justice League itself in some properties. Waller was a leading member of Cadmus in the DC Animated Universe and even orchestrated (albeit partially) the events that led Terry McGinnis to become the new Batman.

Waller has continued to serve as an antagonist in more recent properties, like Arrow and the ongoing animated series My Adventures with Superman, maintaining her prominence in DC-based media.

Why Amanda Waller Is A Perfect Choice For Superman's First DCU Movie Villain

Amanda Waller would be one of the best choices for Superman’s first villain, considering what has been revealed about 2025’s Superman and the overall DCU thus far. A new version of Lex Luthor has been confirmed to make his debut in the film, as will at least one member of the anti-hero team The Authority. The inclusion of DC group The Authority creates an excellent opportunity to explain Waller’s distrust of superheroes, as the team’s more extreme methods would, understandably, make them a potential threat to humanity. This would also set Amanda Waller up as a long-term antagonist in the DCU.

Partially shifting the focus away from Lex Luthor would also allow him to grow into the role of Superman’s nemesis, as well as strike a balance between Luthor’s overall roles in the Richard Donner and DCEU franchises. In the original Superman movies, Luthor was the Man of Steel’s most frequent antagonist while the DCEU’s iteration of Luthor only had one movie to establish himself as Superman’s ultimate nemesis. Using Amanda Waller as the main villain – and perhaps having Luthor serve as the more subtle orchestrator of the film’s conflict – maintains Luthor’s threat level while setting up his rivalry with Superman.

Amanda Waller's Superman Villain Role Would Also Best Explain Her DCEU To DCU Jump

Giving Amanda Waller such a significant role so early in the DCU also serves another purpose: It would help explain the jump from the DCEU to the DCU for viewers. In their initial announcement of the DCU’s slate of properties, James Gunn and Peter Safran noted that the DCU is not a complete reboot of the DCEU, but rather a soft reboot, with some characters and storylines from the previous continuity making their way into the new one. Peacemaker season 2 will partially explain this transition and the forthcoming TV series Waller most likely will as well.

With Superman being the first live-action feature film of the DCU, having it explain the franchise transition via a DCEU character like Amanda Waller would be helpful, even if later DCU works would delve into the intricacies of the partial reboot even further. Amanda Waller played a huge role in the DCEU, so it may be worth revealing early on how much of her previous experiences carry over into the DCU and how they might have been altered. Giving Amanda Waller a large role in Superman would benefit the DCU’s Superman story and the DCU writ large.

Superman (2025)

Written and directed by James Gunn, Superman is the first movie in Warner Bros.' rebooted DC Universe to center around the titular comic book hero. It introduces a new version of the Man of Steel after Henry Cavill's departure from the role, honoring the character's roots as "the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way."