In late 2024, Writer/Director James Gunn and DC Studios released the first trailer for “Superman”, a film which promises not only to restart the ailing franchise after 2013’s “Man of Steel”, but also reboot the world of DC comics on the big screen altogether. Alongside the expected appearances of iconic supporting characters such as Lois Lane or Jimmy Olsen, as well as the villainous Lex Luthor, audiences may have been taken aback to see that one of the most apparent scenes displayed in the short trailer, was one wherein Superman battles a kaiju of colossal proportions.
If you are someone who is not aware of Superman’s long history or is only familiar with the big screen interpretations of the hero, then you might find yourself a little surprised to see a giant monster facing the iconic hero. However, Superman himself is no stranger to fighting giant monsters! In fact, this very battle between Superhuman and Super monster predates the genre of Kaiju cinema itself! In this piece, I’d like to highlight some of the most important giant monsters that the Man of Tomorrow has faced throughout his long history. Join me as we look back through each era of the character’s history and look at some of his most iconic giant foes in preparation for the new movie!
Firstly, we must define what I mean by “era” when in reference to the comic book form. Throughout its history, various movements within the medium have helped break new boundaries and progress the realm of comics forward. These jumps in artistic intent, target audience, and storytelling style can be loosely defined as being split into the Golden, Silver, Bronze, and Modern Age. The Golden Age, conveniently enough, is commonly believed to have begun in 1938, with the debut of Superman himself. As for the Silver Age, Bronze Age, and Modern Age, they tend to be a little harder to define, but just know that when I mention them, I am broadly referring to the 50’s-60’s (Silver Age), 70’s-80’s (Bronze Age), and 90’s-Present (Modern Age).
“The Arctic Giant” (1942)
The first Kaiju that I could find who Superman battled was not in the comic book form but within the iconic Fleischer animated serials of the early 40s. In particular, the 1942 short, “The Arctic Giant”. In this short, an unnamed ancient colossus is freed from its incarceration in ice, having been frozen below the Arctic surface for millennia. It then, predictably, proceeds to ravage the city of Metropolis. Naturally, this brings it into conflict with both Lois Lane and Superman himself. Though the creature was defeated rather easily by Superman, I find it hard not to think that this unnamed kaiju must’ve left quite a mark on filmmakers at the time.
It’s worth noting that the concept of a giant monster was well in its infancy in this era. King Kong was not even ten years old, and Godzilla was twelve years away. The design itself looks almost prototypical for what we would commonly conceive of as being a “Kaiju”, the green skin, spines, and dinosaurian form are all features that have become baked into the formula of the giant monster, most notably with Godzilla and his numerous imitators. It is worth considering what impact this seemingly obscure pre-kaiju may have had on filmmakers. After all, its origin is also a stock trope within the genre today. “Gamera” (1965), “The Deadly Mantis” (1957), and “The Beast from 20’000 Fathoms” (1953), all have this “breaking the ancient ice” origin as the catalyst for their story. Not to mention the similarity in the Arctic Giants design to the King of the Monsters himself. If there is one kaiju I think James Gunn & Co. are referencing with the mysterious new titan in 2025’s Superman, I think it must be the Arctic giant himself. After all, is he not the unsung predecessor of the genre itself?
Titano (1959)
The second giant monster I want to highlight here is one that seems to be directly inspired by King Kong himself! Titano made his first appearance all the way back in the Silver Age of comics, 1959 to be exact. It’s important (and a little humorous) to cover just what DC had discovered at this time. You see, editors in the 1950s had been paying extra attention to comic book covers to see what impact they had on how people purchased comics themselves. To their surprise, they discovered that covers featuring gorillas performed far better than others. As such, DC readers soon found themselves introduced to a litany of new simian heroes and villains.
Naturally, Superman, the company’s biggest hero, would also get a Gorilla-themed villain – Titano!
Beyond his size making him an obvious homage to King Kong, Titano is unique in a number of ways. Most notably, he produces powerful Kryptonite laser-vision from his eyes, a bizarre but fun ability that makes him even more of a challenge for the Man of Steel to fight. Secondly, it’s worth mentioning that he was originally written to be an ape in his first story, before being turned into a Gorilla for subsequent appearances. To make things even more confusing, when DC rebooted its world in 2011, Titano was altered again to now be a giant robot simply disguised as a giant Gorilla (for whatever reason).
Titano has sadly never become much more than a novelty punching bag for Superman, lacking the depth or intelligence as a character to become anything else. His appearances have grown scarcer as time has gone on, with comics sadly abandoning many elements of this era. Personally, I think that Titano is one of the most uniquely fun villains that Superman has ever faced, and, as far as giant Gorilla go, he’s second only to King himself!
Starro (1960)
The next Kaiju is one that many DC film fans may already be very familiar with. Starro the Conqueror made his cinematic debut in James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad” (2021), where he fought the titular team of anti-heroes. However, the big starfish has a history that goes far back, once again bringing us back to the Silver Age and the first appearance of the Justice League.
Am I cheating by including a Justice League villain on this list of Superman villains? Maybe, but Starro is just too fun to skip here; and besides, Superman has always been an important part of the League, even if he wasn’t necessarily the focus of Starro’s villainous gaze.
What makes Starro so important you may ask? Well, beyond his spectacular design, he was actually the first villain to ever face the Justice League, all the way back in their first appearance in 1960. Starro, or Starro the Conqueror if we want to use his full legal name, is a goofy, unapologetically campy foe who has since gone on to become a returning antagonist of the League for decades to come. He’s appeared in film and animation, all whilst continuing to be a menacing foe for over sixty years! Outside of the omnicidal villainy of Darkseid, I’d argue that Starro is the single most important Justice League antagonist to ever grace the comic page. Despite the seemingly limited physicality of his design, he has continuously proven himself to be a tough enemy to tackle, with his mind-controlling drones making it almost impossible to reach him in battle. Sadly, in his 1960s appearances, he had a rather silly weakness, Lime! In fact, it wasn’t even the League who figured out how to best him, but their teenage ally, Snapper Carr.
I also think that it’s impossible to mention Starro, without referencing the design similarities between the galaxy’s strangest despot, and the aliens featured in the 1956 Japanese Sci-Fi film, “Warning from Space”; wherein giant Starfishes from space seek to take over the Earth.
Jimmy Olsen (1961)
Now, before you laugh, yes, Superman’s No.1 Pal and biggest fan, James “Jimmy” Olsen did briefly become a giant turtle-man. Yes, it’s weird, yes, it’s happened more than once.
Olsen proved himself to be a very popular character among fans, an everyman who went on adventures with the most amazing Superhero! And so, DC sought to give him his own comic book. “Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen” was never the bestselling comic, but it has provided near limitless moments of absurdity for fans to enjoy even decades later. You might be wondering why Jimmy became a big turtle, or how, and those are both very valid questions with a surprisingly mundane answer. He found a magic chest on the beach, which shot a super-ray at him and reflected off of a turtle, such an everyday explanation for something so bizarre (“please note the sarcasm!)”
Whilst Superman was able to use a shrink ray to return Olsen back to his normal self, this moment would become an iconic piece of history in the DC Universe and a defining moment for the character of Jimmy Olsen. As such, writers and artists have enjoyed recalling the “incident” time and time again. Most recently in 2023’s comic “Fire & Ice: Return to Smallville”, Olsen would revert back into his Kaiju alter-ego after an unfortunate experience involving a cat, a sneeze, and a very bad day. It would be revealed here that his transformation could be triggered by bad allergic reactions, somehow.
With Gunn’s history of adapting obscure characters and referencing cult favourite moments throughout his works in “Guardians of the Galaxy”, “The Suicide Squad”, and its spinoff series, “Peacemaker”, is there a chance that we could see Olsen reach titanic size after an unfortunate run-in with a magic chest and a poorly-placed Turtle? Probably not, but I certainly hope so.
Solaris (1998)
The final giant beast I want to highlight is one from the modern age. First appearing in the pages of Justice League as written by Grant Morrison, and then going on to become an ongoing foe of the Man of Steel, Solaris is a kaiju who easily takes the cake for the no.1 most powerful and largest in the entire DC universe.
What is Solaris? Well, he’s a sun, a tyrant sun to be exact, as his full title would let you know. Solaris is a monster of galactic implications, and one who was the main antagonist of what is commonly regarded to be the best Superman comic of all time – Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly’s All-Star Superman. Solaris is a sentient, mechanical star who seeks the destruction of essentially everything and everyone in his path. He’s arguably the closest thing DC has to a comparison to Marvel’s Galactus. In his debut appearance, it was revealed that not only is he an enemy of this Superman, but a villain who the entire Superman dynasty would face time and time again. He was only defeated when two different Justice Leagues from two different time periods worked together to take him down.
Like most of Superman’s Kaiju foes, his appearances are kind of scarce. He is a “final boss” sort of villain and one who is best appreciated in short bursts. That being said, in the trailer for Gunn’s Superman, an enormous glowing orb can be seen in a myriad of shots, one that many fans have theorized may indeed be Solaris himself. After all, Gunn is a Grant Morrison fanatic and has stated that the aforementioned All-Star Superman is a big influence on the new film.
What do you think? Could we see the long-awaited return of the Arctic Giant in James Gunn’s Superman reboot? Is Solaris the secret villain of the movie? Personally, I’m just excited to see the world of Kaiju and the world of Superheroes collide on the big screen like we’ve never seen before. Gunn is a confirmed Ultraman fan and as such, I expect a lot of influences from the iconic Tokusatsu series to be found within the new movie. I hope that this short spotlighting of some of Superman’s biggest enemies has excited you a little bit more for the upcoming cinematic battle between the Man of Steel and Kaiju.
Superman releases July 2025, book your tickets!!
