New concept art revealed terrifying alternate designs for Superman (2025)'s scariest villain. James Gunn's new Superman movie featured plenty of heroes for fans to latch onto with the big-screen debut of massive names from DC Comics like Mister Terrific, Guy Gardner, and Hawkgirl; however, almost more impressive was its wide swath of villain characters from the comic book canon.
David Corenswet's Man of Steel crossed paths with iconic big bads from the comics, such as Lex Luthor and The Engineer, as well as lesser-known, formidable foes, including the terribly off-putting Mr. Handsome (also known as the Slenderman-like ward to Lex's extra-dimensional prison). Mr. Handsome was the closest thing to a straight-up horror movie villain Superman had, with his pale white skin, empy in-set eyes, and grossly stretched and distorted bodily features.
What might surprise some people is that Mr. Handsome could have looked even more grotesque than what audiences got in the final film. As spotted by X user
Mikhail Villarreal, a new book from Legacy Effects focused on the making of James Gunn's debut DCU blockbuster, features several unused designs for Lex Luthor's ghastly experiment.
These unused designs for what has been dubbed by many as Superman's scariest character include even more alien-looking features for Mister Handsome. Some include even less resemblance to anything human, eliminating the eyes and mouth seen in the movie.
Other versions of the character see him hooked up to a machine of some sort, seemingly keeping the failed experiment alive as he helps transport visitors to Lex's personal prison.
Mr. Handsome can be seen now in Superman. James Gunn's first movie of the new DCU debuted in theaters this past summer, following David Corenswet's Man of Steel as he came to blows with the terrifying Lex Luthor for the very first time. Superman is streaming on HBO Max.
Will Mr. Handsome Ever Return to the DCU
While Mr. Handsome was one of the highlights of Superman, his DCU future remains a massive question for fans.
The ward of Lex Luthor's extra-dimensional prison is now out of a job following the events of Superman. Supes and the rest of the Justice Gang shut down Lex's plans for global dominance, destroying his prison, freeing its prisoners, and locking the sinister supergenius behind bars in Belle Reve Prison.
This leaves Mr. Handsome hanging in the balance. The character was not seen at the end of Superman as the rest of Lex's prisoners were set free. This could mean he may have fallen victim to the black hole opened up in Superman's escape from Lex's other-worldly compound.
Perhaps he was sent to wherever Ultraman was jettisoned off to by the end of the film and could return later.
In the world of DC Comics, Mr. Handesome does not look, feel, or sound anything like the version of the character seen in James Gunn's DC Studios kick-off movie. Maybe, wherever the alien-like character ended up, he will evolve a bit more, becoming the crime boss fans know him as from the comic books.
Then, given his connection to Lex Luthor (appearing to have some close bond with the Superman villain), he could come back with the idea of revenge on his mind, setting out on a quest to avenge his creator and free him from his iron binds.
