DC confirmed that it forgot to show off one Superman (2025) villain's secret hidden superpowers. James Gunn's 2025 Superman movie ushered in a new era of super-powered storytelling for DC Comics, kicking off the newly minted DCU on the big screen. The high-flying blockbuster saw David Corenswet's Man of Steel taking on several formidable foes, including the super-genius Lex Luthor and a clone of himself, known as Ultraman.
However, one of the movie's most interesting big bads came in the form of María Gabriela de Faría's The Engineer, a U.S. military vet whose blood had been infused with small technological nanites, allowing her to change her physical form at will. Her powers were among the most interesting to see on-screen, as she utilized these microscopic machines in a variety of unique ways; however, there seemed to be one thing the movie left on the table.
According to DC's official Superman: The Art and Making of the Film art book, the 2025 Superman movie concealed one of The Engineer's most intriguing powers from audiences. In the DC-published book, it was revealed that de Faria's super-powered foe can clone herself (a power she notably did not use in the movie).
"Her blood is composed of tiny robots—nanites—that she can [use to] create anything," de Faria posited in the artbook's Engineer section, adding "She can make really complex machines, computers, [and] she can clone herself multiple times:"
"Her blood is composed of tiny robots—nanites—that she can [use to] create anything that she can imagine. She can make really complex machines, computers. She can clone herself multiple times. She can make any weapon available. She can transtorm herself into a rocket and fly."
While it does not take much to imagine de Faria's character creating clones of herself, given her powerset, this is notable, as it is the first time DC has confirmed the hidden superpower in any official DCU capacity.
Self-duplication has been a mainstay of the Engineer character in the comics for years, but fans have yet to see her use that particular ability on-screen. With rumors that de Faria will return for the upcoming Superman: Man of Tomorrow 2, perhaps that will be the opportunity for her cloning powers to receive the full big-screen spotlight.
The Engineer can now be seen in Superman, which is streaming on HBO Max. de Faria's DC villain joins the likes of Ultraman and Lex Luthor as the DCU film's primary comic book villains.
The Future of The Engineer in the DCU
María Gabriela de Faría's DC villain appeared to be just getting started in 2025's Superman movie. The character, who had never been featured in a live-action DC movie before, broke onto the scene as an instantly imposing presence on screen.
Her nanite-based powers were used in a variety of ways on the silver screen. She could transform her limbs into massive cannons, fly into the sky with jets on her legs, and use some of her body to suffocate the most powerful man alive (aka Superman).
Her next appearance in the super-powered franchise has not been confirmed, but a future appears to be on the cards for the character.
In the comics, The Engineer goes on to help found the anti-hero superteam known as The Authority. An Authority-based movie project has been confirmed to be in development at DC Studios, but work on the project has reportedly been slow.
If de Faria's Superman villain does not appear in the upcoming Man of Tomorrow (the direct follow-up to James Gunn's 2025 DCU blockbuster), then The Authority feels like the most obvious place for her to pop up next, cloning powers and all.
