How Jor-El’s Message To Superman Could Secretly Set Up a Massive DC Villain For the Sequel

Superman's controversial Jor-El message change could secretly set up an iconic DC Comics villain for a potential sequel. The parting words sent with a baby Kal-El have become a staple of the Superman story, with each on-screen iteration usually offering its own take on some worldly advice for the superhero-to-be. Gunn's DCU version of the Man of Steel turned that on its head, though, changing DC canon and adding a twist that had Big Blue's parents offer a message of domination hidden behind corrupted data. 

Yes, the usual 'be an example for the people of Earth' message was paired with a controversial warcry, telling Kal-El to rule over his new planetary home. This was met with some furrowed brows among longtime DC Comics fans, as it changed the core of why Superman does what he does. However, while breaking from the usual canon Superman story, the change may have laid the groundwork for a particular DC villain to play a part in the inevitable Superman sequel. 

An official Superman 2 announcement has not yet come from either DC Studios or Warner Bros., but one is almost surely coming. Director and DC Studios co-CEO has indicated that he is working on a follow-up to the high-flying DCU debut, even if he has clarified that it might not technically be Superman 2.

Actor David Corenswet has even indicated that another film is in the making, revealing before Superman's release that he has signed on for multiple movies set in the super-powered universe.

How Jor-El's Message Change Could Set Up Superman 2's Epic Villain

One way that James Gunn may be able to win over some skeptics of his divisive change to the whole Jor-El message part of the Superman story would be to have it play into the villain in a potential Superman 2. 

In the comics, there is a character named H'el, a Kryptonian experiment with a history deeply connected to the House of El (aka Superman's family). He believes himself to be something of a space explorer, growing up raised by Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van and even thinking of them as his own parents.

Upon discovering that Krypton's destruction is imminent, H'el constructs a spaceship and heads out into the cosmos, surviving the destruction of Superman's homeworld and embarking on a quest to uphold the Kryptonian way (by any means necessary). 

Thanks to a few bumps on his journey, H'el ends up arriving on Earth 27 years after Kal-El first landed on the planet. Eventually, he comes to blows with Superman and the other Kryptonians who have made Earth, disgraced that the hero would not want to rule over Earth in an attempt to create a new Krypton all to his own.

James Gunn's change to the Jor-El message in Superman feels like the perfect table-setting for a villain like H'el.

What if H'el exists in Gunn's new interconnected DC universe and arrives on Earth just like he does in the comics, only to discover that the Man of Steel is not upholding the mandate imparted to him by his parents?

It feels like the perfect set up for another epic Superman adventure. Maybe Milly Alcock's Supergirl could even join in the fun, as it is assumed she too will make a home on Earth after the events of next year's Supergirl movie. 

This would offer yet another Kryptonian who had this idea of intergalactic domination (making the Jor-El message make more sense), and provide a close-to-home villain for David Corenswet's costumed supe to fight without feeling too samey when compared to Superman's Lex Luthor and Ultra Man.