Warning! Contains preview pages for Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #1!
Of all the deadly members in Superman’s rogues’ gallery, one villain may have found the perfect way to dispatch the hero for good. A new preview for Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #1 shows an encounter between the Man of Steel and Metallo, the man with the kryptonite heart. Instead of sitting back and letting the radioactive material do the work, Metallo has found a more innovative way of killing Superman.
Created by Robert Bernstein and Al Plastino, John Corben made his comic book debut in 1959’s Action Comics #252. After sustaining irreparable damage to his body, Corben was repaired with cybernetic enhancements that could be powered indefinitely by kryptonite, making him quite the threat to Superman. As the villain Metallo, Corben’s knowledge of kryptonite only grew, making him one of the biggest experts on Superman’s well-known Achilles’ heel.
Metallo shows just how knowledgeable he is when it comes to kryptonite in a preview for Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #1 by Mark Waid, Dan Mora, Tamra Bonvillain, and Aditya Bidikar. As Poison Ivy launches a floral attack on Metropolis, Metallo reveals himself to be her newest ally. Though Metallo’s kryptonite system immediately takes its toll on Superman, Corben has a new plan to destroy the hero. Metallo brandishes a hypodermic needle full of red kryptonite, gloating about how each piece can affect Superman differently. Taking advantage of Superman’s vulnerability, Metallo plunges the needle into the hero’s chest, delivering a cocktail of red kryptonite straight to his heart.
Red kryptonite is merely one variant of the radioactive rocks. While not as lethal as its green counterpart, red does indeed come with its own unfortunate, and unpredictable, consequences. At times, red kryptonite has done something innocuous like changing Superman’s personality, or something more extreme and dangerous like causing severe mutations. With no sure way to tell how Clark would react around red kryptonite, it arguably is a more unsafe variant based on the uncertainty that comes with it.
This makes Metallo’s plan that much more menacing. For one, he isn’t subjecting Superman to one sliver of red kryptonite, but twelve. This means there are a dozen potential side effects that could, at best, make Superman act out of character. At worst, the blend Metallo has concocted could be just the right combination of side effects that wind up being deadly for the hero. That’s not even mentioning the fact that unlike regular kryptonite exposure, which is enough to weaken Clark, Metallo has injected this blend directly into Superman’s heart. With the dubious mixture coursing through his veins, the Man of Steel has absolutely nowhere to run from this insidious attack.
Metallo has attempted to take down Superman for years, but never has he weaponized kryptonite as effectively as he has here. Readers will have to find out for themselves effects this could have when Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #1 releases March 15, 2022.
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