Superman’s Mysterious New Villain Proves He’s as Evil as Thanos

Warning! Spoilers for Action Comics #1030 by DC Comics below.

A new mysterious Superman villain’s darkest act is right out of the playbook of Marvel’s most notorious bad guy, Thanos. In a new preview for Action Comics #1030, Mongul is confronted by a yet-to-be-revealed robed villain, who reveals he’s beheaded all of the Warworld leader’s sons as a tribute to him to seemingly show how serious he is. The action is quite similar to a quest the Mad Titan took on in Infinity #1. 

Warworld is a planet-like satellite, where Mongul oversees the capture and enslavement of aliens from across the galaxy in order to battle them in a Gladiator arena for his own entertainment. The Future State storyline, Superman: Worlds of War, dealt with a future where Superman was trapped by a new version of Mongul on Warworld and fought to become its champion among its competitors. Back in the main timeline, a new threat has emerged who isn’t afraid to kill for Mongul’s attention.

In new previews for Action Comics #1030 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Daniel Sampere, Adriano Lucas, and Dave Sharpe, a mysterious person in a robe (covering their face) enters Mongul’s sacred hall while not being constrained like others who come face-to-face with the master. The robed person describes themselves as a nameless scavenger, who knows many secrets. They say they “come bearing gifts,” offering Mongul “the heads of all your sons,” as he empties a bag of heads on the floor. It’s the ultimate tribute, as in Mongul’s culture, his sons take over as the true Mongul once they kill him – potentially allowing him to rule unchallenged.

The mysterious villain’s actions bring to mind Thanos’ efforts to get rid of his potential offspring in Infinity #1. In the story by Jonathan Hickman, Jim Cheung, Mark Morales, John Livesay, David Meikis, Justin Ponsor, Chris Eliopoulos, and Joe Caramagna, the Mad Titan seeks tributes from different planets in exchange for not destroying them. Thanos offers the planet’s survival in exchange for the heads of their children. In doing so, he eliminates a generation, but it’s eventually revealed that his true mission is to guarantee the death of his missing son, with only his age and Inhuman heritage known to Thanos. The villain in Action Comics #1030 offering Mongul the heads of his sons matches up with Thanos’ own quest to prevent his child from growing to maturity and taking his throne.

The new mysterious figure clearly means business and by arriving on Warworld with the heads of Mongul’s sons, he shows how serious he is to either protect the throne or to gain the throne himself. Like Thanos, the new Superman villain getting Mongul’s son’s heads eliminates the threats of a more powerful offspring eventually usurping him and sends quite the message. Action Comics #1030 is in stores on April 27, 2021.

About The Author

Liam McGuire
(2568 Articles Published)

See also  Why MCU Fans Are Convinced Namor Is In Black Panther 2

Lead writer for Screen Rant’s comic team. [email protected]. Find me on Twitter @LiamRMcGuire for comic news and reporting.

More From Liam McGuire