Who is Metamorpho? Taking a look at the character's origins amidst Anthony Carrigan's casting in Superman: Legacy

Superman: Legacy recently dropped some huge casting news when it was announced that Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, and Edi Gathegi were cast in the film as Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, and Mr. Terrific, but it looks like that wasn't all the casting news fans were going to get. Confirmed by James Gunn himself, actor Anthony Carrigan has joined the movie as Metamorpho.

Metamorpho being in Superman: Legacy is certainly exciting, and considering its Anthony Carrigan playing the superhero, there couldn't be a better fit. While the character is known among the hardcore DC fandom, a lot of the general public doesn't exactly know him. Thus, there is no better time than now to take a look at who exactly this obscure DC superhero is.

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Taking a look at Metamorpho's origins amidst upcoming appearance in Superman: Legacy

Created by Bob Haney and Ramona Fradon, Metamorpho frst appeared in The Brave and The Bold #57, which was released in January, 1965. Going by the name of Rex Mason, he would suffer a freak accident that would give him the power of being able to change into any element, which surely makes him quite the unique superhero.

According to Fandom, long back during Ancient Egypt, a meteor would land that would be used to create the Orb of Ra by priest Ahk-Ton, who was alive during the reign of Pharaoh Ramses II. The orb would then later itself turn into a powerful weapon that was intended to be used in the future.

Now, in the present, a mercenary by the name of Rex Mason was tasked with bringing the Orb to Simon Stagg. However, when he found it, his cohort Java stole it and left him alone in the light of a meteor. The meteor itself being ancient, turned Rex into Metamorpho, a man who can become any element he wants to be.

Mason eventually was confused about how to deal with his powers as his life was turned upside down. Rejecting his condition, he wished to turn back to normal and sought out the Justice League to help. However, they failed, but still offered him a position on the team, which Mason ended up rejecting.

Reflecting on his powers for a while, Mason eventually went on to accept them and then decided to use them to do some good, and thus Metamorpho was born. Being such an obscure hero, it will be fun to see how he will be translated to live-action.

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Anthony Carrigan cast as Metamorpho in Superman: Legacy

With Anthony Carrigan being cast as the character in Superman: Legacy, it will certainly be interesting to see how the actor will portray him. So far, Carrigan has received acclaim for his acting as he got more popular when he recently starred as NoHo Hank in the hit HBO series Barry. Being his most famous role yet, it certainly acted as a breakout moment for the actor.

However, this wouldn't be Carrigan's first rodeo with DC as well. He previously played the supervillain and serial killer Victor Zsasz in the Batman origin show Gotham, and also appeared as Kyle Nimbus/The Mist in The Flash. He has also appeared in many other projects like Fatherhood, and Bill and Ted Face the Music, and he certainly seems great for the role of Metamorpho too.

However, the inclusion of Metamorpho in Superman: Legacy does raise some questions. With other characters like Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, and Mr. Terrific appearing as well, it certainly looks like James Gunn isn't holding back from making this a fully fleshed out universe.

Considering that Metamorpho was also a part of the superhero team known as the Terrifics, and his team member Mr. Terrific being a part of Superman: Legacy, it's fairly certain that Gunn must be building up to that team as well.

However, all will be revealed when Superman: Legacy hits theatres on July 11, 2025.