Barry star Anthony Carrigan is locked in to portray Metamorpho in James Gunn’s upcoming Superman reboot. So, who exactly is Metamorpho, and has he appeared in any other DC movies and TV shows?
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Anthony Carrigan’s Metamorpho, Explained
Metamorpho is the crime-fighting alias of adventurer-turned-superhero Rex Mason. He’s an elemental shapeshifter, who gained his powers from a strange meteor with ties to the mystical Orb of Ra. Metamorpho can transmute all or parts of his body into different chemical substances. Solids, gases, and liquids – our guy can do ’em all. As a result, Metamorpho can fly, bounce, or stretch as needed. He’s also resistant (if not outright invulnerable) to physical attacks, gunfire, and energy blasts. What’s more, Metamorpho can reshape his physique – hammer and claw hands are his go-to alterations – and even create duplicates of himself!
Unfortunately, Metamorpho’s transformation also has its downsides. Notably, Rex can’t turn his powers off; he’s stuck in Metamorpho form. This means all four of his limbs are made out of different chemical elements, as is his torso. As a result, Metamorpho sports an unmistakably inhuman appearance, which (understandably) bums him out. Carrigan indicated in a January 2024 Rolling Stone interview that his take on Metamorpho will lean into this aspect of the character.
“With all of my characters, I really try to find some sense of authenticity and truth on what I can relate to about the character,” Carrigan said. “With Metamorpho, this is a character who was almost cursed with his powers and thought that he was freakish in terms of what he looked like and that’s something I could totally relate to because of my alopecia.” It’s unclear whether Carrigan’s Metamorpho will share the same backstory and superpowers as his comics counterpart, however.
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Is Metamorpho in Any Other DC Movies or TV Shows?
Yes, Metamorpho has appeared in multiple DC films and TV shows already. Heck, he came this close to heading up his own cartoon in the 1960s (the pilot never got made, though). But there’s no keeping a good superhero down, and Metamorpho went on to appear in Justice League and Justice League: Unlimited, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Beware the Batman, and Young Justice.
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Metamorpho’s cropped up in a bunch of DC Universe Animated Original Movies, too. They include Justice League: The New Frontier, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, and Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One. Carrigan’s Metamorpho marks the character’s first live-action feature-length appearance.
James Gunn’s Superman reboot swoops into cinemas on July 11, 2025.
Published: Jul 11, 2024 07:38 am