Warning! Contains spoilers for Action Comics 2022 Annual!
The Man of Steel has an apparent direct opposite in the villain Bizarro, but the villain that actually best serves as a dark mirror to Superman is the cosmic tyrant Mongul. This may seem strange, as Bizarro was explicitly created to be a twisted mirror version of Superman, sharing a similar appearance to him but acting in the opposite manner. But ultimately Bizarro is only Superman’s opposite on a surface level. One of his other villains, Mongul, provides a more meaningful foil to the Man of Steel.
Mongul is the ruler of the planet Warworld, which Superman is currently trying to liberate in the ongoing Action Comics. Unlike Bizarro, he doesn’t resemble Superman at all in terms of appearance: a hulking yellow alien who more resembles Darkseid or Thanos. He also doesn’t commit evil actions for the sake of doing the opposite of what Superman does, like Bizarro. He rules over his planet and people with an iron fist, all a credit to the Warzoon philosophy of 'Survival of the Strongest.' He also seeks to raise Warworld’s status through interplanetary conquest and acquiring the God-Aspects of Olgrun, DC’s version of the Infinity Stones. However, Mongul was not always this way.
Action Comics 2022 Annual written by Philip Kennedy Johnson and Si Spurrier, with art by Dale Eaglesham and Ian Churchill, tells two parallel stories from the childhoods of both Superman and Mongul. The Superman story is an anecdote about learning not to use his powers to punish bullies (as those bullies may be suffering in ways that are not obvious). Mongul’s story is much more fascinating, revealing Mongul initially was a kind and protective soul, before being cast into Warworld’s barren wastes with his mother for being too weak. His experiences there forge him into a hardened warrior who despises those who protect the weak.
The parallel stories in this issue highlight how Mongul and Superman are simultaneously similar and incredibly different. Where Superman’s story shows how Clark had to learn how to use his powers to protect even those who appear strong, Mongul’s story shows that he had to learn to not protect people at all. In this way the two enemies undergo opposite arcs based on the moral codes that their mothers teach them. If either of them had been raised by the other one’s parent, then they could have easily swapped positions, with Superman becoming a tyrannical warlord, and Mongul becoming a protector of the weak.
The deep similarities between the two characters make Mongul a much better foil for Superman than Bizarro. Although Bizarro is a fun character, the deep parallels between Superman and Mongul show how the potential of his initial concept is largely wasted, as Mongul is a much more compelling villain. Thus despite not being a direct opposite of Superman like Bizarro, Mongul deserves the moniker much more, as the anti-parallels between the two are much more fascinating and thus makes their conflict much more compelling.
Action Comics 2022 Annual is now available from DC Comics.