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Look, it’s hard to keep anything about superhero movies a secret, especially casting news. As much as we’d all like to be surprised by the sight of the original Fox X-Men in Avengers: Doomsday or Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the current pop culture media complex punishes those who wait.
Den of Geek is as susceptible to this reality as anyone, so when the trades started reporting last week that James Gunn was auditioning actresses to play antihero Maxima in the Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow, we started to write on it… at least until Gunn himself took to Threads to deny the report. After some hemming and hawing in our company Slack, we decided to wait and see. But now that Variety and others are stating that Adria Arjona has been cast as Maxima, it seems clear that it’s time to address the news and talk about this weird character—a character so complicated that the messy casting announcement is kind of fitting.
Lady Maxima first appeared in 1990’s Action Comics #645, by Roger Stern and George Pérez, as a member of the ruling family of the planet Almerac, a world populated by warriors. To keep control of her violent people, Maxima acts as a despot, destroying those who stand against her and besting any challenger in combat. Because she found even the mightiest man on her home planet wanting, Maxima comes to Earth to claim Superman as her mate. And, in a true feat of strength, Superman says to the muscled redhead in a teeny-tiny costume who promises nights of passion, “No, thank you.”
You can see why Maxima might be a difficult character to handle, especially in light of the two previous live-action adaptations of the character. Smallville leaned right into the sexy, scary alien angle, putting performer Charlotte Sullivan in a skimpy outfit and had her chase Tom Welling‘s Clark around town. Supergirl went the other direction, referencing her pursuit of Superman in the dialogue, but only asking Eve Torres Gracie to play her as a powerhouse to match the Maid of Might’s strength. Who’s to say which one is better, but the former take would certainly raise some eyebrows today.
That said, James Gunn has always taken a risqué approach to superheroes, and even his version of Superman will let slip an s-word or a-word (only when quoting someone else, though, of course). Thus, it’s very likely that this version of Maxima will retain the sexual energy of the comic book character. But Gunn, co-creator of PG Porn, knows how to walk right up to the line before crossing over it.
And when you consider Maxima’s backstory, it’s certainly worth the risk, especially in light of Man of Tomorrow‘s plot. In the comics, Superman first caught Maxima’s attention during the Warworld storyline, in which Superman—who exiled himself in space as punishment for executing General Zod—is forced to participate in gladiator matches held by the conqueror Mongul. Superman acquits himself well, defeating all comers while maintaining his commitment to dignity. And the fact that he was reduced to basically underwear and a cool beard likely also appealed to Maxima (as it did to Lois, who made Clark keep his outfit from the recent Warworld sequel).
In Man of Tomorrow, Superman and Lex Luthor will be forced to team up to deal with Brainiac. Given that the movie involves Salvation, the off-site prison planet introduced in the second season of Peacemaker, we may very well see a similar type of glaadiator set-up, meaning that Superman’s victory will draw Maxima’s attention. And if Maxima chooses Superman as the superior man in earshot of Lex, he’s certain to get even more insecure and maniacal, leading to more bickering between the two.
Given the rivalry between the two, Maxima makes a perfect addition to Man of Tomorrow. Moreover, Maxima is an inherently silly character, the exact type of blustering oddball that Gunn loves to write, especially if it gets the heroes to trade swipes at each other. Which is why the Arjona casting makes so much sense, and not just because she appeared in the Gunn-penned horror movie The Belko Experiment. While genre fans may know her best for more serious parts in Andor or (shudder) Morbius, Arjona knows how to play funny and charming. Just see her excellent turn opposite Glen Powell in Richard Linklater‘s Hit Man.
It may have taken us a long time to get here, but Maxima never made anything easy on anyone. And if we get a few good jokes out of the process, all the better.
Man of Tomorrow arrives in theaters July 9, 2027.
The post Superman 2 Reportedly Adding a Complicated Secondary Antagonist appeared first on Den of Geek.
