Superman was a family-friendly film, but it also\u00a0featured adult-leaning characters and themes. A big example of this is Mr. Handsome, played by Trevor Newlin. Created by Lex Luthor, the gruesome creature acted as the villain’s companion. He was nightmarish-looking, with a tall, lanky body and disturbing features that made him look like he’d fit right at home in a Guillermo del Toro horror movie.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Simply put, he was disturbing. But, as it turns out, he could have looked even gnarlier. Superman: The Art and Making of the Film\u00a0book came out recently. The publication\u00a0dives into\u00a0the visual development of the DC Studios feature, providing an inside look into the different aesthetics considered for the film. An X user<\/a>\u00a0posted some pictures of pages from\u00a0book, featuring alternate character designs for Baby Joey, the Kaiju and Mr. Handsome:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Concept art of some creatures from #Superman<\/a> (2025)
Mr. Handsome’s alternate designs stand out above the rest. Though most of the character concepts\u00a0shown\u00a0are quite similar to their final designs, Mr. Handsome’s is surprisingly more gruesome than what ended up in the film. The image depicts initial plans to have his insides exposed, connected to something else through a fleshy tether. Another one of the pieces\u00a0shows him with a tube attached to his head.\u00a0They’re\u00a0particularly\u00a0gnarly designs\u00a0for such a family-friendly project, so it makes sense that they\u00a0were\u00a0scrapped.\u00a0<\/p>\n Still, the design highlights something about James Gunn’s artistic vision.\u00a0Among his\u00a0many talents is his eye for gruesome character\u00a0designs. The director knows how to handle cute animals in films, but he’s just as good at crafting nightmarish monsters. Mr. Handsome is a perfect example of that. His name may be\u00a0humorous, but there is nothing visually appealing about him. He’s unnerving\u2014a perfect fit for\u00a0Lex Luthor’s twisted world.\u00a0<\/p>\n Little was explained about Mr. Handsome in Superman, but the character actually has a compelling backstory. In July,\u00a0James Gunn took to X<\/a> to share BTS pictures of Mr. Handsome. Gunn\u00a0expressed his love for\u00a0the character in the post,\u00a0and revealed the creature was actually created by Lex when he was just a boy, his first attempt at creating life.\u00a0As it turns out, Mr. Handsome may also happen\u00a0to be the only person Luthor truly loves:\u00a0<\/p>\n “When people ask me my favorite character from Superman,\u00a0it just might be Mr. Handsome. Lex created Mr. Handsome in a Petri dish when he was 12\u2014he was trying to make a human. He didn’t come out so well, but he just might be the only one in the world Lex has any true sentiment for, as evidenced by the photo on his desk. Our Mr. Handsome was portrayed by the wonderful Trevor Newlin.”<\/p>\n
When people ask me my favorite character from #Superman<\/a> it just might be Mr. Handsome. Lex created Mr. Handsome in a Petri dish when he was 12 – he was trying to make a human. He didn’t come out so well, but he just might be the only one in the world Lex has any true sentiment\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/NwBPOOMLtQ<\/a><\/p>\n
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\nMr. Handsome has a Guillermo del Toro imaginarium vibes.
\nAnd we lost because we didn’t see Baby Joey riding the Baby Kaiju\ud83e\udd79 pic.twitter.com\/FQa5lax4bQ<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\u2014 Mikhail Villarreal\ud83e\udd87\u200f (@TaurooAldebaran) November 25, 2025<\/a>
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\n\u2014 James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 29, 2025<\/a>
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