Marvel's Satanic Superman Homage Won't Appear In The MCU - Here's Why

There is a treasure trove of heroes and villains yet to make their live-action appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. One cape-wearing crusader who certainly won't be appearing (even if Marvel published him) is the Superman-like hero Superior. Debuting in 2010 and running until March 2012, "Superior" was part of comic book writer Mark Millar's Millarworld universe. The series follows a young boy with multiple sclerosis named Simon Pooni, who sells his soul to the devil to become his favorite comic book character, Superior.

"Superior" was one of the many works published under the imprint of Icon Comics, which Marvel Comics managed. These titles were creator-owned, which meant the monster publisher that's home to Iron Man and Captain America kept its hands off those with the Icon label and couldn't throw Superior or any other under the aforementioned imprint into the MCU. Of these titles, some would eventually get adapted or considered for such, including "Kick-Ass" (which original director Matthew Vaughn plans to reboot) and other titles in Millarworld that Netflix has since acquired. But while the wheels might have turned for some corners of the universe Millar created, "Superior" has remained stuck in the ninth circle of development hell.

Following the success of "Kick-Ass" and "Kingsman," some of Mark Millar's other stories were due to receive the Hollywood treatment, including "Superior." In 2016, Variety revealed that writers had been roped in to bring the hero to life with no mention since of any further development. Given that Netflix now has its hands on Millarworld, it's a safe bet that Superior has unfortunately returned to the drawing board, even with hopes that Millar had laid out who he wanted in the role. 

Speaking to ComicBook.com in 2016, Millar expressed his interest in John Cena playing Superior after the wrester-turned-actor caught his eye in "Trainwreck" opposite Amy Schumer. "I was texting people before the movie had even finished," said Millar, who was massively impressed with what was on show. "He was so, so funny. His comic timing is just impeccable, and he looks very thoughtful too." Millar added that Cena had topped of his list of potentials, but given how things have gone quiet on the project, does he still hold the position? Regardless of what happens to the project, we really can't see anyone else better suited for the role.