He requires a good combo of make-up and CG to get his massive physique and monstrous features right.
To be fair, the CW has been doing giant CGI monsters since The Flash. We already have an example of Doomsday being done "right" on a television budget with Krypton.
That being said, I like this Bizzaro plot twist. It's potentially intriguing if it ties back to Luthor's old plans being hastily kept away.
In the comics (Action Comics, to be precise) Mongul has been getting a cool run recently about the Conan-the-barbarian-esque mechanics of Warworld. Lots of very memorable things in that, like "So say the dead" (a cultural Catchphrase of Warworld) and characters counting their years by the links in their chains. Recent material, but a lot of it would fit this show's pitch from what I gather (including a older and wiser Supes).
"All you Fascists bound to lose."This is prolly the most badass Mongul has ever been, going full barbarian gladiator games society shit with cool phrases like Mongul-who-was referring to his deposed dad and Mongul-who-is referring to him as well as a massive legacy of Monguls with the current one being Mongul being Mongul MDCCXCII or 1792.
There’s also an entire slave culture based on chains, every victory in the arena earns you a chain and Mongul is “He Who Holds All Chains" and there’s even massive celebrations lead by the Bloodpriests when the last member of an entire species dies.
I can imagine maybe an adaptation of Superman’s Authority team, we already have Nia/Steel II here. All we need left is Apollo, Midnighter, Manchester Black, Enchantress. Omac, and Lightray.
Edited by slimcoder on Jan 28th 2022 at 11:42:07 AM
"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."Problem with Mongul is, a yellow-skinned warlord whose name is barely distinguishable from "Mongol"? There are Unfortunate Implications there that the show probably does not want.
Adaptation Dye-Job is a thing.
Certified: 48.0% West Asian, 6.5% South Asian, 15.8% North/West European, 15.7% English, 7.4% Balkan, 6.6% ScandinavianWhen done good Mongul is a Hell of a villain.
"I fashioned a prison you couldn't leave without sacrificing your heart's desire. It must have been like tearing off your own arm."
"Happy birthday Kryptonian, I give you oblivion."
Now thats villain dialogue especially with Mongul's fantastic VA.
Edited by slimcoder on Jan 30th 2022 at 1:38:31 AM
"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."The only problem with a Black Mercy story here is that it revolves around Superman having to tear himself away from his perfect, idealistic family life... which he already has. Would definitely feel less emotional when he has to tell his son he doesn't think he's real.
I suppose you could transplant it to another character — JHI, Natalie, one of the brothers if they're old enough by then.
A fun idea is including Mongul's villainous legacy.
Establish Superman has faced Mongul in the past before, and when he makes a return he deals with him several times, and when Mongul returns again to unleash his ultimate confrontation he reveals that all those times Superman fought wasn't with the same Mongul.
It was his father and grandfather respectively, he's the newest Mongul who just came into power after ousting his weak failure of a father, Mongul MDCCXCII/1792nd and with his youth he's even more brutal and calculating than his old man.
Edited by slimcoder on Jan 30th 2022 at 1:52:03 AM
"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."You can say that about a villains in stories though.
It doesn't really matter that it could have been done with someone else, what matters is that it was done with them.
And thus they are remembered forever for being part of a great story.
Plus the Black Mercy is now associated with him.
Edited by slimcoder on Jan 30th 2022 at 5:35:04 AM
"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."Just saying that the best villain stories have something to do with their history, past, and characterization.
The Killing Joke is a story about the Joker and his relationship to Batman as well as (possible) origin.
The Long Halloween is basically the story about Two Face and his origins.
The Black Mercy story is about what the weapon Mongul brings does.
But that's just my .02.
Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.Well Killing Joke is mostly famous for the act of Joker shooting Barbara and the effect it has on the narrative.
For the Man Who Has Everything has Mongul commit a very memorable act of cruelty that elevates him to one of the most sadistic rogues. Its more about the actions he causes.
Its like Death of Superman is a Doomsday but nothing about Dooms character or backstory matters, just his actions. He kills Superman and does so in such a spectacular manner that it elevates him to memorability despite being nothing more than a big grey monster.
Edited by slimcoder on Jan 30th 2022 at 11:00:54 AM
"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."I do think "For The Man Who Has Everything" has that odd tidbit where Mongul is the main cause of it but the M.O of the Black Mercy is completely outside of his usual wheelhouse. Before and after the character tends to be more noted for brute strength and shock-and-awe attacks, with the Lotus-Eater Machine thing being an anomaly. That M.O matches much more with many other Superman foes: Mr. Mxy and the much later Manchester Black (funnily enough, given the "Black Mercy" name) both seem more liable for that sort of Mind Screw stratagem, but I could see Brainiac, Lex or even Darkseid going for it more than Mongul.
I always said that if you want to revamp Mongul as something that's not "Darkseid, but less cool" (which is where he often ends up, characterization-wise) making the Black Mercy be his Calling Card would be a way, but no comic book writer to my knowledge ever really took that approach or even dwelled that much in the implications of the Black Mercy. Mongul is just a Galactic Conqueror who mostly fights in brute strength but occasionally uses this rarified Mind Screw plant as a weapon despite the discrepancy in M.O.
The current take on Mongul as a very Robert E. Howard-esque barbarian tyrant with a lot of focus in the gladiatorial fantsy of Warworld is fantastic, but it is funny that Black Mercy isn't a part of it all (yet, at least). It'd be cool to see what you could do recontextualizing it (maybe Black Mercy is a sacred "plant of war" in this Warworld? Maybe Mongul uses variations or derivations from it to keep his gladiators compliant?).
"All you Fascists bound to lose."You could indeed do The Killing Joke with any villain that a) has a personal connection and constant emnity with Batman, b) is insane, and c) has something to prove about their insanity to others.
You could totally do that plot with Two-Face with barely any changes, for example. This does not make it being done with Joker any less meaningful.
As slimcoder said, "this plot could be done with any villain" is kind of a non-criticism. Regardless of what it could have been, it was done with Mongul, and as a result it is attached to the character.
Edited by KnownUnknown on Jan 31st 2022 at 11:21:04 AM
I mean, anyone could shoot Barbara, it's everything else about it that's Joker-ish.
But if you disagree with my idea, I understand.
I also think Mongul serves a decent purpose other than being discount Thanos who is a discount Darkseid. The fact he IS a discount bad guy compared to them. Superman beating him up regularly is far more believable than trying to nerf the Ultimate God of Tyranny.
Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.What makes the Killing Joke a Joker story isn't who does it, but why. Joker is deliberately out to give Gordon "One Bad Day" and make him snap. Two Face or Penguin or whoever might ALSO try and shoot Barbara but not for that reason.
Whereas the whole Black Mercy idea was not Mongul's usual style at the time and showed more cunning than he'd previously displayed. Arguably he was more of a Kalibak/Doomsday type punchbag before the story elevated him to Discount Darkseid.
"These 'no-nonsense' solutions of yours just don't hold water in a complex world of jet-powered apes and time travel."Granted you can argue the "One Bad Day" thing fits Two-Face as well since for him everything only truly started after getting doused with acid and permanently scarred.
The court case was a real bad day for him.
Plus he did used to have a close working relationship Gordon to warrant targeting him.
Edited by slimcoder on Feb 1st 2022 at 12:43:11 PM
"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."

Yes, although he had a "human" alter ego so didn't spend all his time as the classic monstrous Doomsday (and when he was the monster side the effects were okay looking but not really the behemoth from the comics IIRC)
Edit for Pagetopper: the Small ville version of Doomsday
Edited by jakobitis on Jan 26th 2022 at 12:17:14 PM
"These 'no-nonsense' solutions of yours just don't hold water in a complex world of jet-powered apes and time travel."