74 years since their debut in the first ever Superman movie, the Mole Men have finally been made canon in DC Comics.
In Superman Unlimited #7, the latest installment of the current DC Comics series, Superman's son Jonathan Kent encounters some familiar subterranean creatures while investigating strange goings-on in Smallville.
The Mole Men were the small, green antagonists of 1951's fittingly titled Superman and the Mole Men, which starred George Reeves as the Man of Steel and Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane. When the pair head to a small town to report on the world's deepest oil well, the pair comes face-to-face with the Mole Men after the creatures emerge from the drill shaft. After accidentally scaring the security guards to death, the town demonizes the Mole Men, and Superman tries to broker peace between the humans and the creatures.
The movie ended with the Mole Men retreating back underground (and blowing up the drill shaft so no one could follow them), but things ended on a much more cordial note in Superman Unlimited #7 – so it's likely we haven't seen the last of them in the comics.
Off the back of Superman and the Mole Men, Reeves would go on to play Clark Kent in six seasons of Adventures of Superman between 1952 and 1958, cementing Superman as a mainstay on our screens for decades to come.
As of this summer, Big Blue has a new face: David Corenswet took on the role for James Gunn's new DCU Chapter One in this year's Superman. He's set to don the red cape again – alongside Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor – in Man of Tomorrow, a sequel-of-sorts that features an unlikely team-up.
Man of Tomorrow arrives in theaters on July 9, 2027. While we wait, check out our guide to the other upcoming DC movies and shows to add to your watchlist.
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