In the lead-up to Action Comics #1050, Clark Kent returns to Earth-0/Prime following the 'Warworld Saga,' and together with his son, Jon, he'll fight a more high-stakes battle with Lex Luthor than ever before. The upcoming storyline, 'Kal-El Returns,' begins in Superman: Son of Kal-El #16 in October.
But the two Supermen won't just be fighting Lex Luthor. As revealed by DC's December 2022 solicitation for Superman: Son of Kal-El #18, a new villain will emerge as well: Red Sin.
Hours after DC released its full December solicitations, Son of Kal-El writer Tom Taylor tweeted, "It's time to reveal The Return of Kal-El isn't the only big thing coming up. #Superman: Son of Kal-El #16-#18 will also see the birth of a new @DCComics villain. A villain unlike anything faced by any Superman before. RED SIN."
He also shared issue #18 cover art by Travis Moore, in which a fiery hand can be seen reaching toward a seemingly unconscious Clark Kent and a bloody but angry-looking Jon Kent. This is seemingly our first real glimpse of the villain, though Taylor specifically mentions Red Sin coming into play in Superman: Son of Kal-El #16.
Red Sin hasn't been teased in solicits for either that issue or issue #17, but then again, DC just revealed a new editorial era for its comics: Dawn of the DCU, which is born of the current Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths event.
Also in DC's December solicitations is a teaser for Batman vs. Robin #4, in which we discover that Lazarus Island - which imprisoned the devil Nezha for years - is actually a volcano waiting to explode.
And a promo image released by DC shows the volcano's lava making Superman's classic symbol. We don't yet know why, but perhaps Red Sin and the lava of Lazarus Island are somehow connected.
Whatever happens next, we can be sure the DCU is about to change in major ways, and we'll be watching closely for clues as we get closer to the Dawn. And yes, that's a sly way of acknowledging the potential connection between the name "Red Sin" and the classic Superman weakness of a "red sun" (as well as the next era of DC Comics).
Superman: Son of Kal-El #18 will be available December 13.
Depending on how much of a problem he presents to Clark and Jon Kent, Red Sin could eventually become one of the best Superman villains.
