Anthony Carrigan Reveals Why He Relates to Metamorpho After Being Cast in Superman: Legacy

When Anthony Carrigan first lost his hair due to alopecia, a rare auto-immune disorder that targets hair follicles, his mind went to which superheroes and supervillains he could play.

“I like comic books, but I’m not a diehard, but I did when all my hair fell out, go through the kind of pantheon of all of these bald superheroes and supervillains and made note of all of them,” Carrigan told THR. “I remember seeing Metamorpho and I think he had like a giant like hammer for a hand and I was like, that guy’s badass. Noted. We’ll store that one away.”

Fast-forward to 2023, and Carrigan, an Emmy-nominated actor best-known for his role in Barry, is set to join James Gunn’s DCU as Metamorpho, a shifting mass of chemicals cursed by an ancient artifact. Carrigan told Deadline that he’s “gobsmacked” to be joining Superman Legacy, which will feature David Corenswet as the Man of Steel.

“I certainly think that at least in the source material, Metamorpho, when he was transformed into his superhero state, I think he was very reluctant to have it because he felt like he was a freak and he felt like he was no longer who he was,” Carrigan said. “I can certainly kind of relate to that, in terms of my alopecia. So, that’s definitely something that I’ll be channeling and am excited to bring to the character itself.”

I am unbelievably excited for Metamorpho (and this opportunity to work with Anthony Carrigan.) https://t.co/tdWrBsX1il

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 12, 2023

Metamorpho was first introduced in 1965, where he was dubbed “the Element Man.” He’s a charter member of the Outsiders and a member of the Justice League International, with Sandman writer Neil Gaiman among those who have penned stories featuring the character.

“I am unbelivably excited for Metamorpho (and this opportunity to work with Anthony Carrigan),” Gunn tweeted after the announcement.

Superman: Legacy, which was announced earlier this year during the unveiling of Gunn’s new DCU, is in the midst of a slew of casting announcements. Just yesterday, DC Studios announced the casting of multiple heroes including Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, sparking fear among fans that Gunn’s DCU may already be too complicated.

Superman: Legacy is set to release in 2025.

Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO

Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.