As pointed out, it seems he is corrupted, with odd scars on his body. Could this be

• Bizzaro
• "the first clone" (maybe even the new Match)
• the eradicator
• Cyborg Superman; His name begins with an H, what if he later adopts the name "Hank" after getting cybernetic implants after being seriously injured or degraded? -> a stretch, i know
• A replacement/amalgamation of 2 or more of these characters?

Or do we get a new villain altogether before some of the old favorites return?

I just hope he's not Bizarro. That would be the lamest reimagining ever.

@SmashBrawler said:

I just hope he's not Bizarro. That would be the lamest reimagining ever.

Same here. While I have to say the skin color and scars make him pretty similar to Bizarro as does the backwards S-shield, I think he might just be a new character and the skin and backwards S are a nod to Bizarro.

@Smart_Dork_Dude: Why would that be lame? What would be lame is to keep Bizarro stuck in the Silver Age.

He's not Bizzaro. I read that he was meant to be Bizzaro but that he became so different that the decided to make him his own character.

@jointron33 said:

@Smart_Dork_Dude: Why would that be lame? What would be lame is to keep Bizarro stuck in the Silver Age.

I like Bizarro, he's my favorite DC villain. Why you may ask? Because really nothing he does is intentionally bad. He thinks he's helping and thinks he's a hero, he just messes up whether it be to him not being able to use good judgement or due to his backwards logic.

H'el on the other hand is not Bizarro material, in fact he seems more Eradicator to me than Bizarro. I think he's a cool looking character, in fact if they were to bring Bizarro back and he looked like H'el only with an actual Superman-like costume then I'd be fine with it, but H'el isn't Bizarro to me. However given his costume I can very easily see him wearing the "Bizarro #1" necklace.

@Dernman said:

He's not Bizzaro. I read that he was meant to be Bizzaro but that he became so different that the decided to make him his own character.

I can see that. I don't mind an intelligent Bizarro, but it's a little jarring not to have a version that doesn't do the "Me am" thing which is why I don't really care for most live action versions, though I do give Smallville credit for TRYING to use the classic Bizarro design. I can take or leave the opposite speak.

@Dernman: Intresting

I was thinking when I first saw the teasers that he was Bizarro, but I dont see it now. I think with the Zero issue, he is more along the line fo a Clone that sided with House El and did not revolt. I cannot wait to get all of the issues so that I can read thru this at one time. I would love to find out he was a clone of Jor El or some other El family member and that is why his loyalties are with the family. So much could happen with this character. I hope they do not use and destroy him, but find a way that he could be a recurring issue, advesary, ally (or all 3) in future Supes stories. As a Clone, he could actually be the one Hel Kon El learn to control his powers (especially since his seem similar to his more so than Kal or Kara).

I think Lobdell said H'El was meant to be the New 52 Bizarro but that his character developed so much in writing H'El on Earth that he's his own character. I see him as a completely new villain of Superman's to face.

@drgnx said:

As pointed out, it seems he is corrupted, with odd scars on his body. Could this be

• Bizzaro
• "the first clone" (maybe even the new Match)
• the eradicator
• Cyborg Superman; His name begins with an H, what if he later adopts the name "Hank" after getting cybernetic implants after being seriously injured or degraded? -> a stretch, i know
• A replacement/amalgamation of 2 or more of these characters?

Or do we get a new villain altogether before some of the old favorites return?

God I hope not,Henshaw is one of my favorite bad guys.

And H'el is just another forgettable Superman wannabe like Preus and Ultraman.

@entropy_aegis: Maybe he is the New 52 Ultraman, They already integrated Owlman into Batman with the whole court of the Owls thing so maybe they went the same route here

@joshmightbe said:

@entropy_aegis: Maybe he is the New 52 Ultraman, They already integrated Owlman into Batman with the whole court of the Owls thing so maybe they went the same route here

Possible,but the Owlman reveal wasn't exactly a stroke of genius,it was quite poor actually.

@entropy_aegis: Wasn't saying it was good, just saying it happened

@Dernman said:

He's not Bizzaro. I read that he was meant to be Bizzaro but that he became so different that the decided to make him his own character.

So looks like anyone can have their own forum on this site, huh.