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It is no secret that Superman is jammed full of characters, but one of the fun surprises is how they used Metamorpho, The Element Man. In a movie about someone who always tries, no matter how difficult, to do the right thing, Anthony Carrigan plays one of the more tragic figures in James Gunn’s blockbuster. To help him celebrate booking the role, Stephen Root, the iconic actor from Office Space, Dodgeball, and King of the Hill, gave him a copy of Metamorpho’s very first comic book appearance.

Of all the characters in Superman, Metamorpho is probably one of the more obscure. While promoting the film on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Anthony Carrigan gave the audience a brief introduction to the character and a quick summary of his superpowers – namely, the ability to turn his body into any element, including Kryptonite. In response, Cobert brought out a copy of The Brave and The Bold #57, which was where the character was first introduced. However, the story of how Carrigan got that comic is even more interesting than the fact that he has it.

“That was actually gifted to me by the wonderful, iconic Stephen Root,” Carrigan explained. “Perhaps one of the best character actors ever to live.” Stephen Root might be one of those people whose name you don’t know, but you’ve definitely seen and heard if you've watched much TV or films in the past 30 years. We’ll save you a Google and just remind you that he played the downtrodden Milton in Office Space and the hapless Bill Dauterive in King of the Hill. You know his face, and you certainly know his voice. According to Carrigan, the pair were at a bar “having a couple of martinis and he gave this to me when he found out that I booked the part.“

How does the actor describe the character of Metamorpho? “He’s a good guy in a compromised position,” Anthony Carrigan explained as he introduced a clip from Superman in which we see Metamorpho’s powers in action. 

James Gunn's Superman movie is out now - and we have a lot to say about it. You can also read about Superman's S-Shield through the ages, how Superman and Clark Kent keep their secret identity secret, our recs for best Superman comics, and how to watch all his TV series and movies in order.