Superman Symbolism: What 10 Most Famous Villains Really Mean

7. Metallo - His Heart

Superman is a moral superhero who has a heart - and sometimes that heart can be his downfall. The fact that he has a heart means he sometimes lacks the conviction required to finish a battle off or truly put a threat to bed. Metallo represents the fact that Superman's heart is one of his weaknesses, by virtue of actually having a heart that is literally made of the material that is Superman's weakness - Kryptonite. In actuality, Metallo is John Wayne Corben a devious reporter who, after a near fatal car accident, was turned into a cyborg by Professor Emmet Vale - a pioneer in robotics. His failing heart and skin were replaced by an artificial heart made of Uranium and artificial skin. When the Uranium depleted, Vale discovered Kryptonite could be used as a replacement for the Uranium. Metallo decided to steal some Kryptonite that was on loan to a local museum. After finding out that Kryptonite is lethal to Superman, fearing retaliation from the Man of Steel for his crime and given that he had grown fond of Lois Lane after having got a job at the Daily Planet, he decided to try to kill him and the rivalry was born.