Content Warning: This article contains references to graphic violence and shootings.
Affectionately nicknamed the "big blue boy scout," Superman, at his best, is typically humble, gentle, and basically, the ideal neighbor. Despite his incredible strength and power, this down-to-Earth superhero often does his best to pursue non-violent solutions to the problems presented by his enemies. However, even Superman has his limits.
Throughout his comic book history, his patience has been tested to such extreme degrees that no amount of life-long self-restraint has held back his anger, and in turn, his transformation from a gentle superhero into an angry god. Non-evil Superman still has a bad side, and villains on the receiving end can find the Man of Tomorrow can be quite scary indeed.
9 Action Comics #1
Typically, "I'm your worst nightmare," is something Batman would say, but in Grant Morrison's revised take in 2011's New 52 reboot, Action Comics #1, Superman leads with precisely this. Confronting a corrupt businessman atop his tower, Superman - eyes glowing red - leaves unconscious henchman and shattered walls in his wake.
Seeking a confession, Superman drops the criminal off the edge of the roof, allowing him to fall to the street far below before catching him at the last second, terrifying him to the point that he finally confesses to all of his illicit acts. This debut of a harsher Superman, unafraid to get his hands dirty, said a lot about this new take, generating mixed feelings from fans on the New 52's Superman.
8 Superman: Earth One Volume Two
"Who has the guns makes the rules," were the words of a military dictator, lording over his oppressed people with an iron fist. In the epilogue of J. Michael Straczynski's second volume of his Elseworld Superman: Earth One saga, his grittier take on the Last Son of Krypton returns to the dictator in the fictional country of Borada to say, "I've decided that you're right."
Therefore, Superman led the citizens to a weapons cache, allowing them to arm themselves. "They also decided you were right," he explained. As the rebels stormed into the dictator's bedroom, Superman left his fate to the guns of the angry masses. This was one of the comic's many controversial deviations from a Superman who would save any life.
7 Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?
Alan Moore's dark, violent resolution to the story of a non-canon Superman depicts the deaths of characters like Pete Ross, Jimmy Olsen, Lana Lang, and even Krypto the Superdog. These deaths were at the hands of a team of supervillains assembled to defeat him by one of the best Superman villains, Mr. Mxyzptlk, who had turned to complete evil. As a result, the readers saw Superman do something that would be considered out-of-character.
His frustration ultimately explodes into a rage as he viciously attacks the remaining villains threatening his friends. Using their telepathic powers, the Legion of Super-Villains determined that he, the normally pacifistic Superman, intended to kill them, which ultimately drove the frightened villains to flee. However, he did end up shocking the readers by getting his hands bloody, killing Mr. Mxyzptlk by splitting him between two dimensions. It was certainly something no one saw coming, which made fans question what else he was capable of if he was pushed too far.
6 Superman: Brainiac
Perhaps the definitive Brainiac story, Geoff Johns' comic involves the titular supervillain revealing his true form and launching a grand invasion to steal one of Earth's cities. He is thwarted, but the shock of the incident leads to one of the most heartbreaking deaths in the Superman comics as Jonathan Kent dies after a sudden heart attack.
Grieving, Superman later walks into the high-tech prison where Brainiac is held and brutally beats him to death, showering his own face in the villain's green blood until it is revealed he was merely imagining the act. Fantasizing about killing the man who killed his adoptive father was certainly a dark place for such a colorful symbol of hope to find himself in. However, it also did show his more humane side as it showed that he could be so overcome with emotion like everyone else.
5 Superman: For Tomorrow
Brian Azzarello's 12-issue saga starting in Superman #204 (2004-2005) presented one of the most fascinating changes to the character -- a Superman without his Clark Kent side, who was just a little harsher and less personable. At one point, elemental giants from the Earth threaten humanity, demanding the Superman leaves.
Knowing Earth itself threatened to kill all life, Superman gave a chilling warning: "And when you do, I'll still be here. Then I will burn off your ozone and tear away your atmosphere. I will vaporize your oceans and I will break you apart with my bare hands. I will scatter you, and you won't be anymore." The ultimatum worked and the fearful giants retreated, leaving readers wondering if he really would have done it.
4 Kingdom Come
In Mark Waid and Alex Ross' 1996 epic, a plan, created by Superman, to imprison the world's dangerous metahumans goes awry and masses of superpowered beings do battle in a conflict that threatens the human race. Choosing to wipe out the problem, the United Nations fires a nuke at the raging battle, leading Captain Marvel ("Shazam" today) to sacrifice his life to stop it.
Sadly, Superman was still left as one of the few survivors, with the dust and bones of friends and enemies alike filling him with new rage. He flew to the United Nations to unleash "a wrath that would cower Satan himself," nearly crushing the delegates before coming to his senses. He was like an angry god in keeping with the comic's religious themes, nearly crossing a terrible line.
3 What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, And The American Way?
Published in Action Comics #775 (2001), Joe Kelly's comic tells the story of a team of metahumans who gladly kill villains threatening the innocent. To Superman's dismay, the people took a liking to these "heroes" and their bloody rampage. The increasingly violent "Elite" then challenged him to a battle to decide who is more fit to protect the world.
After seemingly defeating the Man of Tomorrow, they are shocked to find the blue boy scout has snapped, unleashing incredible brutality on the vigilantes. Using heat vision, he burned away the power-giving organ inside the head of their bloodied leader before revealing he only wanted to make a point. Both the Elite and readers learned that day why Superman always holds back. If pushed too far, then the world's greatest hero could easily become the world's most difficult villain.
2 Superman: Birthright
In Mark Waid's 2003 fan-favorite origin story for Superman, the Man of Steel saves a school from teenage shooters before flying to the gun store that illegally sold the underage customers their weapons.
Fed up with the owner's lies after confronting him, Superman picked up one of the many pistols, aimed it at the terrified merchant, and pulled the trigger. Superman stopped the bullet a foot away from his head, leaving the sweating, traumatized man with a warning he will never forget after tying him up with his own melted weapons. It was the first sign that Waid's Superman would be a tinge darker than all the other issues they had seen, along with the storylines too.
1 For The Man Who Has Everything
In Superman Annual #11 (1985), Kal-El found himself immersed in an alternate reality where Krypton never died, and he lives comfortably in his origin world with his own family. In a surprising plot twist, galactic supervillain Mongul had affixed to him the Black Mercy - a parasitic alien plant feeding on the psychic energy of the victim's false dream of a perfect life.
Deeply enraged that the supervillain would gift him such a blissful dream only to rip it away, Superman unleashed hell on Mongul without restraint. It remains one of the character's scariest moments, showing Superman at his absolute angriest. He is snapped from his rage only when he notices the statue of his birth parents holding up his long-gone world.
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September 21, 2021 at 12:00AM
