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While growing up on a farm, he learned morality and altruism from his adoptive parents. He also learned that Earth’s yellow sun gave him extraordinary abilities. Superman went on to become a symbol of hope for the people of Earth, and its most praised hero. However, in some DC stories, Superman takes a darker path that invariably leads to terror and destruction.
7 Red Son Superman
Red Son explores what would have happened if Superman had crash-landed in the Soviet Union instead of in the United States. Rather than learning heroism from his loving parents on a farm, Superman is raised to be a devastating weapon instead.
DC Comics also used this version to tell an alternate history in which the Cold War involved super humans as threats instead of nuclear weapons. This version of Superman isn’t necessarily evil, but he definitely isn’t the kind-hearted soul that comic book readers know and love. His cold Soviet upbringing turned him into a soldier of war.
6 Lex Luthor
When Kal-El was killed by Doomsday in DC’s Rebirth, his billionaire arch-rival Lex Luthor decided to take on the mantle of Superman. Using a powerful suit of armor donning the iconic Superman “S”, Luthor had legitimately good intentions. Even though he was trying to help the world though, his massive ego and impure motives eventually took over.
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Luthor’s Superman was constantly getting into conflict with other heroes and making morally questionable choices. Eventually, Luthor was replaced by a new Superman before he could do much damage. Lex’s take on the character was admirable at first, but he could never escape his evil past.
5 Superboy Prime
Superboy Prime comes from a version of Earth where superheroes are fictional like in the real world. After their universe is destroyed, Superboy Prime finds himself in a strange dimension somewhere between space and time. Here, he develops a sense of purpose and superiority, believing he is destined to be Earth’s greatest hero.
Over time, Superboy Prime’s ambitions become twisted and his mind warped. After escaping into another reality, he becomes a murderous villain filled with self-importance. Superboy Prime has been featured in multiple storylines and is considered an extremely dangerous foe to any DC hero.
4 Ultraman
Ultraman is a twisted version of Superman from Earth-3. Named Kal-Il, Ultraman came from a version of Krypton where his parents sent him away to become the most powerful man in the universe and get revenge on those responsible for Krypton’s destruction.
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Once arriving on Earth, he convinced an alcoholic and drug-addicted version of John and Martha Kent to adopt him. After realizing they were no longer of use to him, however, he murdered them both. Kal-Il went on to become Ultraman and formed The Crime Syndicate (a twisted version of the Justice League). The Crime Syndicate rules Earth-3 and turned it into a world where evil always prospers.
3 Bizarro
Bizarro is the original version of “evil” Superman. Bizarro’s origin has changed multiple times, but most incarnations of the character have him being created as a clone of Superman by Lex Luthor. The cloning experiment fails, however, and Bizarro becomes a disfigured monster with opposite powers to Superman.
Bizarro’s lack of intelligence often leads to him being manipulated by Luthor and others into doing evil deeds. He may seem fairly innocent on the surface, but he is capable of extreme violence and destruction when provoked. He also has an edge over Superman at times on account of him being completely immune to kryptonite, which makes him a formidable foe for the Man of Steel.
2 Lord Superman
Lord Superman was featured in an episode of the Justice League animated series. The episode featured an alternate universe in which Lex Luthor becomes president. After Luthor kills The Flash and insults him to his face, Superman murders him in cold blood. He then decides to take over as the leader of Earth and formed a “crime-free” world with the Justice League.
This version of Superman still had the same intentions of protecting Earth, but believed that he should stop at nothing to realize them. He even used this “for the greater good” mentality to justify murdering or lobotomizing all of the Justice League’s iconic villains (the episode even includes a disturbing scene of a lobotomized Joker).
1 Injustice Superman
This version of Superman first debuted in Netherrealm’s Injustice video game series and eventually made it into his own comic storyline. After the Joker tricks the Justice League and destroys Metropolis (including Lois Lane and her unborn child), Superman becomes filled with rage and murders the comic book clown in cold blood.
This causes a rift between Superman and Batman, which eventually leads to Superman forming a new ideology very similar to the aforementioned Lord Superman. He chooses to take over Earth and build a regime alongside anyone willing to serve him. Those who oppose his new ways are murdered or imprisoned. He even goes as far as murdering 14-year-old hero Shazam, simply for disagreeing with him.
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