Warning! Spoilers for Metropolis Grove ahead!
DC’s reverse Superman becomes Wreck-It Ralph in the graphic novel Metropolis Grove. Bizarro is known for being a version of the Man of Steel gone wrong. However, this new graphic novel reveals a different side to this often negatively viewed character.
Bizarro first appeared in Superboy #68 in 1958. The character is easily recognizable with his pallor, speech patterns, and the reversed S he wears on his imitation Superman costume. He has appeared numerous times in DC’s comics and in film and television series. He has been portrayed as a villain, an antihero, and a failure fans can sympathize with. At times Bizarro is an experiment gone wrong and other times he is from Bizarro World—a planet or an alternate universe depending which comic is read.
In Metropolis Grove by Drew Brockington, Bizarro stars in a new adventure where he gets to try to be the hero he has always actually wanted to be. He befriends a young girl who has moved from Metropolis to the suburb of Metropolis Grove. Along their journey of friendship and search for belonging, Bizarro gets to be like the popular Disney character Wreck-It Ralph, from the film of the same name.
Wreck-It Ralph came out in 2012, telling the story of a villain from a video game who wants to change how he is perceived. Ralph goes on a journey to earn respect and acceptance by trying to shift from being a villain to being a hero. He’s destructive without meaning to be, making messes when he tries to help. In this new middle grade graphic novel from DC, Bizarro’s in a very similar position. Mistaken for Superman, Bizarro befriends a young girl, Sonia, and very quickly starts to make a mess out of everything. He wants to be a hero, but can’t seem to get it right. While trying to save a cat, Bizarro knocks down a tree. Throughout the story, he continues to try and even completes a makeshift training school Sonia comes up with. Like Vanellope from Wreck-It Ralph, Sonia gives Bizarro a medal, celebrating their friendship while honoring his efforts to be a true hero.
Bizarro can often be shown as a sympathetic character, but he has also often been depicted as an antagonist to Superman—even as a supervillain. Bizarro has been a member of the Legion of Doom, the Secret Society of Super Villains, and the Injustice League. Even his powers are reversed from Superman’s. Instead of heat vision, Bizarro has freeze vision. He can breathe fire instead of ice. Contrary to other stories, this graphic novel pushes Bizarro’s sympathetic side further. Instead of just being a tragic figure to pity, Superman’s reversed doppelgänger is an endearing hero in training to cheer for. In this instance, it feels much better to root for Bizarro’s potential success while watching him bumble along, instead of watching him be a villain just because he is Superman’s opposite.
This way of perceiving the character is largely due to the way that he resembles Wreck-It Ralph. Ralph’s a villain because he destroys things, but it becomes apparent early on that he doesn’t always mean to be destructive. These characters are designed and proportioned to cause large amounts of damage. They are strong and don’t recognize their own strength. Both are trying to be better versions of themselves, not intending to be bad people. Bad things happen around them, but not out of malicious intent. Furthermore, the youthful presences around them are sources of encouragement. Neither is truly a bad guy at heart. Metropolis Grove shows that, like Wreck-It Ralph, there’s no one Superman’s counterpart Bizarro should rather be, than himself.
