Superman is the hero of heroes, the symbol of hope, and the figure who changed the superhero subgenre forever. Without him, there would be no Batman or Iron Man to lead their own comics, movies, and shows. Superman is such a beloved figure due to his altruistic point of view and great adventures featuring his powers.
However, in recent years, the world has become fond of deconstructing Superman and turning the idea of the character into that of a villain. So much so that it has become a cliché trope of storytelling. So many comic books, movies, TV shows, and video games create Superman-esque characters to be evil.
Updated on March 23rd, 2022 by Melody MacReady: With Homelander getting a third season with The Boys and the animated spin-off known as Diabolical; the trope of evil versions of Superman and other equivalents continues. They might not be labeled as Superman but they follow the same role or design or powerset that makes them resemble Superman.
Whether they were villainous from the start or turned evil due to circumstances, it does not matter. They still count as evil versions of Superman, including new additions such as Ikaris from the MCU’s Eternals. There are even other alternate universe versions of the actual Superman who went down the wrong path.
Homelander – The Boys
Imagine if Superman was a spoiled, pampered celebrity who puts on a nice face for the camera but is a loathsome megalomaniac in real life. He looks like he should be the greatest hero in the world and he fakes that rather well. The truth is that Homelander from The Boys is one of the most twisted and evil villains one could ever meet.
He loves killing anyone weaker than him, he is radical when it comes to political views, and lusts over his own mother figure. Add in his cruel ways of trying to create a family, Homelander is just a despicable person in every way with his worst traits. Homelander also falls head over heels with an immortal superhuman Nazi.
Superman – Superman: Red Son
One does not blame the child but their upbringing. While the Superman everyone knows and loves was raised with kind parents on a peaceful farm, Superman: Red Son shows an alternate possibility. A world where Kal-El was raised in the Soviet Union.
As such, Superman was raised to become the weapon of the Soviets thus changing the Cold War from nuclear weapons to metahumans. It’s an interesting take on the character that even got its own DC animated movie adaptation in 2020. Though he is far from the worst evil character here, he is no saint.
Brandon Breyer – Brightburn
In a dark parody of Superman, Brightburn, produced by the talented James Gunn, shows a story in which an alien boy on a Kansas farm who can fly, has super strength, and heat vision. Unfortunately, Brandon Breyer is no benevolent superhero in the making.
He was sent to turn to destroy humans and while he is conflicted at first, enough heartbreak makes him snap and follow what he was sent to do. This makes him the slasher villain equivalent of Superman.
Bizarro – DC Multiverse
It’s in his nature, Bizarro is born to be the opposite of Superman. Where Superman is good-hearted, heroic, handsome, and colorful, Bizarro is evil, villainous, disfigured, and wears darker colors. In some stories, he’s a clone gone rogue while in others, he originates from another dimension.
Bizarro Superman has had streaks of anti-hero actions but as a whole, he remains an evil version of Superman destined to fight his good counterpart.
Ultraman – DC Multiverse
On another Earth, the equivalent of the Justice League are actually dangerous supervillains. The Superman equivalent is Ultraman, who is also the last son of Krypton with all the expected powers of Superman. He arrived on Earth and was sadly raised by a dysfunctional pair of parents and was raised with rage in his heart.
As a result, he ended up being part of the Crime Syndicate alongside other equivalents like Superwoman, Owlman, Johnny Quick, and Sea King. These villains end up battling the Justice League with Ultraman battling his Superman.
Plutonian – Irredeemable
Simple concept: the equivalent of the Justice League is betrayed by their Superman known as Plutonian. Plutonian murders and creates chaos across the globe. Irredeemable goes all out with the concept, creating a horror/mystery thriller about a Superman gone rogue.
This one is one of the worst due to his actions; these include mass killings and even sinking the entire island of Singapore. Irredeemable perfectly shows that despite it seeming cruel, Batman creating a contingency for all members of the Justice League was smart.
Hyperion – Marvel Universe
Hyperion is a Marvel character who has seen many revisions and reboots over the years. One of them includes a dark version that attempted to conquer his own Earth and remodel it to what he considered perfection.
When that didn’t work, he came to the Marvel universe to try the same thing. Fortunately, he was defeated before he became a member of the Thunderbolts. Later on, he would become powerless allowing him to be killed by Man-Thing and a few others.
Omni-Man – Invincible
Omni-Man from Invincible comes from the planet Viltrum which considers itself the ultimate empire of the universe. Omni-Man was part of a newer program where Viltrumites go to planets to conquer them in “kinder” ways. Omni-Man acted as Earth’s Superman for years, gaining trust until he killed the Justice League equivalent of their world.
After being exposed, he nearly killed his own son in a battle but abandoned Earth. Omni-Man considers humans to be weak and simple; even the woman he married and had a child with was nothing but a “pet” to him due to his near-immortality.
Ikaris – Eternals (MCU)
In the comics, Ikaris of the Eternals features many of Superman’s traits; flight, cosmic laser-vision, enhanced strength, and more powers that make Ikaris one of the most powerful of the Eternals. He even wears a blue uniform akin to Superman’s but with the lack of a cape.
The MCU version of Ikaris even acknowledges its similarities to Superman with some humorous lines of dialogue. Director Chloe Zhao even took inspiration from Zack Snyder’s Man Of Steel for some of the action sequences featuring Ikaris. Sadly, in the movie, he is more akin to Omni-Man with unwavering loyalty to the Celestials and their consumption of the human race to create a new Celestial.
High Chancellor Superman – Injustice Series
Injustice shows the Elseworld where the Joker drugs a good Superman into fighting an illusion of Doomsday but it turns out to be none other than his pregnant wife Lois. When Lois and the baby’s hearts give out, it triggers a nuclear bomb that turns Metropolis to ashes. If anybody had the right to lose their minds, it was Superman.
At first, this Superman seems to have good intentions but he goes too far, becoming a tyrant, ends up killing many beloved heroes, and allies himself with villains, even sending Victor Zsasz to slaughter Alfred. This story was so well-executed that even the DCEU took some inspiration from it.
