I Think Superman’s Most Controversial Epic Is Finally Getting an Official Sequel

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I think that one of Superman’s biggest, and most controversial, epics could soon be getting an official reunion. In the annals of DC history, the “Death and Return of Superman” stories rank as one of the most ambitious of the early 1990s. A runaway sales success, the story rejuvenated the Man of Steel, and a variant cover for Superman #25 hints at a possible reunion of the story’s four principals.

DC released their April 2025 solicitations, giving fans exciting first looks at the publisher’s titles for that month, including Superman #25, which will be written by Joshua Williamson and drawn by Dan Mora, Eddy Barrows and Eber Ferreira. The solicitation for the oversized issues reads as follows:

Superman #25 will ship with a host of variant covers, including one by Brad Walker, showing the four “replacement Supermen” duking it out. The cover is a three on one, with Superboy, Steel and the Eradicator trying to overwhelm the Cyborg Superman.

The Death of Superman, the Man of Steel’s Biggest Story Ever, Explained

The Death and Return of Superman Was a Massive (and Media) Success for DC Comics.

What would go on to become one of the biggest storylines in DC history began with a wedding, or a lack of one. In the early 1990s, Lois Lane and Clark Kent became engaged, and he revealed his dual identity to her. Lois remained with him, but in the meantime, a new television series, starring Superman, was being planned. Titled Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, the show focused on Superman and Lois’ relationship, with marriage being the endgame. To strengthen the link between comics and television, it was decided to postpone the marriage in the comics.

This dealt a massive blow to the writers and artists working on the Superman family of titles at the time, but undeterred, they came up with another idea: kill him. According to legend, Jerry Ordway, the writer for Adventures of Superman at the time, suggested killing off the Man of Steel, as a way to examine what the character meant to the world. The creators went a step further: after they killed Superman, they would not leave him dead for a while, but replace him with four other heroes, each embodying some aspect of the Last Son of Krypton.

Playing out across late 1992 and early 1993, the Death and Return of Superman was a sales juggernaut, and in the case of the Death storyline, an unprecedented media circus. Over the summer of 1993, as Reign of the Supermen played out in the comics, fans debated which, if any, of the four replacements were the real deal. When the dust cleared, the Cyborg Superman was revealed as the story’s primary villain, and the other three joined forces with the real deal to stop him. The story ends with the real Superman making his triumphant return.

Superman’s Death and Return Were More Than Just a Gimmick

The Four Replacement Supermen Became Major Characters Of Their Own

After Reign of the Supermen ended, the four replacements would go on to become important characters in their own right. The Cyborg Superman would become a recurring villain for both the Man of Steel and Green Lantern. John Henry Irons adopted the name “Steel” and became an industrialist and one of Superman’s biggest allies, while Superboy would join the Teen Titans. The Eradicator has made the least appearances of them all, and was MIA for years. He recently returned, allying himself with the Cyborg Superman, in the pages of The Question: All Along the Watchtower.

At the time of its publication, The Death and Return of Superman story was written off as a gimmick to drive sales, and the media circus surrounding the book did nothing to dispel this idea. However, the story fulfilled Ordway and the writers and artists’ desire to explore a “world without a Superman.” The story proved that Superman was the glue holding the DC Universe together, and without him, it was empty. The Cyborg, Eradicator, Superboy and Steel were all great characters, but none of them could replace the real Superman.

Superman’s Death Was a Highly Influential Story

DC Still Returns to the Death of Superman Often

The Death and Return of Superman story still exerts an influence over creators 30+ years after its first publication, as Brad Walker’s cover proves. The story was epic in scope, unlike anything that had been tried in the Superman family of titles before. The Death of Superman brought a great deal of media attention to comics, and some may have even found their way to the medium thanks to the story. Beyond the hype, the story introduced four highly compelling characters to the DC Universe, ones that continue to impact and influence the Superman mythos.

DC published anniversary specials for both Superman’s death and return, and these books proved there are still new stories to be told regarding this event. Meanwhile, the four replacement Supermen have been making appearances around the DC Universe, perhaps signaling some sort of reunion story is in the cards. In addition to Cyborg and the Eradicator appearing in The Question, Steel and his company have played big roles in the Superman titles, and Superboy continues to make appearances as well. As DC celebrates the Summer of Superman, his four replacements may be gearing up for another run as well.

Superman #25 is on sale April 23 from DC Comics!

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