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Superman is often stated to be the greatest hero in the DC Universe. No matter how hopeless a situation seems, Superman is always there as a beacon of hope. But plenty of creators have explored stories where Superman is evil for one reason or another. After all this time, “evil Superman” is a pretty tired trope, and comic book writer Grant Morrison has made it clear that they’re tired of it.
Characters like Superman have been around for nearly a hundred years. At this point, it’s perfectly normal for comic book creators to want to try something different with the Man of Steel. Considering Superman is one of the greatest heroes in comics, turning him evil seemed like an easy direction to explore, especially in the Injustice universe.
Creators love to come back to the idea of an evil Superman time and time again. Injustice ran for years simply by focusing on Superman as a tyrannical dictator. As much as DC’s creators seem to love exploring an evil Superman, Morrison just isn’t a fan of the idea.
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During an interview with CBR, Morrison explained that they believe Superman turning tyrannical due to tragedy is a completely ridiculous idea. Most writers try to find a way to “break” Superman to make these stories work, putting Superman through unimaginable tragedy. The biggest example of this “breaking” is in the infamous Injustice universe, where Superman is tricked into murdering Lois Lane, thereby killing his unborn baby, and obliterating Metropolis with a nuclear bomb. These events pushed Superman into becoming a dictator, as he immediately tried to take over the world in response.
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Superman’s breakdown led to a decade-long war between Batman and Superman for control of the planet. This storyline is often heavily criticized due to the wild mischaracterization of the majority of its cast, the most prominent being Superman and Wonder Woman. The biggest issue with Injustice is the idea that Superman isn’t someone who would be able to handle grief. As Morrison states: “My mum and dad died, and I didn’t become a tyrant.” Superman is meant to be everything humanity can be and more, so it’s hard to bellieve that he can’t handle one tragedy without turning evil.
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That’s always been the problem with stories that try to focus on an evil Superman. The simple fact is that if it the character were really Superman, then he wouldn’t be evil, regardless of the situation. Superman would never respond to tragedy by trying to impose his will on Earth and getting into a bloody war with his former friends. He might take a step back from being a superhero, or he might abandon the job entirely, as he did in Mark Waid and Alex Ross’ Kingdom Come. But he would never decide to become a maniac and attempt to take over the world.
The real Superman simply wouldn’t be evil for any reason.
The majority of Evil Superman trope characters tend to fall flat with their motivation because the real Superman simply wouldn’t be evil for any reason. Homelander from The Boys is evil simply because he’s mostly gas-lit into being evil; there isn’t much motivation there. DC characters like Ultraman exist purely to be evil reflections of Superman without any tangible reason. Superman simply would not become a villain, no matter the situation, and every story that tries to force him into that role usually ends up being a bit ridiculous, as Morrison points out.
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Superman Would Never Become a Tyrant for Any Reason
It’s expected that after eighty-plus years of Supermab stories, people might want to take this amazing symbol of hope and see what he would be like as a tyrannical force throughout the world. It makes sense to take Superman in that direction after all these decades, but just because it makes sense doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. Morrison also states that they see how Superman could work as the eternal patriarchal figure looming over society, but that depicting Superman like this would be a mistake. It goes against everything Superman was originally created for and doesn’t even say anything interesting about his character.
Among DC fans, Grant Morrison is perhaps best known for their extended run on various Batman titles, where he co-created Damian Wayne, as well as their work with Frank Quitely on All-Star Superman, widely considered one of the best Superman stories of all time.
Superman is meant to be an inversion of the idea that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Superman is a fantasy that there could be a man with unlimited power who then uses that unlimited power to do good. That’s what makes Superman such a comforting figure: the fantasy that there is someone who could be trusted with all the power in the world. But turning Superman into a dictator who just wants to rule the world is just boring. The trope turns Superman into every other man in world history who has gotten even an ounce of power.
The Injustice comics are available now from DC Comics!
Source: CBR
“}]] One writer is tired of this Superman trope. Read More