As Much As I Hate the Evil Superman Trope, It's Faithful to the Original DC Character

I know most of us don't like seeing an evil Superman, but there's actually a major historical precedent to the idea. We all love the Man of Steel and the hope he inspires, but the original Superman was anything but a good guy.

In 1938, comic book history changed forever with the debut of Superman in Action Comics #1. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster captivated fans everywhere with the exploits of a man who had amazing, otherworldly powers and used them for the betterment of the world around him. However, before their Man of Tomorrow dazzled the world, the creative team envisioned a much more heinous Superman.

The Original 'Superman' Was Actually a Monster

Before Superman Saved the World, He Tried to Conquer It

Roughly five years before Superman made his first official appearance, Siegel and Shuster created the short story "Reign of the Superman" for Science Fiction: The Advance Guard of Future Civilization #3. The story follows Professor Earnest Smalley, who has discovered a rare element in a meteorite and intends to test it on a living person. But Smalley chooses a random vagrant in a breadline to test out the chemical first. Smalley meets Bill Dunn and offers him a good meal and a new suit.

Smalley gives Dunn his food, which has been laced with the element, which causes Dunn to develop powers. But rather than enhanced strength or flight like the Superman we know, Dunn gains telepathy and the ability to absorb knowledge from others. Smalley, who wanted these powers for himself, attempts to kill Dunn, only to be killed by the increasingly powerful Dunn. Things only grow worse as Dunn becomes so powerful, he tries to manipulate the world into a full-blown war so that he can take advantage of the chaos and become the Earth’s ruler.

... Dunn realizes that he’s destined to return to the breadline and remain a forgotten man...

What Dunn didn’t expect, however, was that his powers were temporary and, with Smalley dead, he had no way of replicating the formula that made him the powerful ‘Superman’ he was. Dunn tries in vain to recreate Smalley’s formula, but his powers and enhanced intelligence eventually return. With his powers gone and no way to reclaim them, Dunn realizes that he’s destined to return to the breadline and remain a forgotten man instead of the conqueror he thought he’d be.

Evil Superman Was First, But Good Superman Was a Success

The World Likes the Idea of Someone That Chooses to Do Good

Thankfully, Siegel and Shuster refined this idea and ultimately reworked their Superman concept into the one that became a smash success. But I do think it's interesting that the original Superman was a monster instead of a hero. Honestly, I roll my eyes every time I see a story that reworks the Man of Steel as a villain rather than a valiant figure. But in a roundabout way, an evil Superman is actually more faithful to the original idea than his more noble incarnation.

...the idea of an evil Superman doesn't really work.

Of course, just because evil Superman is more faithful to the original incarnation doesn't necessarily mean better. After all, "Reign of the Superman" went nowhere after it was published and basically exists as a footnote in comic book history. But the Superman that Siegel and Shuster made after refining the character to be a more positive, uplifting figure broke barriers and became the gold standard that inspired an entire generation of storytelling.

It's important to look back on Siegel and Shuster's original story, because it shows why the idea of an evil Superman doesn't really work. Someone with powers who decides to do evil and self-serving things? That's a non-starter and doesn't really have potential beyond one story. But a man with Superman's abilities who chooses to be good and do good things for the world around him? That's an idea that is successful to this day and is why an evil Superman is never going to work the way a good Superman does.

Let's Learn from the Past and Be Done with Evil Superman

Siegel and Shuster Learned That Lesson a Long Time Ago

Comic book art: Superman sits on a cloud in the sky with his back to to the viewer. — Superman in DC Comics' All-Star Superman looking behind him

I get that modern writers might find it interesting to flip a Pollyanna like Superman and turn him into a monster. But that idea didn't work way back when and it's not that much more interesting now. Yeah, it's faithful to the very first idea Siegel and Shuster had, but even they saw that the more heroic Superman was a better character and struck a real chord with people with their second attempt. Personally, I'm happy to leave evil Superman in the past and be happy with Man of Steel we have today.