Forget Omni-Man, the Worst Father in Comics Is Superman's Worst Nightmare

There are plenty of terrible fathers in fiction, and Omni-Man is often listed as one of the worst possible fathers in comic book history. But as surprising as it might be to hear, Superman actually knows a villain who is a way worse father than Omni-Man. While Omni-Man might have beaten his son half to death, he didn't murder his wife and abandon his son on an exploding planet.

A very popular trope in fiction is the idea of an evil Superman. Superman was created as a hero with absolute power, but as someone who couldn't be corrupted and who would always make the right choice. Superman's righteousness has led to a few creators wondering what would happen if Superman wasn't so good.

This what-if has led to a plethora of evil Supermen in comics, from Homelander to Omni-Man from Invincible by Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley. While Superman is a fantastic and loving father, Omni-Man's track record with children isn't nearly as great, which has led many to say that he's the worst superhero father in comics - but they're totally wrong, as Bizarro is far worse.

Omni-Man from Invincible Is A Pretty Terrible Parent

He Nearly Killed His Own Son

At first glance, Omni-Man was the perfect father and husband. He protected the planet from all threats and still made time to appear for his son's baseball games. He was a beloved and well-regarded author and one of the greatest heroes on Earth. Mark Grayson's dream was to live up to the legacy of his father and eventually take over the mantle of Omni-Man once he was old enough. It seemed like the perfect life, but Omni-Man was hiding a dark secret that took him from the greatest father to one of the darkest.

It turns out that Omni-Man wasn't Earth's protector; he was its conqueror. Omni-Man was part of the Viltrum Empire, a massive universe-spanning empire that was on a mission to find a suitable planet for their race. Omni-Man was sent to Earth to see if the planet was suitable for the empire's needs. Omni-Man ended up violently beating his son and then abandoning his family when he couldn't convince Mark to join him in his mission. It was a pretty horrific turn in Invincible's story, but Superman knows that Bizarro did something even worse to his son.

Bizarro Is Superman's Opposite, Making Him an Awful Father

Superman #44 by Patrick Gleason, Peter J. Tomasi, Doug Mahnke, Jaime Mendoza, Wil Quintana, and Rob Leigh

Superman is an amazing hero and a fantastic father, and Bizarro is his complete opposite. While Superman uses his powers to help save lives, Bizarro uses his powers to destroy everything he can get his hands on. Interpretations of Bizarro have varied from outright malicious to someone who means to do good but doesn't know how. One version of Bizarro was even banished to his very own Earth, a dimension known as Htrae. Not wanting to be alone, Bizarro populated the planet with other Bizarros, including a wife named Loiz and a son called Boyzarro.

At first, Bizarro tried to simply mimic the life that he saw Superman have on Earth. Bizarro would go out to Mutropolis and work at the Daily Htrae. He'd work with the chief of police so he could save the city and make sure everything was running smoothly. At the end of the day, he'd return to his farm and spend time with his family. It seemed like everything was going perfectly, that Bizarro had a place where he belonged. But things weren't perfect, with Boyzarro stating that Bizarro didn't care for him. This claim, unfortunately, is proven true.

Tired of all the responsibility of being Htrae's number one hero, as well as being in a marriage that he hates with a son he doesn't care for, Bizarro finally decides that enough is enough. When Htrae is revealed to be imploding, Bizarro quickly finds a rocket that will take him off the planet. Despite the fact that Bizarro can fly, and that there are two seats on the rocket, Bizarro denies Boyzarro entry. Despite his son begging to get to go with him, Bizarro simply rejects him and then takes off on the rocket alone, leaving his son to die.

Bizarro Is Easily the Worst Father in Superhero Comic Book History

He Killed His Wife And Left His Son To Die

Bizarro is often used as a dark mirror to Superman, someone who stands for everything Superman doesn't. Creators have used his character in several different ways over the decades. Sometimes Bizarro is a truly evil being, much closer to Ultraman, and other times he's just a well-meaning, bumbling creature. But having Superman become a father also opened up some fascinating possibilities for Bizarro. Superman truly tried his best to be a father and raised an amazing kid in Jon Kent alongside Lois Lane. Naturally, this change in Clark's status quo provided the perfect avenue for a twisted Bizarro story.

Bizarro being a neglectful father who doesn't care for his wife and child is a perfectly logical conclusion considering how good Superman is with his family. But DC still decided to take things to the next level. Bizarro having a dysfunctional family has appeared a few times in DC's storytelling across media, most notably in the Superman & Lois TV show. But the story in Superman #44 story certainly took it to its darkest extreme.Bizarro easily murdered his wife without a second thought and left his only son to be obliterated, despite not having a real reason to do so.

Invincible's Omni-Man Is Undeniably a Bad Father

But Bizarro Was Way Worse

Omni-Man does ultimately get redemption. While what he did to his son and wife was horrible and horrific, he does eventually go back to them and reconcile. It's a long and difficult journey, but Omni-Man proves himself a hero and does get back with his family. The same can't be said of Bizarro. This story was one of the final appearances of Boyzarro, and he hasn't been mentioned again. For all Bizarro knows, he truly did leave his son to die on that planet, and he has absolutely no regret about it at all.

Superman getting a family was a wonderful change to the character and allowed writers to explore new ideas about him and his family dynamic. The same is true of Bizarro. Bizarro has been the bumbling hero and the vicious evil clone, but this story is the first time he got to be the abusive and neglectful father as well. While there will always be evil Superman tropes in comic books, Bizarro has consistently proven that not only is he the best version of this trope, but he's also the worst father that superhero comics have ever seen.

Superman #44 is available now from DC Comics, and Invincible is available now from Image Comics!

Superman

Created By

Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel

First Appearance

Action Comics

Alias

Kal-El, Clark Kent, Jonathan Kent

Alliance

Justice League, Superman Family

The icon who launched the entire world of superheroes, the last son of Krypton escaped his dying world to crash land on Earth and be raised as Clark Kent. The world knows him better as Superman, the Man of Steel, the leader of the Justice League, and the most well-known hero in the DC Comics Universe. Blessed with the powers of a demigod, Kal-El of Krypton fights enemies both small and cosmic in his endless pursuit of truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.

Race

Kryptonian

Franchise

D.C.

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