Superman's Image Is Now Shattered As DC Suggests He's Become a God to Humanity
Warning: Spoilers for Action Comics #1082!If any superhero in DC's roster deserves to have a god complex, it's Superman, and Clark Kent knows it - which makes his efforts to emphasize the man beneath the powers all the more important. Sadly, it seems that Metropolis's familiarity with Superman is working against him, as his recent exploits have made humanity all too aware of the cosmic-scale power Superman wields.
The events of Action Comics #1082 by John Ridley and Inaki Miranda leave Superman furious after former villain Major Disaster breaks his promise to Superman and kills a man in downtown Metropolis. Superman's anger was palpable to everyone, as noted by one Stryker's Island prison guard, who worries that something is wrong with Superman.
"The kind of people Superman deals with? They wipe out galaxies. You think he's gonna lose it like that over one rando getting squooshed?" the guard says to Clark Kent, unknowingly informing Superman just how far his human image has slipped.
Superman's Legacy of Divinity Has Come to Haunt Him
Action Comics #1082 by John Ridley, Inaki Miranda, Eva de la Cruz, and Dave Sharpe
The concept of Superman has been steeped in biblical imagery since the character's creation. Not only does he bear parallels to Moses with his parents having sent him away in a vessel to save his life, but many notable film adaptations compare him to Jesus. In 1978's Superman, Jor-El evokes Christ-like imagery when he tells Clark "I have sent [Earth] you. My only son," while 2013's Man of Steel and 2016's Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice are infamously heavy-handed when it comes to presenting Superman as a messiah. There is ample evidence to interpret Superman as a divine figure.
Action Comics #1082 makes it clear that recent events have shattered Metropolis's image of Superman as their friendly, super-powered neighbor.
As such, contemporary comics often stress Superman's humanity over his powers, presenting Superman as a good person first and foremost - the power is secondary. As DC's "Big Blue Boy Scout," Action Comics has emphasized Superman's role as a husband, father, and family man since the end of the Warworld Saga arc in 2022. Crucially, the gap between "super" and "man" is the key to why his rivalry with nemesis Lex Luthor is so compelling: Luthor historically sees Superman as an all-powerful outsider, while readers are encouraged to see Superman as a good-hearted man with extraordinary gifts.
Superman's Ideal Is to Be a Good Man Above All Else
Page from Action Comics #1070 by Mark Waid, Clayton Henry, Matt Herms, and Dave Sharpe
Action Comics #1082 makes it clear that recent events have shattered Metropolis's image of Superman as their friendly, super-powered neighbor. Between moving Warworld into Earth's orbit and regularly going toe-to-toe with beings like Darkseid and Doomsday, Metropolis has been given a stark reminder that Superman wields literal world-shaking power. The guard's words are damning: his belief that Superman's power makes him unable to appreciate the sole casualty in Major Disaster's attack runs counter to the human image Superman has desperately tried to cultivate among the people of Earth.
This small detail is a fascinating development for contemporary Superman: while he has never pretended to be less than he is, Superman is being forced to reckon with the fact that he has done so much that it is now impossible for his adoptive home to view him as one of their number. While it could be argued that contemporary depictions of Superman place him as more of a gentler "New Testament" divinity than a fire-and-brimstone "Old Testament" figure, the fact remains that Action Comics #1082 is a heavy reminder that Superman's might is costing him his connection to humanity.
Action Comics #1082 is available now from DC Comics.
- Created By
- Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel
- First Appearance
- Action Comics
- Alias
- Kal-El, Clark Kent, Jonathan Kent
- Alliance
- Justice League, Superman Family
- Race
- Kryptonian
- Franchise
- D.C.
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.
