In 2021, no less than three depictions of an evil Zack Snyder's Justice League (streaming on HBOMax). This fascination with an "evil Superman" certainly didn't begin in this year, but it has perhaps reached its zenith. These three pieces of media (two TV shows and one film) may claim to take inspiration from comics, but if that were truly the case, the writers behind each would have realized a truth they should have known from the start: there is no such thing as an evil Superman — and there never will be.
Homelander, Omni-Man and Knightmare Superman (who's name is taken from an apocalyptic future in which Superman rules the Earth) may have different origins and goals, but by and large tick the same critical boxes. Each is depicted as a super-powered symbol of hope and heroism to whom the public looks toward in times of crisis, and each eventually reveals their true colors to the world. All three are written as a direct response to the so-called "Superman Problem" that has plagued writers of the Man of Steel ever since the Golden Age of comics: how does one make Superman relatable? There is one obvious non-answer: by turning him evil.
As Marvel Comics rose to prominence in the '60s in part due to their superheroes being challenged by problems with which young readers could easily identify (Spider-Man struggling to hold down a job, the Fantastic Four worrying about paying rent, etc.), Superman stubbornly remained unchanged and unchallenged by the modern world. Try as he might, he could never shake his reputation as a true-blue American hero without a single character flaw in his nigh-invulnerable body. In this way, the debut of Though Ultraman was quickly dispatched by issue's end, the idea of an "evil Superman" took hold among writers: perhaps this was the solution to their Superman Problem! After all, why should Superman — with all his super-abilities — be exempt from the well-worn phrase "absolute power corrupts absolutely"? Thus, as the decades progressed, some writers continued to pull on this thread until they decided that an evil Superman was not simply a possibility, but an inevitability.
The concept of Evil Superman can be divided into two categories: a Superman who becomes evil, and a Superman who was always evil. Stories of the former often involve Superman experiencing a painful loss that causes him to snap and use his powers to rule the world. Stories of the latter rarely involve Superman at all; instead, they star thinly-veiled alternate-company equivalents like Omni-Man, Homelander, Supreme, The Mighty's Alpha One, Animal Man's Overman, and other similar flying-brick type heroes. The characters from both categories are all hyper-violent, cruel, remorseless, and never hesitate to deliver a killing blow. This commentary on the nature of power (and of Superman) naturally raises the question: how many times has Superman killed the innocent, lorded over the weak, and became a symbol of darkness and oppression? How many times has Superman, for lack of a better word, snapped?
Not once.
Superman has never turned evil in mainline comics continuity. All-Star Superman written by Grant Morrison postulates that it is precisely his power that prevents evil in the first place. Upon gaining the powers of Superman (including his enhanced senses), Lex Luthor is overcome with emotion, saying in awe "It's so obvious...this is how he sees all the time, every day. Like, it's all just us, in here, together...and we're all we've got." The comic suggests that anyone with the senses of Superman would gain such an understanding of the world that they couldn't help but become a force for good — even a villain like Lex Luthor.
There will never be an evil Superman. It is an impossibility as ludicrous as a fascist Captain America. There is a reason why evil Supermen come and go, but the Man of Steel's character is almost entirely unchanged since his debut in 1938. It's the same reason why Batman's tone can change while staying true to the character, but Superman's cannot — because his tone, as hopeful and idealistic as it ever was, is his character.
