There are so many evil Superman characters in the media, but Superboy-Prime really takes the cake. Between the Plutonian, Homelander, Omni-Man, Bizarro, and so many others, "evil Superman" is an incredibly popular character trope, but almost none of them have been able to be as good as Superboy-Prime, who was one of the very first real looks at what a demented and evil Superman would be like.

Superman is the ultimate symbol of hope in the DC Universe. No matter how bad things might be, Superman exists to show that things can and will get better. No matter how dangerous or hopeless a situation might seem, Superman has the power to try and make things right.

But this overwhelming power has made a lot of people question just what would happen if Superman wasn't a beacon of hope and whether the world would survive if Superman took all his power and used it for evil instead. These questions were fully answered in DC Comics Presents #87 by Elliot S. Maggin and Curt Swan with the introduction of Superboy-Prime.

As a Variant Character, Superboy-Prime Wasn't Nearly as Hopeful as Superman

DC Comics Presents #87 by Elliot S. Maggin, Curt Swan, Al Williamson, Gene D'Angelo, and Ed King

Superboy-Prime has a very confusing backstory. Born on the planet Earth-Prime, Superboy was the last survivor of the planet Krypton. But instead of being fired from a rocket, as is usually the tale, this version of Kal-El was teleported to Earth. Instead of landing in Kansas, he landed in a New England seacoast town, where he was found by Jerry and Naomi Kent. The two immediately adopted the young boy, and, due to the lack of a rocket ship, they had no idea that he was anything other than a perfectly normal human baby who had been abandoned.

Kal-El was then named Clark Kent, despite the fact that, in Earth-Prime, "Clark Kent" was already the name of a popular comic-book hero. His name led to a lot of teasing from his schoolmates as he grew up, who would often teasingly refer to him as Superboy. Clark never let this bother him though, and even made a few friends as well as a deep love interest in a classmate known as Laurie Lemmon. It seemed that Clark was having a perfectly normal childhood, but that all changed during one fateful costume party that revealed his true history.

Superboy-Prime's Happiness Didn't Last Long in the DC Universe

Everything Falls Apart For Him

During this fated costume party, Clark Kent dressed up like Superman, as he always had a sense of humor about his name. The costume party, though, was almost destroyed by a giant tidal wave, and just when all hope seemed lost, a portal opened up and out came Superman. Even more bizarre was that Superman coming into with Clark Kent seemed to awaken Clark's body, as he suddenly gained all the powers of a typical Kryptonian. Together, Superman and the newly awakened Superboy easily handled the tidal wave and helped Superman find his way home.

Wanting to go on an adventure with his idol, Superboy-Prime followed Superman back to the main comic universe, only to be dragged into Crisis on Infinite Earths by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez. This event famously ended with the destruction of the Multiverse and everything being condensed down into one universe. Superboy-Prime would never see his universe again, a tragedy that played a major role in the Infinite Crisis event, which saw Superboy-Prime trying to bring his reality back. Superboy-Prime's plans ended in a battle with the Justice League that showed just how dangerous an evil Superman could really be.

Superboy-Prime continually returned again and again as a major threat.

Superboy-Prime tried to restart the multiverse by forcing a second big bang, but thankfully, he was defeated and imprisoned inside a red sun. Even that wasn't enough to keep Superboy captive though, and Superboy-Prime continually returned again and again as a major threat. Superboy-Prime was one of the most dangerous villains that the Justice League has ever faced. While Superboy-Prime doesn't get nearly as much attention these days, he really was one of the most perfect versions of evil Superman for a few very simple reasons.

Superboy-Prime Had the Perfect Reason to Be Evil

Superman's Backstory on a Universal Scale

One of the worst things to ever happen in Superman's life was the loss of Krypton. Even though Superman was a literal baby, he still came to understand the weight of losing his entire culture when he was older. It's a pivotal part of his character, and that's what makes Superboy-Prime such a terrifying villain. Superboy-Prime has the exact same backstory as Superman, but it's scaled up to a universal level. Instead of just losing his planet and his culture, he lost his entire universe and everything in it.

DC fun fact! Shockingly, Superboy-Prime has a significant connection to the Gotham character Jason Todd, who was once Robin, then died, and then returned to life as Red Hood. When Superboy-Prime altered reality with a single punch, that punch also brought Jason Todd back to life - in post-Crisis continuity, in any case, though the reasons have changed over the years and through DC's different reboots.

Superboy-Prime often states he just wants his own Earth back, but it's not just his Earth that he lost. That's why his original plan revolved around restarting the entire universe. He's a Superman who has his sense of loss pushed to its absolute limit. It's a great character motivation, and it allows fans to see what it would take to push a Superman to be evil. The loss of just his world isn't enough, but it seems like the loss of his entire universe is enough to push him over the edge. That's why Superboy-Prime works better as an evil Superman than characters who are evil without true motivation, like Homelander.

Superboy-Prime Is One of the Best Evil Superman Characters

Both Intimidating and Compelling

There are so many evil Superman types in the media, and some of them have really compelling reasons to be evil, but a lot of them don't. The entire reasoning behind the Plutonian, for example, was that he was simply born wrong. Superboy-Prime's motivation is significantly more compelling because, even though he's occasionally whiny about what he wants, he's ultimately just a child who lost everything. Superman nearly experienced the same kind of loss before he found a new planet and home with the Kents. Superboy-Prime didn't even get to enjoy having that comfort for long.

All the other evil versions of Superman that DC has, like Bizarro and Ultraman, are evil for very little real reason. Bizarro is just the opposite of Superman, so if Superman does good, Bizarro does bad. Ultraman is, also, just the moral opposite of Superman. They don't have any actual motivation aside from the fact that they're the opposite of good. Superboy-Prime is the only "evile Superman" who has a real backstory and an actual motivation, which is something every good villain needs, especially an evil Superman.

DC Comics Presents #87 is available now from DC Comics!