“With great power comes great responsibility.” What a quote that is, and how much it rings true for the topic at hand on this list. It’s from some other superhero film that does not haveSupermanin it, but, whatever, it still reigns true. As for the topic of the man who stands fortruth, justice, and a better tomorrow,there are times in his big-screen and small-screen appearances where he actually does not stand for what’s right. One of the greatest things aboutSupermanis when the storytellers of the character decide to make him a force for evil in the world and have him use his all-mighty powers for destruction.
Superman is such an iconic character that even outside of the world of DC Comics, other characters have taken over pop culture due to their evil ways and how they share a striking resemblance to what Superman is supposed to be. Superman is supposed to instill the good in all of us and show us the good we can achieve. However, almost all the creatures of the universe are also capable of bad things depending on the situation, especially someone with powers that make him nearly indestructible.
12Superman: Red Son (2020)
Superman: Red Sonis a DC animated feature filmreleased in 2020 that takes place in an alternate timeline and has a big “What If?” to the plot. What if instead of Kal-el crash landing in Kansas, his space pod landed in Ukraine during the 1950s at the height of the Cold War? The Russians took Superman in and used him as a weapon, thus causing panic here in America.
The Red Son’s Path of Destruction
The Red Son’s first appearance in the comics was in 2003. The character still has a strong moral compass, but within the confines of the Cold War, that moral compass would be used for destruction. Superman would fight for the cause Stalin had in place. He stood against global democracy and even had an army behind him of Superman robots. By the end of the alternate storyline, the Soviet Superman sees the error of his ways, but there is already a high cost to what he’s done.Superman: Red Sonis streaming on Max.
Superman: Red Son
Related:Superman: Red Son Starring Henry Cavill Is a DC Movie Matthew Vaughn Would Love to Make
11Hyperion (Avengers Assemble: Season 2)
Marvel’s answer to the Man of Steel was none other thanHyperion. His powers and overall image paralleled the last son of Krypton. Appearing in the comics in 1969 as a member of The Squadron Supreme, Hyperion hails from the Argon and holds god-like powers.
The Squadron Sinister
The Squadron Supreme, at one point, did turn evil and was known as The Squadron Sinister, and at the forefront of the team was Hyperion to lead the charge. Hyperion matched up against Thor whenever the group fought The Avengers. Hyperion may be a bit of a Superman knock-off due to his similar powers, his atomic vision being one of them. Hyperion appeared throughout the comics inThe Secret Wars, and on Season 2 ofAvengers Assemble,but has yet to show up in the MCU.Avengers Assembleis streaming on Disney+.
Avengers Assemble
10Cyborg Superman, aka Hank Henshaw - Reign of the Supermen (2019)
The Cyborg Supermanhas been a prominent alternative take on Superman throughout the DC universe. Making his debut in May of 1990 in the pages of the comics, the killing machine, also known as Hank Henshaw, came to life in DC’s animated feature filmReign of the Supermen.
The Death of Superman and the Birth of Hank Henshaw
Cyborg Superman has appeared all over Supes' storylines. He showed up on the heels of Doomsday and Superman’s demise. The Man of Tomorrow fused his consciousness into many machines. The appearance of him feels oddly reminiscent of The Terminator and can be just as villainous. This big bad in the world of Superman destroyed the Man of Steel’s reputation by leveling cities and killing thousands of humans.
Cyborg Superman also teamed up with Superboy-Prime at one point in the evil team-up of the Sinestro Corps, but eventually, the real Kal-el would put an end to this cyborg that tried to ruin the good he stood for.The Reign of the Supermenis streaming on Max.
Reign of the Supermen
9Ikarus - Eternals (2021)
In a film that many like to think was the beginning of Marvel’s current rough patch,Eternalsis about an entire race of beings that have tried to stay secret on earth for thousands of years. They are immortal and have seen centuries of human evolution, but now they must step out of hiding to reunite and battle the evil Deviants.
Ikarus and Most of the Eternals Feel Like Superman
First of all,Ikarus,played by Richard Madden, just looks like he could be Superman if DC ever wanted to cast him. Secondly, his powers and godlike force echo the Man of Steel. Ikarus turns on theEternalsin the 2021 film due to a crisis of character and morals, thus making him a villain and getting him onto the list.
It should be mentioned that there is debate about singling out this character because theEternalsall seem to have larger-than-life powers that alter the world around us, thus making them all feel comparable to Superman.Eternalsis streaming on Disney+.
8Brightburn (2019)
2019’s science fiction horror film,Brightburn, tells the story of a woman named Tori (Elizabeth Banks), who dreams of motherhood but struggles with fertility. Once a baby lands on her doorstep in a mysterious way, she and her husband find utter joy, raise the boy, and name it Brandon. But when Brandon grows into being a young man, darkness takes hold of him and the powers he has built inside of him, turning him from being a force for good to something more sinister.
Superman as a Horror Film
Brightburnfollows similar plot points in Superman’s origin story but strips you of the hopefulness of it. There is a sense of nihilism in the film. It’s a cross betweenSuperman and The Omenor any sort of creepy kid horror movie. Instead of the child being named Clark, he is named Brandon, and once Brandon turns twelve, things get more complex, and the powers he has he starts to use to inflict fear.
It was a plodding film upon its release, but now it has garnered the reputation of a cult classic. Some of the scary moments of the film feel comparable to what Superman looked like in the comics when he was evil; one perfect example is the red eyes Brandon has. Lastly, how interesting that James Gunn produced this film and is now helming the world of DC,especially Superman, going forward.Brightburnis streaming on Fubo.
Brightburn
Related:Best Superhero Horror Movies, Ranked
7Ultraman - Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010)
Ultramanfirst appeared in the pages of DC Comics in 1964. He is the version of Superman on Earth-3. Appearing in two animated Justice League movies,Justice League: Crisis on Two EarthsandJustice League:Crisis on Infinite Earths.Ultraman comes from a world where evil always wins, thus making him a more ruthless and callous figure to parallel Superman being a force for good.
The Leader of the Crime Syndicate
Rather than the Justice League of America, on Ultraman’s earth it is the Crime Syndicate, and rather than trying to save something or rebuild, Ultraman looks to conquer or even belittle. There is a bit of arrogance in the character. If you dig a little bit deeper, you see that it comes from just being unhappy despite having godlike powers.
There are many different origin stories for Ultraman, one of which is that he is a human who was given powers by aliens. But all of them land on his authoritarianism in how he runs his team.Justice League: Crisis on Two Earthsis available to rent on Prime Video, andCrisis on Infinite Earths Part Oneis available to rent on YouTube.
6Lord Superman - Justice League Animated Series (2003)
In an episode of the animated seriesJustice Leaguetitled “A Better World,” we met Lord Superman and the Justice Lords. They were a group like the Justice League from a different world that never saw themselves as evil, but they were not necessarily as good as the Justice League of ours.
Lord Superman Killed Lex Luthor on His Earth
Lex Luthor was president of Lord Superman’s world and went as far as to have The Flash executed. Lord Superman retaliated by doing just the same to Luthor, thus pushing him and the Justice Lords to the front of power. What happened from there was the need to punish all who opposed him and what the Justice Lords were doing.
When they arrived in our world, Lord Superman believed there was space for their version of “good” to grow, and that involved killing for a better world.Justice Leagueis available to stream on Max.
Justice League
5Omni-Man - Invincible (2021-Present)
Released exclusively on Amazon Prime Video,Invincibletells the story of teenager Mark Grayson (voiced by Steven Yeun), who takes notice of the superpowers he has developed that he has inherited from his dad, the globally known Omni-Man (voiced by J.K. Simmons). He aspires to be like his dad, but he soon realizes his dad is not the glorified superhero society has made it out to be.
Omni-Man’s Turn into an Evil Superman-Like Character
For anyone unaware of the major plot points of the comics for Invincible, you would think that the show was a run-of-the-mill animated series with some great A-list voice-over talent, but just wait till the end of the pilot, and you’ll learn that Omni-Man is a man who has spent years pretending for the cameras that he is the savior of our world, when in fact, he is methodically plotting to take it over.
Omni-Man hails from the still-active planet Viltrum, which has plans to conquer whatever they come into contact with. He pulverizes his son to near death in the season one finale and ends the lives of the Guardians of the Globe (their version of the Justice League).Omni-Man is a sociopath with a cape.StreamInvincibleon Prime Video.
Invincible
Based on the comic book character by Robert Kirkman, Invincible follows Mark Grayson, a seventeen-year-old who leads a seemingly average life save for the fact that he lives behind the shadow of his superhero father, Omni-Man. Mark goes on to develop superhuman abilities, but he must also learn that his father’s legacy isn’t as glitzy and glamorous as he’s been led to believe.
4Injustice (2021)
Throughout the comics, theInjusticestory arc has captivated readers who love the world of DC. In 2021, we got to see it in an animated film. In Injustice, the Joker tricks Superman into killing his love, Lois Lane. Which then turns the Man of Steel into an angry super-being on a path of destruction. It is up to Batman and other members of the Justice League to stop him. All of this is taking place in an alternate universe from the main timeline of the heroes of DC.
One of the Darkest Versions of Superman Ever
The Injustice timelines give us a Superman we see making a lot of out-of-character decisions. Kal-el destroys Metropolis with a nuclear device; his path of destruction seems so unstoppable that not even the rest of the Justice League can get in his way. Superman is the main antagonist of this alternate reality, something that, despite the sadness that comes from it, is indeed fun to watch him do a 180 on us and feel that he won’t be turning back anytime soon.
We see Superman and Batman butting heads a lot throughout many different versions of their characters, but none more than in Injustice, as they become full-on nemeses.Injusticeis available to rent on Prime Video.
3Bruce’s Nightmare -Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Speaking of Batman and Superman becoming nemeses, Zack Snyder’s polariing epic tale,Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,has the two caped crusaders who come to blows with one another as a demonized Bruce Wayne is hell-bent on stopping Superman, as he views him as a threat to the world, only to find out that they are better off as allies against an even bigger threat that’s coming their way.
Bruce Wayne’s Nightmare
When the first trailer dropped forBVS, we saw quick clips of a trench coat wearing Batman in what looked like the desert, and we all started to wonder what the hell that was about. We’ll later learn that this was a dream sequence where Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) has a nightmare about when Superman (Henry Cavill) takes over the world. We see Superman looking very menacing, and at long last we get to see it off the pages of the comics or not in an animated show or movie; it’s right there, looking real.
Although this is an alternate timeline for the film, and just for a few moments, it stands out to many fans who could only wish we got more of the DCEU. Bruce is eventually awoken from his dream, and later on he gets a speech from Alfred passionately arguing with him over Superman, stating that “he is not the real enemy.“Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justiceis streaming on Max.
