Worst versions of Superman?

[Kuwagaton]

Injustice superman is great. His specials lead to wonderful combos and zoning. Unfortunately the attempt to make Cap Marvel feel different made him not so fun, but I'd say this is easily the best representation of Superman in that whole medium.

Worst... maybe Smallville because he wasn't actually Superman.

But that's merely where the character started out.

I don't get the impression that as many people are familiar with post crisis after 1987 as we'd expect given the relevance and prevalence.

[AquaLantern]

Nothing comes close to Injustice Superman and yet I would still side with him over Batman who acts like he can do no wrong.

[Soubhagya]

I am a fan after DC Rebirth. So i am catching up with previous versions. As of now i can speak of one.

Brandon Routh's Superman: He abandons Earth for five years in search of his dead home planet. He had left Lois with his child. (Why do they try to frame him as Jesus Christ?). His most important action sequence is lifting a heavy rock. Cyclops is a better father than him. Cyclops is a better partner to Lois Lane. (Nothing against Cyclops. What i mean is Superman here is a terrible person.) The only good thing here is Brandon Routh's performance. He is somehow likeable inspite of commiting so many wrongs. And a few cool action sequences.

A special mention to Injustice guy. He is not Superman. It falls in face of all logic to call him a Superman turned evil. But he is considered Superman by everyone so i gave this some consideration and put it here. Fans of Injustice need not get back at me. It is a theory.

[Ascended]

I don't get the impression that as many people are familiar with post crisis after 1987 as we'd expect given the relevance and prevalence.

I think it just casts a pall across that whole era.

As for myself....you know, I dont really have a "worst" version of Superman.

I think Kingdom Come, Action 775, early post-Crisis (mostly Byrne), and Earth-1 all miss the mark, sometimes in pretty major, glaring ways. And at least one or two of those versions have (or might) have long-lasting implications which I resent even more than the initial miss.

But if I had to pick one?

True Brit.

[Rod G]

The worst would have to be the one who kissed Luthor's butt from 2000 to 2002 (?)

[Kuwagaton]

I think it just casts a pall across that whole era.

If anything palls across, it's the work of Jack Kirby, with Turpin, Cadmus, Intergang, the New Gods, and the Wild Area being so prominent. To say completely void of good stories and to say the life of the being sometimes known as Superman didn't matter... at the very least, I don't agree. To see him tow the Earth, lead the Justice League, date Wonder Woman, visit Krypton and meet Kryptonians (wiping out pre-crisis level zoners and subsequently going on space adventures for an 18 issue story), whip Mongul only to come back and give Jimmy elastic powers (there's one issue where we get a three man team of Superman, Jimmy, and Plastic Man)... I feel like that stuff deserves a dedicated chance or second chance.

Anyway, I could never call a mainline Superman the "worst" because it's never hopeless.

Superman Returns has to be my least favorite Superman story.

[Agent Z]

Injustice Superman takes the case

DCAU Superman: Like him a lot in his own show, find him really underwhelming in JL/U. Even in his own show, I don't think it's the best adaptation he could have, and doesn't measure up to what the same creative team did for Batman.

Young Justice: I think him being uncomfortable around Kon initially was a good idea; it was insensitive, but was also understandable. Stretching that out for several months, however, is how you get your audience to think Superman is a dick, and I have a hard time believing he would let his feelings prevent him from showing any comfort to the obviously troubled teen who didn't ask to be cloned from him for that long is ridiculous. He improved a bit in season 2.

Post-Crisis as a whole: this era is too long to be completely void of good, even great stories. He was fantastic in Morrison's JLA for example, and this became more of a problem towards the end than later on. But there was too much "I'm Clark, Superman is just what I do" stuff going on here, even from the start, and the foundation Byrne laid of him wanting to embrace his Earth heritage but not his Kryptonian one just flies in the face of what Superman is about. And everything from around Identity Crisis to Flashpoint was either underwhelming or terrible.

I don't understand why no one remembers that Clark didn't ask to be cloned either and that's he doesn't have any obligation to take Connor in. Connor's not the result of a one night stand, he's a living weapon created to kill and replace Superman and was created with neither Clark's knowledge nor his consent. Not only is Clark perfectly justified in keeping his distance, but Connor has it far better than he realises. He has friends and a support group. Leaving him to be taken care of by the Justice League is far better than leaving him to be raised by a slimdball agent like he did in the comics.

[Agent Z]

Kingdom Come

What's So Funny About Truth Justice And The American Way

The Reeves Versions

[titansupes]

Of the recent iterations, the DCEU and Earth One versions have been appalling. Hopefully the former is on its way to amending itself, but I don't have high hopes.

[Soubhagya]

The worst would have to be the one who kissed Luthor's butt from 2000 to 2002 (?)

Kissed Luthor's what!? Is there even a version like this? Of course its a figure of speech. But even in figurative speech it puts a wrong impression.





There was one more surprise. There are people who like Injustice 'Superman'! I thought they only liked the series. That was an eye opener. It proves that the list is very subjective. While i may not agree about Injustice guy i will agree that there are fans who like him.

I disagree with a lot of versions mentioned here: DCAU, Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?, Post-Crisis(Seriously! It is one of my favorites.), Reeves. All this makes the list very subjective. If i get into a debate i may loose. After all i don't have a lot of experience of Superman. Some fans are here for decades.

The thread feels wrong to me. I am seeing a lot of versions that i love. If i love a version i love Superman. I may get him 'wrong'. But is there a one true version? Keep the essence of Superman intact and we have a Superman someone can enjoy. But it is alright. Fans have love for Superman. If something clashes with their idea of 'Superman' dislike is natural. Outright dismissal feels wrong though.

I may never agree with the fans of Injustice but i am glad to hear there are those who like him. In my opinion that misses the essence of the character and is totally wrong. But if people are interested in Superman due to that i can't dismiss it. They like it due to something which i can't see. I may disagree even after i see it from their pov but if the fans come and see the Superman that i love i have won. They can see the beauty that is Superman. One of the greatest characters of all time.

[sunofdarkchild]

Worst would have to be Act of God. Clark does nothing but ope and sit around until Lois divorces him, then he goes to Wonder Woman for comfort. I like the story overall, but it's treatment of Superman and its veneration of Batman (that's why he was always the best of us) were poor decisions.

Honorable mention to Superman Returns. They have to choose between keeping Superman a symbol of moral authority and making him a deadbeat unmarried father. They can't have it both ways. Made even worse for reminding me of the Scott-Jean-Maddie fiasco.

Haven't seen Supergirl version since I quit that terrible show early on, but if their treatment of Superman is consistent with the overall quality of the show then he probably sucks.

DCEU Superman: I like what they're going for, but the execution fell completely flat.

Nu-52-Had a lot of squandered potential and really fell flat once Morrison's run ended. Would be interesting to see what could have been done with this version without the editorial mandated crossovers and events.

Post-Crisis, Lois and Clark, and DCAU Superman are all great. Season 1 of Justice League was problematic, as was season 4 of Lois and Clark, but overall these versions were very well written with good character work and interesting stories.

[marhawkman]

Kingdom Come

So much this... Supes acted like a ragequitter... that made no sense.

[The Learner]

Injustice Superman is by far the worst version of the character. I dislike the whole injustice-verse and would rather read Ultraman stories, at least he wasn't a good Superman turned evil due to some tragic incident. I had hopes for Clark's redemption when Injustice 2 was announced, but I realized later that it isn't going to happen.

[manofsteel1979]

I'll go with Injustice Superman for the win. It's really the only version I outright dislike. Even other versions I'm less fond of I find at least some things I like and agree with usually. Regime Superman is one I just can't abide.

[CharlesInCharge]

Injustice: Not a bad version per se, but as I wrote in the Controversial Opinions thread, it was the last thing Superman needed at the time.

Chris Reeve: He had the look, the costume, etc. but his personality, at least in the first film, was just so bland and vanilla. Also, based on conversations I've had with others, I think the Superman is "overpowered and just a boy scout" spiel started here.

DCEU: I want to like this incarnation. I really do. Man of Steel was heavily flawed, but otherwise decent. Batman V Superman, on the other hand, was diabolical. If Justice League can't salvage him, I'm done with this version.