Originally Posted by
DochaDocha
I kind of don't understand why there's still a back and forth here. All I'm saying is that EVIL SUPERMAN! and analogues pop up a lot, and that if he's going to be portrayed as the equivalent of a video game final boss, then he better at least be portrayed as such in the story. Otherwise, if you keep picking on Superman as the ultimate bad guy but he gets slapped round repeatedly, he becomes an 80s cartoon villain (Shredder and Krang, Skeletor, Cobra Commander, etc.). I'm saying you can argue whether or not the execution of this was on point, but that general idea of making him a hypercompetent villain is absolutely the right move. This has nothing to do with Flash, Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, or Aquaman because in comparison to Superman, they practically never get picked on as the go-to, de facto hero gone rogue and the ultimate bad guy.
Also, I said in the beginning
I said The Boys and Invincible have the positive contribution of saying Superman is on top of the food chain. You can call that a hot take or what have you, but in my opinion the way they approach that is good (if you accept a villainous Superman type, which I'm not fond of). It's like saying if you're going to go down, go down swinging (i.e. you're in a bad situation, but if you have to be in a bad situation, dictate the terms of how you want it to go down). And I said IJ Supes fails to do this, because they make him a weenie for a variety of reasons (not mentally tough like Batman, loses a bunch of fights).
If you want me to caveat that first sentence to be more "top dog among commonly-known DC heroes," fine. Whatever. But this is such a simple statement that's been over-dissected and I feel like I'm being forced to repeat myself any time I have to address a reply.
In short, the EVIL SUPERMAN! trope leaves you with two main options:
1) Superman is such a d!ck and he when he goes rogue he seems like a nearly-unstoppable force.
2) Superman is such a d!ck but when he goes rogue he's easily defeated but hangs around like a dingleberry because the plot demands it.
If I had to pick one of those two options (I'd rather pick neither...), I pick 1) every time. And that's what The Boys and Invincible do, give us 1) and not 2). Injustice doesn't give us 1). They give us something closer to 2).
Also, it's totally possible to say you like the way EVIL SUPERMAN! is treated, without liking the way the analagous WW, Flash, GL, AM, MM, etc. are treated, or you have mixed feelings, whatever.
Anyway, that's my opinion which I feel like I've laid out several times now. You don't have to agree with it.