Superhero comics have always been about heroes saving the day. Often, that means beating the bad guy and sending them to jail. However, heroes are more than just cops with special powers. They represent the best parts of ourselves. Superheroes are ideals given form, and at the end of the day, they are a call for everyone to be a better version of themself. Heroes don’t just save the day. They save people, and that includes their villains. The most enduring heroes, from Superman to Wonder Woman, have always tried to see the good in even the most heinous of criminals. Sometimes, we are blessed with a villain actually listening to the heroes and starting a redemption arc.
Videos by ComicBook.com
One of the best examples of a superhero redemption arc is going on in the Man of Steel’s own comic. Superboy-Prime used to be one of DC’s most dangerous villains, but as of Superman (2023) #36, he’s officially Metropolis’s stand-in Superman while Clark is somewhere in time and space. Prime has gone on a long journey to become the man he is today. He started as a hero, became a monster who almost destroyed all of reality, and has finally become a hero once again. His journey is the ultimate redemption story, and today, I’m going to prove that.
From Super-Menace to Superman-in-Training
Prime was born on Krypton, much like every other Superman, but wound up on an Earth where DC was nothing but comic book characters. He grew up thinking comic books were just that, until his powers awakened and he was pulled into Crisis on Infinite Earths. He fought as a hero, embodying the Silver Age of endless optimism and unlimited power. Unfortunately, he would later be manipulated into an angry, self-centered psychopath by Alexander Luthor, becoming the threat we all know. He was obsessed with restoring his original world and making the perfect Earth. For years, he was a menace, but he was reformed by nothing other than Krypto’s loyalty in Dark Nights: Death Metal The Secret Origin.
Superboy-Prime decided to be the hero he was always meant to be, and after helping out in the DC K.O. event, figured that he would stick around on this world for a while. He had spent so long being a mass murderer, and he wanted to prove to everyone, and himself, that he could be more than that. He could be Superman, and he could be a normal person, too. He never had the chance to be that after his powers awoke when he was still a teenager, and he was excited to live on his own in Metropolis as the acting Superman.
Prime declared himself Metropolis’s number one protector, intent on being so cool that he got his own issue #1. On the mundane side, the uber-nerd landed a job in a comic shop, where he got to catch up on all the reading he’s missed and fund his normal life as CK. Just when everything was looking up, the villainous Manchester Black returned as a ghost, intent on ripping the secrets of the multiverse from Prime’s mind. While there are definite challenges in Prime’s future, his story of becoming the hero he’s meant to be is downright fantastic.
From A Super Boy to a Superman
The best part about Superboy-Prime’s redemption arc isn’t just seeing a beloved character back in action as a hero, but what he represents. For years, Prime has been the stand-in for all the worst parts of comic book fandom. He was snarky, rude, and a giant man-child who would whine whenever the story didn’t go the way he wanted it to. He had infinite power, but none of the spirit that made Superman into a hero, and he couldn’t understand why he wasn’t respected. He was shallow to his core, poking fun at the cynical people who look down on the morality that is so essential to the superhero genre.
His move from villain to hero not only perfectly completes his arc but also works on a meta level. With Superboy-Prime learning to be heroic, it’s also a story of toxic comic book fans learning to let go of the rage that has defined the fandom for so long and live like the heroes they admire. Prime is a call to every comic book fan to stop being cynical and internalize what the heroes represent, not just what they do. Superheroes have always taught people lessons, and Superman, more than anyone, has tried to impart good morals to his readers. Prime’s evolution can be read as the best example of that working in and outside the comic.
It’s all about learning to be heroic in spite of our mistakes and failings. Prime definitely isn’t perfect. He gets mad and is obsessed with proving himself, but he’s trying to be better. If Superboy-Prime can be Superman, then we can all be better people. His story is the ultimate redemption arc because it touches a piece of everyone’s soul and asks them to be great. It’s inspiring in the best way possible, and I can’t get enough of it.
Superman #36 is on sale now!
What do you think about Superboy-Prime’s new direction? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Wizards of the Coast -
Courtesy of Bones Film
