Superman is the most important fictional character of the the last hundred years. No other character has birthed an entire genre of stories like he has; superheroes might have eventually been created without him, but many of the bedrock aspects of them would be completely different without the Man of Steel. Superman has been around for 87 years, and in those decades the character has not only birthed his own genre but has had some very important milestones, ones which made him into the character he is today. Superman is now a legend and these milestones are an important reason why.
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Superman has starred in some amazing stories and many of them have changed the character and his history. The character has been around for almost a hundred years, with legions of creators working to define and redefine the Man of Steel. These ten Superman milestones are the most important in the character’s history, making him into the icon he is today.
10) DC Rebirth
DC Rebirth was a major change to DC Comics, ending the New 52 status quo that fans had started to dislike over its five year existence. One of the biggest changes that it wrought was the return of the pre-Flashpoint Superman, the version of the character that fans had followed from 1986 to 2011. Fans were ecstatic, as Superman and Lois Lane’s return brought a new fan favorite character to the Superman mythos: Jon Kent, the son of Lois and Clark. DC Rebirth put the character back on the path to stardom he’s been on ever since, giving readers years of great stories.
9) The Return of Earth-Two Superman
DC continuity has been wonky for decades. The main reason for that was the introduction of Earth-Two; instead of saying that the events of DC’s Golden Age comics took place on the same Earth as the more modern events (mostly because of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman), an alternate Earth was introduced to hold those heroes. This meant that the original Superman was now relegated to this Earth. Earth-Two’s Superman basically just faded away, but would return in 1969’s Justice League of America (Vol. 1) #73. This version of Superman would appear in numerous books until Crisis on Infinite Earths, where he defeated the Anti-Monitor and saved all of existence. He was would return in Infinite Crisis, again helping to save all of reality. Without this version of the Man of Steel, we’d never have gotten characters like Power Girl and some of the most important DC events would have happened very differently.
8) The “Death of Superman” Saga
“Death of Superman” is the ’90s’ most important Super-story, pitting the Man of Steel against the monster known as Doomsday. Superman had died numerous times over the years, mostly in “imaginary stories”, but this death actually counted and DC pulled out all the stops. “Death of Superman” was followed by “World Without a Superman”, “Funeral for a Friend”, “Reign of the Supermen”, and “Return of Superman”. This saga was exquisitely laid out, introduced great new characters that would play an important role in Superman’s future, and gave readers a compelling answer to the answer of what happens after Superman dies. It’s one of the best Superman sagas of all time, and a defining event in the character’s history.
7) First Appearance of Superboy
Superboy has long been one of the most important aspects of the Superman mythos. The adventures of a young Clark Kent were perfect for the younger readers of the Golden Age, and would play a huge role in defining the character and his world. The first Superboy appearance was in 1945’s More Fun Comics #101, and it led to some of the most important ideas in the the history of the character. It fleshed out the origin of Lex Luthor and the enmity between the two characters and brought the young hero to the Legion of Superheroes, one of the most important periods in his existence. The hero’s history as Superboy has been removed from continuity, but has since been returned; without it, the Man of Steel was limited and bringing it back brought a lot of great stuff ideas that make Superman even better than he was.
6) Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis was ’00s DC’s best event, a story that returned numerous great ideas to the publisher’s canon. Superman was an important part of the story, with several multiversal versions of the Man of Steel playing a key role, like Earth-Two Superman and Superboy-Prime. The story brought back numerous ideas from the Silver and Bronze Ages that had been discarded because of Crisis on Infinite Earths. It made Superman more Superman, if that makes any sense. It brought back the idea of Superboy and his time with the Legion of Superheroes. It is another factor in why Superman stories in last few years have been so good, as it led to tales that used the best aspects of Superman’s history.
5) First Appearance of Supergirl
Supergirl is one of the most important characters in the Superman mythos. Kara Zor-El has the same basic origin as the Man of Steel — she was launched away from Krypton by her parents to Earth — and has played a critical role in the history of DC Comics. She proved to be popular with boys and girls alike, getting her own solo adventures in books like Adventure Comics and has starred in numerous Supergirl series. She’s not as popular as Superman, but she’s proven to be pretty popular in her own right, bringing something new to the character’s mythos. She become an icon all on her own and is indispensable to the history of the Last Son of Krypton.
4) The First Appearance of Jon Kent
The New 52 event Convergence is legendarily terrible, but strangely enough, the tie-ins were pretty great. One of those tie-ins brought back the pre-Flashpoint Superman and Lois Lane for one of their most important stories. Convergence: Superman followed the couple as they lived their lives and the miniseries’ second issue introduced readers to the son of Lois and Clark: Jon Kent. This was the first official child of the couple and when the pre-Flashpoint Superman and Lois returned in Superman: Lois and Clark and DC Rebirth, they brought Jon with them. Has become one of the most important characters in the current Superman mythos and a fan favorite. While DC has made some missteps with Jon, that hasn’t stopped fans from loving him for the last decade.
3) The First Appearance of Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is Superman’s greatest villain and has become one of the most popular characters in comic history. The villain has proven to be one of the most mutable characters in the history of the medium, growing and changing with the industry. Just look at his first appearance in Action Comics #23; he wasn’t Lex but Alexei, he had hair, and he wasn’t the evil super-scientist or corrupt billionaire industrialist we have nowadays. He wasn’t even Superman’s greatest foe until years later. The introduction of Lex would pay off though, as he would grow into one of the most famous villains in fiction in the decades since his first appearance.
2) The Marriage of Superman and Lois Lane
Lois Lane first appeared in Action Comics #1, acting as both love interest and foil for Superman. She became the second most important character in the Superman comics, and the will they, won’t they relationship between the two was a key part of stories for decades. They are the ur-comic couple and in the 1996 one-shot Superman: The Wedding Album, the two of them got married. The marriage between Lois and Clark has become one of the most important aspects of the Man of Steel’s comics. It’s impossible to picture a world where they aren’t together (one of the many missteps made with New 52 Superman was that the two of them weren’t together), and Lois has become a co-lead in Superman’s comics. She’s even had her own solo adventures, and is one of the most beloved characters in fiction. Two character that go together better than Lois and Clark don’t exist.
1) Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is one of the most important events in the history of DC Comics, and it had a profound effect on Superman, Earth-Two Superman, and the entirety of the character’s history. The story killed off Supergirl, removed Superboy from Superman’s history, and took Earth-Two Superman’s adventures out of canon. It led to the Man of Steel reboot by writer/artist John Byrne, which allowed a whole new generation of fans to fall in love with the character. Crisis changed everything for every DC character, but its effects on Superman were the most profound.
What are your favorite Superman milestones? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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