As much as we all love Superman, the hero’s history has been plagued by some questionable or even controversial changes to his lore. To be fair, the Man of Steel has been around for nearly a century, and he’s evolved in more ways than one. But some changes have been good for his character, like expanding the Superman Family or developing new and exciting powers. That being said, other changes have gone a little too far and tried to shake things up in ways that actually hindered Superman and his lore instead of helping.
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Now, I’m not saying creators shouldn’t try to experiment with Superman. Trying new things is how we get good stories. However, some stuff really shouldn’t be messed with, especially when it comes to fundamental elements of Superman’s lore. His familial connections, his love life, and his origin are things that don’t have much wiggle room, and when people make changes to them, it doesn’t really serve Superman well. Read on to discover 5 changes that have been made to Superman’s lore and why they didn’t improve things for the Man of Tomorrow.
5. Killing Off the Kents
Now I know that for the better part of the Silver Age, the Kents were dead. But they became a much more active part of his life in the Post-Crisis, and an adult Superman worked well with the Kents in his life. However, the New 52 had the Kents die as a result of a car wreck, leaving Superman alone. The Kents provide a great grounding presence for Clark, and having them around adds a nice touch of wholesomeness to the Superman brand. Killing them off just to make Superman alone honestly feels wrong at this point.
4. Getting Rid of Supergirl
Speaking of characters being killed off for the sake of Superman being alone, the death of Supergirl was a huge misfire. It was awful on two fronts as Crisis on Infinite Earths saw Kara die and be erased from existence so that Clark could genuinely be the ‘Last Son of Krypton’. Oh, sure, DC Comics tried a few other Supergirls to take Kara’s place. But in the end, there’s only one real Supergirl, and while it took decades, this major mistake was finally undone and hasn’t been touched in years.
3. Making Rogol Zaar Krypton’s Killer
I can understand writers wanting to create a character that leaves a mark on Superman’s legacy, but this was a misfire from the beginning. Rogol Zaar was introduced right when Brian Michael Bendis came to DC Comics, and Bendis swung for the fences with his powerful new foe. Zaar was revealed to be the villain who really caused Krypton’s destruction to set up a serious personal conflict with Superman. But nobody took to the idea of Krypton’s death being the result of one person, and in the end, Zaar’s influence was quietly downplayed (if not outright ignored).
2. Having Superman Date Wonder Woman
As someone who loves the Superman/Lois Lane dynamic, this one was particularly egregious. The New 52 erased a lot of history and personal connections, including Clark’s marriage to Lois. But instead of bringing them together, DC Comics had Superman date Wonder Woman for a few years. I suppose I can understand the logic of Clark and Diana being a power couple, but honestly, there was no real spark to this relationship. At the end of the day, Superman is supposed to be with Lois, and thankfully, this brief romance is all in the past.
1. Aging Up Jon Kent
Maybe I’m being unfair to put two Bendis-led changes on this list, but I had to mention this. DC Comics had such a great thing going when Jon was Superboy. The ‘Superman as a dad’ gimmick was great, and we only got it for a few years before Jon was arbitrarily aged. What’s worse is that ever since Jon grew up, he’s yet to really find his place in the world, and it’s been made abundantly clear that DC Comics isn’t rewinding the clock. It would have just been better for the Superman franchise had Jon just remained a kid.
What do you think the worst change to Superman’s lore is? Let us know in the comments or tell us on the ComicBook Forum!
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