The character who created the superhero genre, Superman, is a paragon of truth and justice who has inspired people for generations. With a superhero as iconic as the Man of Steel, it’s no big surprise that numerous other companies have created their own Superman rip-offs. From similar origins, powers, and costumes, there are plenty of characters who try to emulate Superman’s aesthetic. However, while some are loving homages, most are vicious satires created to tear down the tropes of the superhero genre that Superman embodies. Instead of Big Blue Boy Scouts, these doppelgängers are certifiable psychopaths and monsters who have been corrupted by their absolute power and seek to dominate humanity.
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The Evil Superman trope has become incredibly popular in the last ten years, in large part because of these evil counterparts who reflect increasing nihilism. Rival comic book companies like Marvel, Image, and BOOM! Studios have developed truly terrifying characters based on the idea of a Superman being a villain. With such overwhelming power, these Man of Steel knockoffs have committed countless unspeakable acts. These are the most vile and cruel Superman copycats ranked by their depravity.
7) Alpha One
The main villain of Image Comics’ series The Mighty, Alpha One, is willing to do anything to turn Earth into a utopia. Alpha One is an alien who, after advocating for genocide to create a perfect world, was banished from his planet and landed on Earth. Alpha One portrayed himself to the world as a superhero for years. However, behind the scenes, Alpha One began kidnapping and experimenting on civilians to create a new race of superhumans. Thousands of people were horrifically mutilated and tortured in these experiments, with many not surviving the process. Alpha One would also set up disasters to kidnap more people. And of course, Alpha One would kill anyone who got too close to uncovering the truth of his actions and dark purpose.
6) Homelander
The most infamous evil Superman of all time, Homelander from The Boys, is what happens when the Man of Steel is raised in a lab to become a product for a soulless megacorporation. The most powerful Supe the company Vought had ever created, Homelander, can tear people apart with his bare hands or with his heat vision. A pure psychopath, Homelander has been responsible for countless atrocities. Across his comic and TV show incarnations, Homelander has committed assault, slaughtered numerous innocent civilians, allowed a plane full of people die, and even massacred everyone in the White House, including the president. Homelander is a textbook example of someone who believes that he can do whatever he wants, so he exercises his power for his own self-gratification.
5) Supershock
Hailing from Image Comics’ Powers series, Supershock is a well-nigh unstoppable being whose god-complex allows him to commit unspeakable acts without a care for the people he hurts. Supershock’s powers are practically limitless, as on top of standard Superman powers, he can also warp reality. Although Supershock acted as the Earth’s primary hero for decades, he questioned why he bothered protecting creatures so weak. After one of his fellow heroes was exposed for committing heinous acts, Supershock snapped and began using his god-like powers to kill indiscriminately. After murdering his teammates, Supershock killed thousands of civilians by eradicating entire cities. One of Supershock’s most sadistic acts was taking a woman to space to suffocate her to death, before resurrecting her, and repeating the process continuously.
4) Void
Although Marvel Comics’ Sentry is a well-meaning anti-hero with powers comparable to those of the Man of Steel, his split personality, the Void, is practically evil incarnate. Where the Sentry is the personification of heroism, the Void is the personification of villainy. A malevolent entity that only exists to spread death and misery, the Void is one of the most dangerous villains in Marvel. Like Sentry, the Void possesses near infinite strength, speed, energy projection, and the ability to manipulate molecules. The Void has killed millions of people, decimating both Manhattan and Asgard. He also enjoys torturing his victims, as when he meticulously broke every bone in the Hulk’s body. At his peak, the Void is a being capable of threatening the universe.
3) Plutonian
The main character of the BOOM! Studios’ series Irredeemable, the Plutonian, more than lives up to that title. Initially an altruistic hero, Plutonian’s super-hearing allowed him to hear every criticism people had about him. One day, Plutonian just snapped and transformed into a monster. Taking his rage out on humanity with sadistic glee, Plutonian wiped entire cities and countries off the map, killing over 11 million people. He bombarded a city with meteors, sank Singapore, and carved his logo into North America. He also takes great joy in torturing the people he once considered to be his friends in the superhero community, forcing them to watch as he butchers their families.
2) Hero
In the anthology series 2000 AD, one of their storylines, titled the “Ten-Seconders,” takes place in a world that has been decimated by alien superheroes known as the Gods. The first God to arrive and the leader of the invasion is Hero. Fueled by sunlight, Hero is one of the strongest of the Gods as he can brush off nuclear bombs as if they’re nothing. Although he and the other Gods initially presented themselves as saviors, they soon revealed their true colors. With Hero leading the charge, the Gods turned most of Earth into a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Hero killed the president on national television and slaughtered countless people to enforce his iron will over the planet. This vicious tyrant is so cruel that he annihilates entire states out of boredom.
1) King Hyperion
Hyperion is a name used by several Superman copycats across the Marvel Multiverse, and the version on Earth-4023 is easily the most wicked. When King Hyperion decided to conquer Earth, he slaughtered every superhero on the planet along with countless civilians. He even killed most of the cosmic beings and gods in his universe, including Galactus. King Hyperion proved to be so evil that humanity wiped itself out with a nuclear holocaust in a last-ditch effort to kill him. The gamble failed, and King Hyperion was left on a lifeless Earth. After escaping his universe, King Hyperion set his sights on conquering the multiverse. Hopping between universes, King Hyperion slaughtered numerous heroes and countless civilians. No Superman knockoff has left more bodies in his wake.
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