Suberboy-Prime, the controversial hero-turned-villain-turned-hero, has returned in the pages of Joshua Williamson’s Superman run. The character has been used as a mouthpiece for toxic fans, representing the worst attributes of the fandom, including constant verbal harassment and entitlement. He has earned the groans of fans, who find his unceasing complaining and entitlement more exasperating than compelling. Many readers also believed the character was a meanspirited ridicule of the fandom at large. He has the same powers as Superman and is extremely violent, very prone to outbursts. He is aware he’s a comic book character, but unlike Deadpool or Gwenpool, he doesn’t have fun with it.
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He instead uses that knowledge to criticize the DC Universe and mock the heroes. Yet underneath his harsher edges is a deeply tragic character. He is someone who genuinely grew up loving reading superhero comics but had become disillusioned by the DC Universe’s failure. His angry outbursts hide a deeply ingrained insecurity that makes him both pitiful and weirdly sympathetic. Superboy-Prime may have caused too much destruction and death (so much death) to deserve redemption. But we see the nuance in the character and believe there’s a story about his redemption.
5) Superboy-Prime Lost Everything
We often remember Superboy-Prime for his brutal killings stretched throughout his appearances, but people tend to forget that the character has a miserable backstory. He was a Clark Kent sent to the “real world,” which disappeared, along with most of the multiverse, in Crisis on Infinite Earths. He then lived in a pocket dimension where he witnessed the DC Universe becoming darker, becoming jaded by the direction the series was taking. It should be noted that once Superboy-Prime escaped from his pocket dimension, he didn’t actively want to be a murderer or a rampaging supervillain.
He was genuinely distressed when he accidentally decapitated Pantha in Infinite Crisis, showcasing the character’s misguided yet innocent intention. Prime would ultimately become the final antagonist of Infinite Crisis, with his last appearance in the final page ominously threatening the readers while carving an S symbol on his chest. Prime would arguably only get worse from there, yet his character did not have a malicious origin. He was even heroic in Crisis on Infinite Earths before being corrupted in Infinite Crisis, which can be read as a meta-commentary on how the edgier storylines of the ’80s and ’90s influence the sincerity of the Golden and Silver ages of comics.
4) Blackest Night Emphasizes the Character’s Complex Emotions
Superboy-Prime rarely showed any redeeming qualities in his following appearances, specifically Sinestro Corps War, Countdown to Final Crisis, and Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds. His cockiness and pettiness were on full display, further pushing the character into pure evil. However, Legion of 3 Worlds offers a glimpse of Prime’s more complex features when that comic ends with him seemingly back home, yet everyone close to him is aware of his horrific actions. Superboy-Prime was originally ecstatic to be home before he realized his parents and girlfriend no longer saw him the way they used to.
The moment adds to the tragedy of the character, and the Blackest Night event was the first major stepping stone to redeeming the character. Attacked by Black Lanterns across the universe, Superboy-Prime is forced to confront his sins. He seemingly accepts his fate by putting on a Black Lantern ring, which instead causes it to overload and destroy the other lanterns. His girlfriend Laurie, who initially rejected him, then comforts him, acting as a mouthpiece for the writers. Superboy-Prime in Blackest Night served as an “apology” from the writers, accepting the responsibility for Prime’s misfortune and giving him a happy ending. The scene can be read as a metaphor for how DC often ignored its fans and realized they deserved to be heard.
3) Krypto Loves Him
Despite gaining his seemingly undeserved happy ending in Blackest Night, Superboy-Prime would later return as a villain for Teen Titans and Shazam. His redemption wouldn’t continue until Death Metal, where the DC Heroes are forced to work with him to fight off The Batman Who Laughs and the army of Perpetua. Even though everyone is working together to face a common foe, Superboy-Prime remains bitter, with the other heroes keeping their distance from him.
In one of the most heartwarming moments in Death Metal, Krypto was the only one who came up to Superboy-Prime, who attempted to push away the superdog with verbal insults. Yet instead, the dog remained at his side, leading to Superboy-Prime petting the good boy and saying he remembers the first comic he read with him. It was a deeply personal scene that humanized Superboy-Prime, who had done horrendous things at that point. Nonetheless, it didn’t matter to Krypto. Dogs are often better judges of people than humans, and Krypto, in that moment, recognized the once good-hearted boy underneath the multiple homicides.
2) He Helps The Heroes in Death Metal
While the partnership between Superboy-Prime and the other heroes was mostly done out of necessity, it was an important moment for the character’s growth. He confronts the Batman Who Laughs, who tempts him with the promise of returning to his homeworld. However, encouraged by Krypto’s presence, decides to go against the evil Batman. He seemingly sacrifices himself fighting the Batman Who Laughs, with Krypto the only one truly mourning his death. It was the first time Superboy-Prime did something genuinely selfless, and it would’ve been a nice end for the character.
Except it wasn’t the end! Superboy-Prime was seemingly transported back to his homeworld, where he was reunited with Laurie. He ends up saving a child getting run over by a car by lifting it the same way that Superman did on the cover of Action Comics #1. It was a heartwarming moment for the character, foreshadowing that he would become the hero that he had always desperately wanted to be.
1) He Is Still Young Enough to Grow and Learn From his Mistakes
While Superboy-Prime only appeared on the last page of Superman #28, his entire aura and personality have shifted. He isn’t antagonistic towards Superman as he usually is, and his armor is less bulky. His facial features are lighter and less sullen. He says he’s going to team up with Superman to fight off Darkseid’s Legion of Superheroes, highlighting a change in attitude and priorities. Williamson may be tricking readers with this brief appearance, and underneath his more welcoming look, Superboy-Prime is still the violent psychopath most fans recognize.
Nevertheless, Superboy-Prime has been on a slow march to redemption since Blackest Night. It would make sense for Williamson to continue that story arc, coming full circle with Prime teaming up with mainline Superman to save the Multiverse. Superboy-Prime is very much still young at heart (ignoring his age-up in Countdown to Final Crisis), meaning he still has plenty of time to learn and grow. Many fans still can’t stand him, and for good reason. The character was designed to be obnoxious and grating, but there was always a secret depth to the character that pops out on occasion, spotlighting how the character has potential.
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