Superman AKA The Man of Steel is what most people consider to be the world's first superhero. Debuting all the way back in 1938, Superman has been a huge part of American culture and entertainment. Born as Kal-El on the dying planet of Krypton, Superman was sent to Earth as a baby.

While growing up on a farm, he learned morality and altruism from his adoptive parents. He also learned that Earth's yellow sun gave him extraordinary abilities. Superman went on to become a symbol of hope for the people of Earth, and its most praised hero. However, in some DC stories, Superman takes a darker path that invariably leads to terror and destruction.

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Updated February 2, 2023, by Levana Chester-Londt: As time goes by, DC has continued to entertain the masses by switching things up a bit, with a winning formula consisting of several unique Superman Alternate Universe narratives. By adding a fresh twist to the iconic storyline, fans no longer know what to expect next and are kept on their toes during each epic transformation.

With a Multiverse of possibilities to work with, who's to say that Kal-El should remain the eternal hero? These alternate stories beg the question: Is there an Evil Superman? With resounding confirmation, the most villainous versions of this iconic alien lay ahead. Each possesses an astonishing mean streak, a less-than-appealing track record, and a couple of cold-hearted killings under their belts.

12 Black Zero (Hyper-Tension)

DC Most Terrifying versions of Superman Black Zero Conner Kent

Conner Kent gets a makeover during the hypertime travels of Superboy Vol. 4. After finding himself in a reality where Superman and Lex Luthor's clone endures his childhood without Clark's influence, he subsequently becomes a terrible teen fueled by the powers of Krypton. Lacking the necessary guidance, Superboy attempts to carry out justice, but mistakenly kills Supergirl, Brainiac, and over three hundred innocents in the process, and is unsurprisingly met with harsh criticism instead of applause.

Losing faith in society and falling prey to Blackfire's arm-twisting (according to Titans United #4), the now villainous Conner takes up the more suitable name of Black Zero (not to be confused with the Man of Steel's version.) He began aggressive activism for equal clone rights and ended many heroes' lives along the way, and "reconfigured" them into perfectly wicked warriors, adding them to the ranks of his superhuman army.

11 Superman Red and Blue

DC Most Terrifying versions of Superman Superman Red and Superman Blue

After a freak accident causes Superman to split into two separate entities, a new villain emerges, with an all-too-familiar face and skillset. While Electric Blue Superman is the more placid Hero (arguably to his own detriment), Superman Red embodies all the fury and hatred of the Krytonian's soul Although neither is inherently evil, the pair certainly aren't good for each other, Things get heated as the Supermen butt heads, as they would rather kill each other than merge back together.

The Superman Blue storyline is picking up yet again in the Lazarus Planet: Assault on Krypton narrative with Jon Kent at the helm with a strong villainous aura about him. While this storyline has only just begun in 2023, the forewarning of "Heroes transformed. Secrets revealed. Powers unleashed," has rather sinister undertones. The cover art is particularly suggestive, as well. Will Jon travel down the dark path with his new electrifying powers in tow?

10 The Superman: The Dark Side

DC Most Terrifying versions of Superman The Dark Side Superman and Darkseid

Only three editions of the Dark Side Superman stories, which form part of DC's Elseworld series, investigate what would occur if Kal-El ended up being raised by the notorious Ruler of Apokolips instead. With Darkseid for a dad, it's no surprise that an evil Superman emerges from this alternate origin story. He willingly joins the war against New Genesis in pursuit of universal domination.

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This armor-clad Star Child is "merciless, deadly, and completely loyal" to Darkseid, committing brutal murders and planetary destruction. However, as Darkseid gains momentum in his search for the Anti-Life Equation, The Superman learns the truth about his origin (compliments of Highfather) and hastily switches back to his innate good-guy role.

9 Kryptothrax, The True Doomsday

DC Most Terrifying versions of Superman Kryptothrax, The True Doomsday

Superman is not the only one to walk on the dark side in Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Dark Nights Metal. He attempts to defeat Barbatos by relying on the "help" of some Element X-infused armor, with disastrous results. Each Justice League participant undergoes a monstrous transformation, with Superman evolving into a creature known as Kryptothrax, who finds himself under Barbatos' spell.

Possessing the same yellow-sun-fueled powers as his original form, Kryptothrax causes significant damage alongside the other Dragons of the Bat, with Earth-Metal set in its targets. After two years of blood-soaked destruction, Kryptothrax meets his match at the end of a Kryptonian guitar pick (thanks, Nightwing!), and only then finds relief from his savagery.

8 Black Kryptonite Superman

DC Most Terrifying versions of Superman Black Kryptonite Kills Batman

Another Elseworld story features a scenario whereby Superman gets exposed to an unhealthy dose of Black Kryptonite. This messes with the hero's mind, enhancing his wrath and loosening his ethics, while he loses touch with reality. On Earth-22, The Batman Who Laughs is particularly successful with his Black Kryptonite antics, infecting both Jon and Clark Kent and subsequently inspiring them to murder Lois, and then each other.

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In contrast, the Black Kryptonite-influenced Superman gains the upper hand over Batman in Nightwing: The New Order #1, suddenly killing his friend and teammate with his heat vision during an uncontrollable fit of rage, while Nightwing helplessly watches. This death scene is arguably the straw that broke the camel's back, inspiring Nightwing to become a metahuman hunter and begin opposing his once-beloved heroes.

7 Red Son Superman

Red Son Superman in Injustice: Gods Among Us

Red Son explores what would have happened if Superman had crash-landed in the Soviet Union instead of in the United States. Rather than learning heroism from his loving parents on a farm, Superman is raised to be a devastating weapon instead.

DC Comics also used this version to tell an alternate history in which the Cold War involved super humans as threats instead of nuclear weapons. This version of Superman isn't necessarily evil, but he definitely isn't the kind-hearted soul that comic book readers know and love. His cold Soviet upbringing turned him into a soldier of war.

6 Lex Luthor

Lex-Luthor-Superman-1

When Kal-El was killed by Doomsday in DC's Rebirth, his billionaire arch-rival Lex Luthor decided to take on the mantle of Superman. Using a powerful suit of armor donning the iconic Superman "S", Luthor displays legitimately good intentions. However, even though he is trying to help the world, his massive ego and impure motives eventually take over.

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Luthor's Superman is constantly getting into conflict with other heroes and making morally questionable choices. Eventually, Luthor gets replaced by a new Superman before he can do much damage. Lex's take on the character was admirable at first, but he could never escape his evil past.

5 Superboy Prime

Superboy-Prime head shot

Superboy Prime comes from a version of Earth where superheroes are fictional like in the real world. After their universe is destroyed, Superboy Prime finds himself in a strange dimension somewhere between space and time. Here, he develops a sense of purpose and superiority, believing he is destined to be Earth's greatest hero.

Over time, Superboy Prime's ambitions become twisted and his mind warped. After escaping into another reality, he becomes a murderous villain filled with self-importance. Superboy Prime has been featured in multiple storylines and is considered an extremely dangerous foe to any DC hero.

4 Ultraman

Ultraman

Ultraman is a twisted version of Superman from Earth-3. Named Kal-Il, Ultraman came from a version of Krypton where his parents sent him away to become the most powerful man in the universe and get revenge on those responsible for Krypton's destruction.

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Once arriving on Earth, he convinces an alcoholic and drug-addicted version of John and Martha Kent to adopt him. After realizing they were no longer of use to him, however, he murders them both. Kal-Il goes on to become Ultraman and forms The Crime Syndicate (a twisted version of the Justice League). The Crime Syndicate rules Earth-3, turning it into a world where evil always prospers.

3 Bizarro

Bizarro superman comic page

Bizarro is the original version of "evil" Superman. Bizarro's origin has changed multiple times, but most incarnations of the character have him being created as a clone of Superman by Lex Luthor. The cloning experiment fails, however, and Bizarro becomes a disfigured monster with opposite powers to Superman.

Bizarro's lack of intelligence often leads to him being manipulated by Luthor and others into doing evil deeds. He may seem fairly innocent on the surface, but he is capable of extreme violence and destruction when provoked. He also has an edge over Superman at times on account of him being completely immune to kryptonite, which makes him a formidable foe for the Man of Steel.

2 Lord Superman

Lord Superman

Lord Superman features in an episode of the Justice League animated series. The episode depicts an alternate universe in which Lex Luthor becomes president. After Luthor kills The Flash and insults him to his face, Superman murders him in cold blood. He then decides to take over as the leader of Earth and formed a "crime-free" world with the Justice League.

This version of Superman still had the same intentions of protecting Earth, but believes that he should stop at nothing to realize them. He even uses this "for the greater good" mentality to justify murdering or lobotomizing all of the Justice League's iconic villains (the episode even includes a disturbing scene of a lobotomized Joker).

1 Injustice Superman

Injustice DC Animated Movie

This version of Superman first debuted in Netherrealm's Injustice video game series and eventually made it into his own comic storyline. After the Joker tricks the Justice League and destroys Metropolis (including Lois Lane and her unborn child), Superman becomes filled with rage and murders the comic book clown in cold blood.

This causes a rift between Superman and Batman, which eventually leads to Superman forming a new ideology very similar to the aforementioned Lord Superman. He chooses to take over Earth and build a regime alongside anyone willing to serve him. Those who oppose his new ways are murdered or imprisoned. He even goes as far as murdering 14-year-old hero Shazam, simply for disagreeing with him.

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