Let’s face it, there’s no hero better at facing adversity thanSuperman. Sure, heroes face difficult odds all the time, but the Man of Steel has seen more, done more, and survived more than most heroes put together. Yet, no matter what difficulties are thrown his way,Superman always keeps goinguntil the threat is vanquished and everyone is safe.
Granted, it’s not a contest as heroes, by their very nature, overcome the odds they face. But lesser heroes would have walked away from some of the things that Superman has been through. Who else has lost both their adoptive father and their entire race all in the span of a few months? And who else has lost their powers and went on a perilous journey through a magical underworld to get them back? These harrowing events only scrape the surface ofwhat Superman has powered through. Read on to discover how Superman weathered some of his darkest moments.
10Pushing Back to Stop the Anti-Monitor
As Seen In:Crisis on Infinite Earths
Things were tough for literally everyone in the DC Universe duringCrisis on Infinite Earths, so much so that ittook multiple Superman variants to save the day. However,the Golden Age Superman of Earth-2 took it upon himself to put an end to the devastating Anti-Monitor. Kal-L had lost everything, from his world to his wife (as far as he knew) and had every reason to give up. Instead, he dug down deep and put everything he had into defeating the monster that took an incalcuable number of lives. Truly something only a Superman could do.
9Saving the Day inFinal Crisis
As Seen In:Final Crisis
Final Crisiswas the day that evil won. It was the event that saw Darkseid get everything he ever wanted and take control of all life. Things were looking bad for the heroes, as even Batman had died after wounding Darkseid (or so it appeared). But Superman didn’t lay down and accept the fate that awaited the DCU. Instead, he was instrumental in defeating the New God and the other evil forces at work.Superman destroyed Darkseid’s essence with a powerful song and summoned an army of Superman variants from across the DCU in order to save the day.
8Punishing Mongul For Taking Everything
As Seen In:Superman Annual #11
Mongul managed to hurt Superman worse than most other villains, and he didn’t have to lay a hand on him. Using the Black Mercy, an insidious plant that shows people their greatest desires, Mongul trapped Clark in a fantasy world where he never left Krypton and grew up knowing his true heritage. Thankfully, he was saved by his allies’ intervention. Superman was devastated obviously, having known his family and losing them all over again.But rather than weep over his losses, Superman fought back against Mongul and made him pay for the cruel attack on Clark’s mind.
7Fighting Back After Amanda Waller Stole His Powers
As Seen In:Absolute Power
If there was ever a reason for Superman to back down, it’d be because he lost his powers, which is exactly what happened inAbsolute Power. Superman was drained by one of Amanda Waller’s Task Force VII robots, and he was shot almost instantly afterward. He managed to recover, though, and while he would have been justified in not entering the fray, he did exactly that.Superman teamed up with Zatanna to explore the hidden magical pathways and find the heroes a secret means of travelto avoid Waller’s dangerous forces.
6Returning to Heroism After Abandoning Humanity
As Seen In:Kingdom Come
For a while, it looked like Supermanhadgiven up inKingdom Come. Older and disillusioned at the way heroes had been replaced by a newer, more violent generation, Clark disappeared from the public eye. But when a team of young heroes causes a nuclear accident in Kansas, Superman can’t stand on the sidelines anymore. Instead, he comes back into action to try and restore sanity to the world. While the conflict was a bitter and morally gray one,even Superman knew that it didn’t do the Earth any good with him as remaining idle.
5Going On After Losing Pa Kent
As Seen In:Superman: Brainiac
Pa Kent has always been one of Superman’s guiding lights, but what happens when that light is extinguished? During a conflict involving Brainiac, the Coluan menace attempts to hit Clark where it hurts by destroying the Kent Farm. Brainiac doesn’t succeed, but the chaos does trigger a heart attack that takes Jonathan Kent’s life. Sadly, Superman was too late to save his pa, leaving the Man of Steel devastated. But Superman hardly took any time to grieve, pressing on to ensure someone was keeping an eye out forthe Kryptonians that Superman saved from Brainiac’s bottle collection.
4Liberating Warworld Without His Powers
As Seen In:Superman: The Warworld Saga
Superman always does good, even when he’s not in the best condition to do so. When Clark discovered that Mongul was alive and that he had imprisoned a number of alien species to fight on Warworld, Superman took to the planet to liberate it. The problem was that his powers were fading, and he wasn’t in tip-top shape. Even worse, Mongul constructed a red solar engine on his world, allowing him to take Superman as a slave and have him fight for Mongul’s amusement. Despite the massive disadvantage,Superman inspired a rebellion that eventually overthrew the galactic despot.
3Going on After Losing His People (Again)
As Seen In:Superman: War of the Supermen
During the “New Krypton” arc, Superman got a chance to see what it was like to live among his people thanks to the revitalized city of Kandor. However, a cold war between the Kryptonians and Earthlings broke out into an actual war, as seen inSuperman: War of the Supermen. Sadly, it ended with the Kryptonians being completely wiped out (save for the Super-Family, of course). This sent Clark into a depression, walking all across America to grieve properly. In the end,Superman accepted what had happened and got back to normal.
2Making Sure Doomsday Was Put Down For Good
As Seen In:Superman #75
Superman has faced a lot of tough opponents, but few that challenged him in the way Doomsday did. The moment the rampaging monster arrived on Earth, he tore through everything he could, including other heroes. Even Superman found himself struggling against Doomsday’s size, strength, and healing ability. And yet, even though he was facing a threat he very well knew would end him, Superman doesn’t even think about dying until he’s 100% certain Doomsday goes down first. It takes everything he has, butSuperman gave everything he had, including his life, to beat his unstoppable foe.
1Completing Twelve Labors Despite Slowly Dying
As Seen In:All-Star Superman
Though not canon, few stories capture Superman’s ‘never say die’ attitude better thanAll-Star Superman. Thanks to a trap set by Lex Luthor, Clark is dying, and he’s got a finite amount of time left. But instead of spending his remaining moments fretting, he does something incredible: he performs 12 labors that only Superman can do, ranging from saving the Earth from the Bizarros to defeating Solaris. Despite knowing what’s coming, Superman never stops being a hero, even taking time to talk to a suicidal teen in need of help. No matter what,Clark just can’t help but be Superman.
