20 Years Ago, DC Planted the Seeds for Their Version of Deadpool

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Deadpool is now a widely recognized character. While always somewhat popular, his fame exploded when he became self-aware as a comic book character and started directly addressing the audience. Though not the first to break the fourth wall, he’s become the most successful, greatly benefiting Marvel. DC Comics has been attempting to create a character similar to Deadpool for years, with Harley Quinn being their closest attempt. Although she matched his level of edgy humor, she lacked the full package. However, DC quietly began developing their true Deadpool counterpart two decades ago with the character Superboy-Prime.

As a DC fan, I’ve always found Prime a fascinating character. He first showed up during the epic Crisis on Infinite Earths event – basically, he was the Superman from our Earth, the ‘real’ world, and they used him to tell the story of Superboy’s history. He played a key role in defeating the Anti-Monitor, but then faded into obscurity for a while. But everything changed with Infinite Crisis. That’s when DC started building the character we know today. Honestly, Superboy-Prime has gone through a huge transformation since then, and it all really stems from what I think is the best DC event of the 21st century.

Infinite Crisis Made Prime a Star and Planted the Seeds of His Current Status Quo

Bringing Superboy-Prime back would transform him from the overly perfect teenager he once was into a more relatable character. This version wasn’t aware he was fictional, but he did know that DC Comics existed and featured all his favorite heroes and villains. He’d grown up reading these comics on his original Earth and, after the ‘Crisis,’ he found himself watching a new DC Universe develop, much like he had before.

This updated version of the character was inspired by DC Comics fans who frequently voiced their dissatisfaction with the increasingly grim direction of the company’s storylines. He represented the reader who preferred things stay the same, and that’s why he joined forces with Alexander Luthor to reshape the DC Universe, aiming to restore it to a more familiar state, reminiscent of the one they defended during Crisis on Infinite Earth. Ironically, this character ultimately became the very thing he tried to prevent – a dark and violent villain. This unexpected turn was a clever twist on his original intentions and marked the start of his transformation into the character he is today.

Following the events of Infinite Crisis, this villain appeared in several storylines, including The Sinestro Corps War, Countdown to Final Crisis, and Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds. The last of these stories showed him returning to Earth-Prime, where he became aware of his actions as a comic book character and ironically became a sort of internet complainer about DC Comics. This realization marked a turning point, as the character became self-aware of being fictional, similar to Deadpool. He continued to appear in comics afterward, eventually finding a peaceful resolution in Adventure Comics (Vol. 2) #5, though he later seemingly died in Death Metal before making a recent comeback in DC K.O.

The current incarnation of Prime has taken on a persona similar to Deadpool, a shift that began with events in Infinite Crisis. He’s evolved from embodying DC’s legacy into a reflection of the most negative aspects of comic book fandom. This transformation is the reason for his current state, and it actually sets the stage for a surprisingly promising future.

What are your thoughts on Superboy-Prime? Share them in the comments below and discuss with other fans on the ComicBook Forums!

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2025-12-30 23:12