7 Best Evil Superman Alternatives in Comics (And Homelander Isn’t #1)

Superman is arguably the most important superhero of all time. While he might not be the most popular character today, he’s still incredibly famous, and the entire concept of superheroes owes a lot to him. When people think of the ideal hero, they often picture someone like Superman – a symbol of hope and selflessness who inspires others. Because of this, many creators have been inspired by him over the years, crafting their own versions of the ‘Superman archetype’ to explore new stories and ideas.

Often, writers want to explore a darker side of the classic Superman story, turning the symbol of hope into a villain. While characters like Homelander have become popular as evil versions of Superman, he isn’t the most compelling. Here are seven of the best evil Superman alternatives, and most of them are actually more interesting than Homelander.

7) Overman of Earth-17

Grant Morrison’s Animal Man is a landmark comic, and it essentially pioneered the idea of a seemingly perfect, yet deeply flawed, superhero like Homelander, introducing the character Overman in 1990. Overman came into being through a unique event: the Psycho-Pirate, possessing a mask containing remnants of destroyed universes, unintentionally released beings from those lost worlds. Created as the ultimate superhero in a government experiment, Overman’s life took a dark turn when he contracted a sexually transmitted disease and descended into madness, ultimately killing other heroes and threatening to destroy his world during the Crisis event. He attempted to detonate a bomb upon arrival, but was stopped when the Psycho-Pirate relinquished the Medusa Mask. It’s easy to imagine Garth Ennis encountering this story around 1990 and drawing inspiration from it for his future work.

6) Homelander

It seems like every other superhero story now features a villainous Superman-type character, and we have The Boys‘ Homelander to thank for that trend. While the comic book version of Homelander differs from the TV show – many of his most brutal acts were originally done by his clone, Black Noir – the comic reintroduced the idea of an evil Superman to popular culture when The Boys first came out. Though the show improves on the comic in many ways, Homelander remains a significant figure in comic book history.

5) The Void

Created in 2000, The Sentry was designed to be a Superman-like hero reimagined for Marvel Comics. While possessing incredible power and a heroic reputation, he was also burdened with significant psychological issues. These manifested as a destructive alter ego known as the Void – essentially, a dark reflection of The Sentry. Whenever the Void appears, it’s a massive threat, wielding the force of a million exploding suns and completely devoid of any redeeming qualities. The Void actively works to undo everything The Sentry does for good.

4) The Plutonian

Mark Waid is known for his excellent work with Superman, including a recent, highly-regarded run on Action Comics. Given his talent for writing the Man of Steel, fans were excited when he announced Irredeemable, a story about the Plutonian. This series explores the dramatic transformation of a classic superhero—Earth’s greatest hero and a beacon of hope—into its most formidable villain. Waid masterfully portrays this fall from grace, and it’s unfortunate that this compelling series isn’t more widely available.

3) King Hyperion

I’ve always found Hyperion fascinating, even though he started as a way for the Avengers to have their own powerful enemy, kind of like Superman. He originally led the Squadron Supreme, but what’s really scary is that there are tons of Hyperions across the Marvel Multiverse, and King Hyperion is the worst of them. I learned he once tried to rule his entire world, and when everyone fought back, it ended in a nuclear apocalypse that he somehow survived. Then, the Timebreakers got ahold of him and turned him into a weapon, sending him to wreak havoc across different realities. By the time the Exiles confronted him, he was a true monster – killing heroes and trying to conquer planets. It’s a really dark story.

2) Overman of Earth-10

The Overman from Earth-10 is a twisted version of Superman who crash-landed in Nazi Germany before World War II and aided their rise to power. He eventually led the New Reichsmen, a Nazi take on the Justice League, and in some stories, even took over as leader of the Nazi Party after Hitler’s death. However, in the comic The Multiversity: Mastermen, it’s revealed he secretly regretted his actions and was secretly helping the Freedom Fighters, suggesting that a glimmer of the original hero, Kal-El, remained beneath the Nazi influence.

1) Ultraman

The Crime Syndicate is a major threat to the Justice League, and they’re headed by Ultraman. Ultraman comes from Earth-3, a universe where heroes are villains. He’s the evil counterpart to Superman (Kal-El), and the most powerful being on his world, ruling both the planet and his team. In some versions, he even consumes Kryptonite to become even stronger, making him the ultimate evil version of Superman – a role he was specifically created to fill.

2026-06-06 16:10