Superman Faces DC’s Zombie Hulk Thanks to Lex Luthor’s Deadly Plan

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Currently, Superman is making a significant impact in some top-tier comics produced by DC. He’s become an integral aspect of the DC Comics universe during the All-In era, playing a key role in its central narrative. In “Action Comics”, we delve into Superman’s past as Superboy from Smallville, providing insights into his transformation into the hero we know today. Meanwhile, “Superman Unlimited” introduces the Emerald Age for Superman, where a massive Kryptonite meteor striking Earth disrupts the power balance on DC’s Earth. There are also multiple Superman miniseries and standalone issues released, with “Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum” being the latest. This narrative is crafted by the team behind “Ice Cream Man”, namely W. Maxwell Prince and Martin Morazzo, introducing readers to four novel types of Kryptonite and setting Superman against one of DC’s deadliest adversaries: Solomon Grundy.

Superman’s New Kryptonite Challenge #1″ introduces four fresh types of Kryptonite, making it an intriguing comic for any reader, especially Lex Luthor. Being Superman’s arch-nemesis, Lex devises a strategy to outwit the Man of Steel. He enlists Solomon Grundy, a formidable DC villain known as a zombie-like Hulk equivalent, to draw Superman away while Lex plans to exploit these new Kryptonite variants against him.

Solomon Grundy Has Been Battling DC’s Heroes for Decades

Solomon Grundy, a character originating from comics, has been in existence for 81 years. He made his debut in All-American Comics issue 61 and was initially an adversary of Green Lantern Alan Scott. For many decades, he remained a villain on Earth-Two, occasionally crossing over to Earth-One to clash with the Justice League heroes. During one such encounter, Grundy’s cells were retained and regenerated into a new version of himself, creating separate versions of Solomon Grundy for pre-Crisis Earths.

Following Crisis on Infinite Earths, Grundy’s origin from Earth-Two was transferred to the new Earth. Cyrus Gold, a wealthy Gotham resident in the late 19th century, was murdered and buried in Slaughter Swamp, a marshland outside of Gotham City. Fifty years later, Grundy was reanimated, with the original Green Lantern and the Justice Society confronting him. Occasionally, Grundy has also served as a nemesis to Batman due to his connection with Slaughter Swamp. His name is derived from an English nursery rhyme that goes: “Solomon Grundy, born on a Monday, christened on a Tuesday, married on Wednesday, took ill on Thursday, worse on Friday, died on Saturday, buried on Sunday, this is the end of Solomon Grundy.

Solomon Grundy is an incredibly powerful and nearly indestructible character, but he’s often not the sharpest tool in the shed. Throughout his history, Grundy has served as muscle for various villainous groups such as the Legion of Doom, the Secret Society of Supervillains, and the Injustice Gang. In many ways, he resembles the early days of the Hulk, except he’s a zombie monster with a simplistic speech pattern and a persistent anger issue. However, much like the Hulk, Grundy has undergone personality changes over time.

Grundy can be killed, but he always resurrects in Slaughter Swamp. Typically, he emerges as an enraged monster with the intellect of a child, but there have been instances where he’s reborn quite differently. For instance, in the ’90s series Starman, Grundy was reborn as a more benevolent character who assisted Jack Knight and his allies in their battles. In the initial story arc of Justice League of America (Vol. 2), titled “The Tornado’s Path,” Grundy returns as an intellectually advanced version of himself. He reveals that he can recall all the pain inflicted upon him over the years, and he no longer wishes to die because he doesn’t want to transform back into his simple-minded self.

In the New 52 comic Earth-2, a new iteration of Grundy was introduced, one who served as an avatar for the Rot, a force associated with decay and death linked to the Green (the power of plants) and the Red (the power of animals). However, this version no longer exists.

Solomon Grundy Is a Perfect Way to Keep Superman Busy

Solomon Grundy, a formidable figure, has frequently engaged in battles with Superman throughout the years. Given his strength, which surpasses that of an average Hulk, Lex Luthor’s plan to utilize him as a pawn against Superman seems logical. However, Superman isn’t performing optimally due to his encounter with Purple Kryptonite, a novel form of Kryptonite that distorts Superman’s understanding of time.

In this rephrased version, let’s picture the scenario as follows:

Together with Batman, testing out new kinds of Kryptonite, Superman confronts a monstrous foe. While Superman rescues terrified bystanders, Batman engages in combat with Grundy but sustains injuries. Remarkably, Superman manages to conquer his time-related issues to vanquish Grundy. This brief, exhilarating action sequence underscores why Grundy is one of the most entertaining DC Multiverse villains around.

I hope this paraphrased version maintains the original meaning and is easy to read while sounding natural!

Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #1 is on sale now.

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2025-08-17 21:15