10 Comics Superman Haters MUST Read

It became a trend in the nineties for comics to be more violent, making Golden Age heroes like Superman seem obsolete as their core ideals just didn't seem to cut it anymore. As a response to this, Action Comics #775 was spawned.

A new team of vigilantes enters the scene known as The Elite. Their lethal tactics against villains win over the public's heart, forcing Superman to reconsider everything he holds dear.

The Elite are beloved because they unapologetically embrace the darkest sides of human nature, which gives an outlet for society to indulge in those parts of themselves. So, to snap the public out of their hypnotic spell, Superman gives the people exactly what they want. At least he appears to that is.

Thematically, the narrative takes what Wrath of God did to the next level by focusing on Superman's struggle with his own morality. Somewhere inside him lives a desire to kill The Elite, along with the rest of his enemies. What's important is, despite how easy it would be to do so, he chooses not to.

That choice is where everything that has made Superman a beloved and eternally relevant staple of pop culture stems from. He exists as a character to tell us that all it takes to be a hero is the power to do the right thing, no matter how hard it may be.