10 Moments When Superman Was A Real Jerk

8. When He Was Willing To Let Jimmy And Aquaman Die Of Dehydration

Aquaman Dehydration
DC

Though there are plenty of examples of Superman mistreating Jimmy, the October 1968 issue of Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen might be Superman at his jerkiest. The cover depicts a smiling Superman standing holding a pitcher of water above Daily Planet office worker (and, as the comic's title indicates, Superman's friend) Jimmy Olsen and Superman's long-time Justice League ally, Aquaman.

Witness Jimmy and Aquaman crawling on their hands and knees in the middle of the desert under a blazing sun as they beg Superman for water, but Superman insists that they're in some kind of contest and only one of them can live. Who would do such a thing to two of his best friends, especially someone like Aquaman who can't be out of water for more than an hour?

Superman could easily pick them both up and bring them to the closest oasis in a matter of milliseconds. More importantly, why would DC expect any of their young readers who bought this comic to think Superman was the good guy? If this was the first Superman comic you ever read you wouldn€™t think he was the world€™s greatest superhero, would you?

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Chris McKittrick is a published author of fiction and non-fiction and has spoken about film and comic books at conferences across the United States. In addition to his work at WhatCulture!, he is a regular contributor to CreativeScreenwriting.com, MovieBuzzers.com, and DailyActor.com, a website focused on acting in all media. For more information, visit his website at http://www.chrismckit.com.