10 Superman Moments That Shocked The World

Turns out the Man of Steel is into some pretty freaky stuff...

Superman Doctor Light Justice League Trinity War
DC Comics

Often deemed DC's bright, shining symbol of hope and optimism, it’s not always been sunshine and rainbows for Superman.

One of the greatest characters in comics – at least when done right – the Man of Steel isn’t quite as squeaky clean as he’d maybe have you believe. In fact, Supes has carried out some pretty shocking and heinous acts over the decades. Granted, we all have our own particular skeletons in the closet, but none of us have the powers and abilities of a god-like alien at our disposal.

You have to remember, Superman is a character whose origins go all the way back to 1938. That means that, no matter how insta-smiling, baby-kissing and day-saving Ka-El has so often been, there’s plenty of room to dig up some dirt on the Last Son of Krypton’s most alarming moments. After all, he might be the Man of Steel, but superheroes straddle the line between good and evil all the time and Superman - believe it or not - is no different.

From murder, to bizarre adoptions, to superpowered rages of jealousy, to alien abductions, to - err - sex tapes, we’ve got you covered when it comes to some of the most shocking moments in the history of this iconic figure.

10. Superman And Wonder Woman's Sex Causes Natural Disasters - The Dark Knight Strikes Again

Superman Doctor Light Justice League Trinity War
DC Comics

When people think of Superman, the image conjured up is often one of the ultimate hero swatting away bad guy after bad guy, keeping the world safe in the process. What they don’t think about, however, is the Man of Tomorrow’s sex life. Well, unless you’re Frank Miller, of course.

In Miller’s opinion-splitting The Dark Knight Strikes Again, readers got to see a five-page sex scene play out between Superman and Wonder Woman; a sex scene that was so powerful, many a casualty could be pinned at the door of the Boy Scout and the Amazon.

So intense was the action, oceans raged, islands were evicted, and there was even the innuendo-laden image of a volcano erupting. While Kal-El and Diana were enjoying each other, the reality is that your regular everyman was having to dodge between falling lumps of molten lava and swirling tsunami-esque rising tides.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.