10 Terrible Mistakes That Almost Ruined Superman For Everyone

How'd that Quest For Peace work out, huh?

Tim Burton Superman Nicolas Cage

Clark Kent has been put through the ringer since he was introduced all the way back in 1938, with the first issue of Action Comics (or did he...? We'll get to that). He's suffered through costume changes, losses of life, losses of loved ones, fluctuations in popularity, big and small screen adaptations of varying quality, bad haircuts, crappy storylines by crappy creators. Somehow, though, he's endured. The invincibility drawn from Earth's yellow sun probably helps; as does the fact that, as the original superhero, he has a sort of unquenchable popularity that not even Zack Snyder can kill. No matter how hard he tries. No matter how many necks he forces Superman to break. It will not ruin the character.

Oh, people have certainly come close. With a history spanning over seventy years, you gotta know people have made some mistakes. There have been some truly terrible decisions made about Superman in the decades since his introduction. Decisions that could very well have spoilt the character forevermore. Decisions that would have made him a laughing stock, a tedious excuse for a superhero, or just plain uncool. Uncool beyond readability. Thankfully none of these mistakes ever stuck - there's probably some sort of super-slipperiness the Kryptonian DNA affords him - but there's been a load of potentially fatal decisions that he just managed to dodge like a speeding bullet.

These are ten terrible mistakes that nearly ruined Superman for everyone.

Contributor
Contributor

Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/