Superman has been around since the last ’30s, and has starred in a variety of different stories from a multitude of genres. The greatest strength of superhero stories is the fact that they can take ideas from every genre out there. Superman has starred in fantasy stories, detective stories, sci-fi stories, horror stories, and basically every type of story you can think of. Not every character can work in every kind of story, and Superman’s adaptability is one of the things that have helped him stay vital over the decades. Superman is versatile without a doubt, but there’s one of type of story that the Man of Steel fits best in — sci-fi.
Sci-fi stories have always been the bread and butter of superhero stories. If you look at the majority of characters out there, sci-fi is a huge part of who they are. Even Batman can star in sci-fi stories. Superman was literally built for sci-fi, and it’s the best genre to use to tell stories with the Man of Steel. The best Superman stories of all time all have some element of sci-fi to them, and this helps make Superman shine. DC Comics needs to start moving more in this direction, giving Superman more sci-fi tinged stories. There are plenty of pluses to this approach, and it could help Superman cement his place as DC’s greatest hero.
Superman and Sci-Fi Have Always Been Inextricably Linked
Let’s start with the obvious — Superman is a sci-fi character. Kal-El is an alien, born on a planet with advanced technology, and was sent through space to Earth to save his life. So, obviously, Superman should be put into sci-fi stories. Early Superman stories were about Superman as the man of the people, fighting against the evil and corruption of Great Depression. While there were definitely some sci-fi tinged stories in the early days of Superman, they weren’t as many as there would be. However, as sci-fi became more popular in pop culture, it became a bigger part of superhero stories. Look at most of the characters introduced in the Silver Age; nearly all of them have some kind of sci-fi element. Superman was perfect for this environment. Brainiac was an alien cyborg. Lex Luthor used science to try to destroy the Man of Steel. There were time travel stories, stories that took Superman into space to deal with alien worlds, and the multiverse. Just look at the Fortress of Solitude; it’s sci-fi dream of a superhero base. Superman took to sci-fi better than his Golden Age compatriots Batman and Wonder Woman, and sci-fi revitalized Superman stories in the years to come. Look at modern classics like All-Star Superman; sci-fi is basically the most important part of the story, and basically every issue has some kind of sci-fi concept in them.
DC has always shined when it came to sci-fi, and Superman has led the charge on this. Earthbound Superman stories are great, but add in some sci-fi, and they become even better. The best Superman stories of the last few years all use sci-fi. “Warworld Saga” took Superman and the Authority to the stars to fight a war in the stars. Superman: Space Age takes the Silver Age sci-fi trappings of the DC Multiverse and use them to inform its story. Superman has used sci-fi since the book was relaunched in 2023, with Lex Luthor using the technology of SuperCorp to help Superman against threats that were often colored by sci-fi. Superman’s greatest foes all have some aspect of sci-fi to them — Lex, Brainiac, Toyman, Doomsday, Metallo, General Zod, Cyborg Superman, and many others are all sci-fi characters. Some of the coolest Superman supporting cast members, like the Legion of Superheroes, are built around sci-fi concepts. Superman is perfect for time travel stories and multiversal stories. Sci-fi fits Superman like a glove. One of the worst Superman stories of the 21st century, “Grounded”, failed because it left behind many of the sci-fi trappings that make Superman work. Seriously, think about a Superman story without sci-fi. As much fun as it is to play with Superman’s morals and talk about who he is as a character, without sci-fi there’s barely any credible threats to Superman. Superman is an overpowered character, and unless we’re just going to use magical characters and Kryptonite to fight Superman, there’s no enemies that can challenge Superman without sci-fi.
Superman Without Sci-Fi Doesn’t Work Nearly as Well
There are some heroes that can work without sci-fi; Batman is the best example of this. You can do Batman stories without any sci-fi whatsoever and they’ll still work. However, Superman isn’t one of those kinds of characters. I’ve read a lot of Superman stories over the years, and I can barely think of any of them that don’t involve sci-fi. All of the best Superman villains have sci-fi trappings. Even when Superman deals with more mudane types of crime, there’s usually an aspect of sci-fi. Look at Intergang; they’re a mafia-type group that incorporates sci-fi weapons and ideas in order to make them a threat to Superman.
If DC wants to keep the great Superman stories coming, sci-fi is the way to go. Superman in space is money. Superman in the multiverse is money. Superman traveling through time is money. In the years since “Warworld Saga” revitalized the Superman books, Superman has been mostly staying on Earth, yet all of the best Superman stories of this period are partly sci-fi. Every now and then, it’s cool to get a more grounded Superman story, but without sci-fi, Superman becomes the type of boring character that he’s often accused of being.
What are your favorite sci-fi Superman stories? Sound off in the comments below.
The post Superman Works Best as a Sci-Fi Character (& More DC Stories Should Lean That Way) appeared first on ComicBook.com.
