10 Worst Things Superman Has Ever Done In Official DC Lore

Superman is widely regarded as the ultimate symbol of hope in the DC Universe, standing for truth, justice, and the protection of the innocent. His immense power is matched by a strong moral code, and he usually goes to extraordinary lengths to avoid harming others, even when facing enemies capable of threatening the entire world. That reputation, however, does not mean every decision he has made deserves admiration. Across DC’s long publishing history, Superman has committed deeply troubling acts, sometimes under extreme pressure, sometimes through misguided judgment, and sometimes after losing sight of the principles he is expected to uphold. These incidents reveal a far less admirable side of the Man of Steel. 10 Helping the Nazis Win World War II as Overman One of the darkest alternate histories in DC lore presents a version of Superman whose arrival helped Nazi Germany secure victory in World War II. On Earth-10, his rocket came down in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, where scientists studied its technology and used what they learned to strengthen the regime’s war effort. The child was raised within the Nazi state and grew into Overman, a super-powered champion who helped enforce its rule. He led the New Reichsmen, a team of regime-backed heroes whose campaigns upheld Hitler’s ideology, leaving Superman’s familiar power in service of a government built on persecution and mass murder. 9 Killing Doctor Light With Heat Vision During the escalating standoff between the Justice League and the Justice League of America in Kahndaq, Doctor Light first tried to calm both groups. His unstable ability to absorb and redirect energy, however, backfired, sending a blast toward Wonder Woman as Superman’s heat vision suddenly erupted and killed Light before the assembled heroes. Superman immediately regretted the killing and pleaded with the others to keep him restrained, while the incident threatened to deepen hostility between the two teams. The revelation that Atomica had placed a Kryptonite shard in his brain and triggered his vision exposed the killing as part of the Crime Syndicate’s plan. 8 Secretly Drugging and Abducting a College Student Early in Superman’s publication history, the Man of Steel resorted to an appalling shortcut when he learned that Dale University’s football coach had hired thugs to injure Cordell University’s players. Instead of exposing the scheme or confronting its organizers, Superman selected Cordell reserve Tommy Burke, drugged him with a hypodermic needle, and confined him inside his own apartment. Superman subsequently took Burke’s place on the field, scoring several touchdowns and overpowering Dale’s hired ringers during their official matchup. The real Tommy, still weakened by Superman’s drug, escaped the gangsters’ hideout and reached the stadium, where Superman switched places with him at halftime, allowing Burke to finish the game. 7 Abandoning Supergirl at an Orphanage As Argo City faced destruction, Kara Zor-El arrived on Earth expecting Superman, her cousin and closest family connection, to welcome her into his own home. Instead, he prioritized preserving his secret identity, taking the newly orphaned teenager to Midvale and registering her at its orphanage under the name Linda Lee. Superman supplied the orphanage with a cover story about the disaster that had destroyed her community, while concealing her Kryptonian heritage from its staff. He then left Kara to settle among strangers at Midvale under an assumed name, despite having just learned that she was his newly orphaned cousin from Krypton. 6 Framing Batman for Witchcraft and Leaving Him Facing Execution While investigating a mysterious bust connected to Batman’s ancestor, Superman and the Dark Knight travelled back to colonial-era Salem, where they encountered Sylvia Ward, a woman accused of witchcraft. After Batman rescued her from drowning and attracted her attention, Superman began impersonating his partner and performing feats that convinced townspeople he possessed supernatural powers. The deception ended with Batman arrested, convicted, and sentenced to burn at the stake, while Superman presided over the proceedings and dismissed Batman’s repeated appeals. He even sabotaged Benjamin Franklin’s attempts to free Batman, leaving the condemned hero bound until a final test revealed Superman’s own superhuman abilities to the townspeople. 5 Decimating a Slum for the Sake of Justice In Action Comics #8, Superman intervened after discovering that a petty crook named Gimpy was using neighbourhood boys to steal from wealthy residents. He blamed the district's deteriorating homes and poverty for their behaviour, deciding that demolition would force officials to provide better housing for the people living there as well. He told residents to collect their belongings, then used his strength to knock down the homes across the entire neighbourhood. The National Guard arrived to stop the destruction, and the replacement apartments that followed offered little comfort to families who were likely unable to afford the new homes once rebuilding was finally complete. 4 Brutalising Criminals as Gangbuster Following his execution of three Phantom Zone criminals, Superman’s unresolved guilt and Brainiac’s psychological interference contributed to a disturbing breakdown in his behaviour. At night, he wandered through Metropolis as Gangbuster, a masked vigilante who subjected suspected criminals to savage beatings and intimidation while the city believed Superman remained missing. Jose Delgado, the original Gangbuster, was still recovering from a spinal injury while another figure operated under his name, terrorizing criminals across Metropolis. The Guardian eventually confronted the masked assailant and uncovered Superman beneath the costume, exposing the unsettling truth behind the vigilante’s campaign against the city's entire criminal underworld. 3 Faking His Own Suicide to Torment Lois Lane In Superman #210, Clark Kent’s repeated rejection by Lois Lane left him increasingly resentful, prompting a particularly cruel scheme to win her sympathy. Adopting the name Astar, a fortune-telling mystic, he began courting Lois after she praised the stranger’s confidence and charm more warmly than Clark’s during their growing acquaintance. During a Daily Planet cruise, Superman slipped away underwater after leaving Clark’s clothes and a suicide note, persuading Lois and Jimmy that the reporter had drowned. Lois’s anguish revealed how much Clark mattered to her, so Superman abandoned Astar and resumed his old identity as Clark at the newspaper once again. 2 Beating Green Arrow to Death in Front of His Parents In the Injustice storyline, Green Arrow’s role in Batman’s Insurgency brought him to the Fortress of Solitude during the group’s attempt to steal Superman’s experimental super-pills. Clark returned from his battle with Captain Atom and found Oliver beside Jonathan and Martha Kent, prompting a confrontation that quickly spiralled after an arrow rebounded into his father's shoulder. Enraged by the injury, Superman repeatedly battered Oliver while Jonathan and Martha desperately urged their son to stop, but he ignored their pleas and continued attacking. Martha finally seized Clark's arm, but Oliver had already died, leaving both Kents deeply horrified as they witnessed a hero die inside their Arctic Fortress home. 1 Murdering Shazam for Questioning His Decisions Towards the end of Injustice: Gods Among Us, Superman had abandoned any restraint, announcing plans to destroy Gotham and Metropolis to demonstrate what would happen without his rule. Shazam, one of his remaining allies, challenged the proposal and reminded Clark that Lois would never have supported such devastation against innocent people. Superman seized Billy by the throat, froze his mouth before he could summon his lightning, and killed him with sustained heat vision inside the Fortress of Solitude. His fellow Regime members watched in silence as the Man of Steel murdered a young hero simply for opposing his plans that day.