93 Years Later, The Original Evil Superman Is Still The Most Important Supervillain Ever Created

Published Sep 20, 2026, 6:00 PM EDT Derek is the Training Lead for ScreenRant. Before his current position, he spent 20 years working in games, TV, and film while also writing for several entertainment sites. Derek is also the co-host of three pop culture podcasts: Across the Omniverse, The Bad Batch, and Watch Men. Sign in to your ScreenRant account If there's one thing superhero fans love, it's the concept of the multiverse. The ability to look at other realities where things went in a different direction, from Batman becoming a vampire to Spider-Man dying and the mantle being taken up by Miles Morales, these tales are filled with what ifs and what could-have-beens that fill the imaginations of countless readers. But the idea of worlds where things go differently isn't just for comics. We, living our superpowerless lives, think about it often as well, wondering what would have happened if we asked that cute barista at the coffee shop out, or imagining the way our lives would have turned out if we told our boss off. Each of these kinds of thoughts opens the idea of a reality where they happened, and how things would play out there. But perhaps the most interesting alternate reality in the minds of comic fans is what our favorite hobby would have become if Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster had stuck to their original idea for a superpowered being. One who, unlike the version we all know and love, was far from the kind and caring hero known as Superman and stuck closer to Nietzsche's concept of the Übermensch. What would today's world look like if those two kids in Cleveland had been able to sell "The Reign of the Superman" to the masses? Jerry Siegel And Joe Shuster Envisioned An Evil Superman In 1932, six years before Superman made his debut and changed the world, Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster, just 18 at the time, were working on a very different concept for the character. In this story, homeless Bill Dunn is pulled from a breadline by a chemist and given a potion that grants him the power of telepathy. Becoming the "Super Man," Dunn uses his new abilities to improve his own life, looking to rule the world with an iron fist. The one thing that stands in his way is Smalley, the chemist who invented the potion and went on to use it on himself after seeing how successful it was. The two men battle, knowing that whoever wins will go on to rule the world. In the end, Dunn kills Smalley, leaving him as the only person with great and terrible superpowers. But, as Dunn soon learns, the potion he was given wasn't going to last, and his powers begin to wane. The one-time vagrant tries to recreate the serum himself, but it is no use. He may be the most powerful man in the world, but he is far from the smartest. With his telepathic abilities ebbing away, Dunn walks away, knowing that soon enough he will return to being just another poor soul on the breadline. Had Their Original Idea Succeeded, There Would Be No Superhero Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster did all they could to sell "Reign of the Superman" to science fiction magazines, but no one was biting. In the end, they made their own zine, Science Fiction: The Advance Guard of Future Civilization, and put the story in there. The zine lasted five issues. And while poor Bill Dunn didn't grab the world's attention, the idea of a Superman stayed with the two creators. Influenced by Tarzan and, of all things, Popeye, Siegel and Shuster reworked their idea, changing him from a terrifying bald man with dreams of dominating a world that had turned its back on him into a hero who would use his powers to help those society had given up on. With a bright suit, a winning smile, and a serious hankering to put crooked politicians and slum lords in their place, Superman exploded onto the scene and changed the world. Had it not been for Bill Dunn, there never would have been a Clark Kent. But, somewhere out in the multiverse is a reality where "Reign of the Superman" was published by a major magazine. Maybe in that reality the idea took off and, instead of superhero comics, it is supervillain comics that rule the racks. Perhaps in that world, characters like those from DC's Earth-Three are the stars of summer blockbusters, while other companies are making "heroic" versions of the Super Man, giving their readers a glimpse of what could have been. All things considered, I'm happy I don't live on that Earth. Movie(s) Superman, Superman II, Superman III, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Superman Returns, Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Superman, Man of Tomorrow TV Show(s) Adventures of Superman, Superman, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Smallville, Superman: The Animated Series, My Adventures With Superman Comic Superman (2023) First Film Superman Genres Superhero, Action Cast Christopher Reeve, David Corenswet, Brandon Routh, Henry Cavill, Tom Welling, Tyler Hoechlin, Margot Kidder, Rachel Brosnahan, Kate Bosworth, Amy Adams, Gene Hackman, Nicholas Hoult, Kevin Spacey, Jesse Eisenberg