The Thing About Red Son's Superman · 8:08pm Jul 29th, 2021
Recently I purchased a copy of Superman: Red Son, and as much as I've come to detest the "evil/wayward Superman" archetype, I actually thought this story's take on it works quite well, especially in contrast to others such as Injustice!Superman or more horrific takes like Homelander or Brightburn. Red Son's Superman is...kind of a paradox, I think. On the one hand he's kind of sympathetic, but on the other I think he's actually scarier than your usual laser-spammer.
See, for all of his dictatorial attributes, he's still genuinely trying to make the world a better place. It's not a jaded cynicism, nor is it self-centered depravity. At the end of the day, he really is just trying to help...the problem is he's doing it in the wrong way.
Now for the flip side. Red Son!Superman actually stands out from other wayward Supermen in that he actually won't kill you. No, instead he essentially lobotomizes dissidents, turning them into complacent, happy "Superman Robots". And that's...honestly terrifying. At least when Omni-Man splatters someone to pieces or Homelander fries a guy's head off, the poor schmuck's dead after that.
I think all that to say is the reason why I think Red Son's Superman fascinates me, and why I think he works where other corrupt Supermen don't, is that he's not an antithesis to what Superman stands for; he's a perversion of it. He wants the same thing–a better world–but it's twisted by how he does it.
agreed, which is why the comic is brilliant. one of my favorite pieces of superhero-related media and normally i can't stand the stuff.