Top 10 Darkest Superman Moments

WatchMojo

The Man of Steel's darker side revealed! Join us as we explore the most shocking and disturbing moments from Superman's history across films, TV shows, and animations. From brutal executions to psychological warfare, these instances show what happens when the world's most powerful hero crosses the line.

Transcript

00:00If you love these people so much, you can mourn for them!

00:08Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most scary moments

00:13involving the Man of Steel from across film and television.

00:16We'll be getting into spoilers for various DC movies and TV shows, so consider this your

00:21warning.

00:22This isn't you!

00:23You don't do this!

00:26I do now.

00:29Number 10 – Superman lets loose against Darkseid – Justice League Unlimited

00:40For as great as the DCAU was, a common complaint was that it toned down the extent of Superman's

00:45strength.

00:46While it's perfectly valid to be frustrated by this, that show of restraint helped make

00:49moments like this hit that much harder.

00:51In the action-packed finale to Justice League Unlimited, Superman finally unleashes the full

00:56might of his power on Darkseid.

00:57What we have here is a rare opportunity for me to cut loose and show you just how powerful

01:04I really am.

01:06Superman perfectly describes how careful he always has to be and then finally has a chance

01:10to let loose.

01:11Every punch feels like it's rocking the world right off its axis.

01:15It's a triumphant moment yet also a haunting reminder that Superman really is the most powerful

01:20hero in existence.

01:21If he lost his cool, it'll be game over.

01:24So yeah, don't cross him.

01:27Number 9 – Dropping Toyman to his death – Superman Doomsday

01:36When it comes to making a statement, there's nothing like sending a villain plummeting straight

01:40to his demise to really seal the deal.

01:42Having been fed up with Toyman's crimes, Superman decided that he finally had to take decisive

01:47of what matters against this particular rogue.

01:55He flew him all the way up into the air and then let him go, causing Toyman to plummet into

02:00a freefall and crash.

02:06It's worth acknowledging that this was technically a clone of Superman, however, this plot twist

02:15wasn't revealed until later in the film, so in most citizens' eyes, Big Blue suddenly

02:19went off script.

02:20Clone or no clone, this terrifying execution is more than enough to make the criminals of

02:24Metropolis second-guess themselves.

02:26Now, did he just drop him?

02:37Number 8 – Superman Kills Lois – Superman and Lois

02:40The Kryptonians want you to think that they're indestructible.

02:42They're not.

02:43They have a weakness.

02:44It is a rock from their home planet.

02:46In pretty much every universe, Superman loves Lois Lane.

02:49Well, except this one, apparently.

02:51On one particular Earth within the multiverse, we see an evil Superman who lords over the

02:55planet.

02:56His tyranny directly impacts John Henry Irons, who watches his wife Lois Lane get killed by

03:01the Kryptonian on a live news broadcast.

03:03I love you, Brooks.

03:05It's sadistic what this Superman variant does and a clear betrayal of what we know the man of

03:12still to be.

03:13The murder of Lois would also be a crucial moment for John, as he'd then dedicate his

03:17life to fighting this Superman.

03:19The multiverse can be a fun way to explore new worlds, but it can also be a way to discover

03:24nightmares versions of the heroes we love.

03:25Set up the meat.

03:26Number 7 – Taken Over by Trigon – Justice League Dark Apocalypse War

03:31With Darkseid having successfully taken over the world, things were dire for the superhero

03:32community.

03:33Many heroes were wiped out, the others forced into servitude under Darkseid.

03:36Things were actually so bad that in order to gain an advantage over Darkseid, Superman had

03:41to be bound to the Demon Trigon in order to stop him.

03:42You are one of the so-called enemies of Darkseid.

03:43The demon Trigon

03:44I have a better idea.

03:45Bolluxe!

03:47With Darkseid having successfully taken over the world, things were dire for the superhero

03:56community.

03:57Many heroes were wiped out, the others forced into servitude under Darkseid.

04:01Things were actually so bad that in order to gain an advantage over Darkseid, Superman had

04:05to be bound to the demon Trigon in order to stop him.

04:22It gave Superman enhanced abilities, also turned him temporarily into a devilish creature.

04:26Horns sprouted from his head, his eyes turned red, and his cape and crest were set ablaze.

04:31Besides looking super scary, Trigon possessing Superman is a very dangerous situation if

04:36left unchecked.

04:37This strategy may have proved valuable against Darkseid, but a satanic Superman isn't what

04:42we want to see on the regular.

04:456.

04:54In the acclaimed Justice League animated series, we're introduced to a rogue alternate

05:10version of the league called the Justice Lords.

05:12At the helm of this team is another Superman, one who decided that controlling people was

05:16better than protecting them.

05:18This Superman had no problem taking a rampant doomsday down any way possible.

05:22By sending heat blasts straight into Doomsday's head.

05:37Superman essentially lobotomizes the creature to save the day.

05:40It stops Doomsday, but is arguably a step too far.

05:44Desperate times call for desperate measures, but was this necessary?

05:48In the regular DCAU, Superman makes controversial decisions against Doomsday by banishing him

05:52into the Phantom Zone after he resurfaces.

05:55Safe to say that Doomsday brings out the worst in this hero.

05:58What if Luthor does become president like he did in their world?

06:02What would stop you from doing what that Superman did?

06:05Number 5.

06:06Getting shot with a kryptonite bullet.

06:08Justice League Doom.

06:10We know that Superman is one of the strongest superheroes in the game, but he's not invincible,

06:19and this moment proves that.

06:20When the Man of Steel tries consoling a man who's close to jumping from a building, things

06:24take a drastic turn.

06:25The helpless man turns out to be Metallo, who shoots Superman with a kryptonite bullet.

06:29To make matters worse, he then plummets to the ground in a nasty bump.

06:33It's rare to see our hero getting gunned down, so this moment is quite the shot.

06:37It gets even darker when you realize this all happened because the bad guys got a hold

06:41of Batman's contingency plans for neutralizing the League.

06:44This wasn't just a brutal shooting, it was also a metaphorical backstabbing.

06:48Number 4.

06:59Crushing Batman's Heart.

07:00Batman Vs.

07:01Dawn of Justice.

07:13During a trippy dream sequence showcasing the nightmare timeline, Batman is captured

07:17by several military soldiers and held in an unknown location.

07:20It's there that a pissed off Superman makes his introduction.

07:23He's not exactly on good terms with Batman in this scene, and one can assume that the

07:28Man of Tomorrow has gone off the deep end.

07:30It was my world, and you took her from me.

07:41To prove that point, Superman reaches towards Batman's chest and proceeds to crush his heart.

07:46This is one wild way of sending a message.

07:48When we say that Superman broke Batman's heart, we mean that.

07:51Granted, we don't see the full extent of the damage, but given how Bruce reacted, it clearly

07:56didn't feel good.

07:57Hopefully, Nightmare Superman remains as what he was here, a bad dream.

08:04Number 3.

08:06Messing Around With The Elite.

08:08Superman Vs.

08:09The Elite.

08:10You all saw.

08:11Everyone on earth saw what you did to us, and they know you know better.

08:14There's nothing special about you.

08:16If someone possesses absolute power, shouldn't they do anything they want with it?

08:29Some people believe this is how Superman should act, including the Elite.

08:32They are a group of new superheroes who use brutal means to take down villains, which causes

08:37Superman to clash with them.

08:39Their leader, Manchester Black, wants heroes to start killing, and eventually Superman snaps.

08:43In a harrowing sequence, the Elite are picked off one by one.

08:46It's so scary that it causes Manchester Black to break down in fear almost immediately.

08:51Intimidation tactics aren't usually how Superman operates, but they were necessary here to show everyone the errors of their thinking.

08:58The Man of Steel should never kill, and this scenario shows us why.

09:01Hell of a performance.

09:02Number 2.

09:04Snapping Zod's Neck.

09:05Man of Steel.

09:07For the longest time, Kal-El thought that he was the last of his people.

09:15Until the arrival of Zod proved that he wasn't as alone as he thought.

09:18But when the two Kryptonians inevitably clashed, disaster was waiting to strike.

09:22I'm going to make them suffer, Kal-El.

09:25These humans you've adopted, I will take them all from you, one by one.

09:29In order to save a nearby family from Zod's heat vision, Superman snapped the villain's neck.

09:34Having taken a life, the controversial moment rattled Superman to its core and divided the fanbase.

09:39He killed Zod before in Superman 2, but it was never as brutal as this.

09:43Maybe the ends justified the means, but at the end of the day, Superman killed someone.

10:01And not just anybody, he murdered a person from his own species.

10:04Ultimately, it's a tough situation to do.

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10:21Number 1. Killing Joker Injustice

10:26Clark, how are you?

10:28Angry.

10:29That is your right.

10:30We've seen a couple of evil Superman now, but Injustice Superman takes the cake.

10:35Look at what he did to Joker if you need convincing.

10:38Instead of just tormenting Batman, this clown decided to pick a fight with Superman 2.

10:43He tricked the Kryptonian into killing his pregnant wife Lois Lane, which caused them to snap.

10:48How did Superman react to this tragedy?

10:50By sending his arm through the Joker's body.

10:52That's how.

10:55We can sympathize with Superman, but this swift execution was undeniably a shift towards the dark side.

11:00In fact, he became a ruthless tyrant after this, coldly killing anyone who opposed him.

11:06This isn't just one of Superman's darkest moments.

11:08It's also essentially the catalyst for a full-scale superhero civil war.

11:12Yikes.

11:13Are there any disturbing Superman moments we missed?

11:16Let us know in the comments down below.

11:18And don't forget to like and subscribe for more WatchMojo videos.

11:20If you had super hearing, any second you'd hear the pop.

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