History Analysis / Superman

* Comicbook/{{Brainiac}}: Superman is the benevolent alien who took up with us. Brainiac is -paraphrasing Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}- "everything bad about aliens," all rolled into a robotic body with a singular mission to collect pieces of alien life and culture before destroying the rest (bringing to mind the worst aspect of colonialism). Also, as Superman gets his powers from his unique biology, Brainiac contrasts in another way by using technology to fight the man of steel.

* Manchester Black: A British Anarchist who uses his powers according to his own moral compass and believes MightMakesRight compare to Superman - A moderate American who uses his powers according to human morals and laws and believes RightMakesMight.

* Comicbook/{{Brainiac}}: Superman is the benevolent alien who took up with us. Brainiac is -paraphrasing Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}- "everything bad about aliens", all rolled into a robotic body with a singular mission to collect and destroy things. Also, as Superman gets his powers from his unique biology, Brainiac contrasts in another way for using technology to fight the man of steel.

** Also the idea of Superman representing hope and Darkseid being fear - both are ideas that each being wants to leave behind whether they are alive or not.

* General Zod: Everything Superman is (you know, as a Kryptonian), only tyrannical instead of benevolent. While Superman has acclimated to Earth's culture and can perfectly synergize the best aspects of his adopted planet and Krypton, Zod waxes nostalgia on his planet's more violent and competitive past. Sporting a militaristic straw-Darwinian philosophy, he uses his tactical genius and yellow-sun powers to prop himself up over others and wants nothing more than to rule a new Krypton with an iron fist. Superman is a citizen who voluntarily uses his powers to help people and ennoble others, Zod is a soldier at heart and sees no point helping those that are weaker. Both call upon their heritage, but Superman opts for an enlightened perspective instilled in him by Jor-El; Zod longs for the brutality of old Krypton.
* Mr. Mxyzptlk: The Oddball of Superman's Rogue's Gallery, an imp from the fifth dimension who likes to mess around with Superman. However, this is actually perhaps the most hidden of foils, as Mxy is all of Superman's power (metaphorically speaking since elseworld tales have pretty much shown that if he wanted to, Mxy could be more powerful than Superman), but none of the responsibility. He lives for his own amusement and mischief, rather than helping others as Superman does.

* Parasite: Both feed off of strong energy sources. Superman from the sun, and Parasite from anything he can get his hands on.
* Superman's other well-known nickname is the "Man of Tomorrow" for his forward-thinking ideals and his solar-powered biology, contrasting with Metallo -- a literal {{Transhuman}} powered by kryptonite, and is riddled with prejudice mentalities.
* Livewire's a loud ShockJock compared to Clark and Lois's respectable journalists. Her electrical powers parallel Superman's energy absorption, but she uses her powers purely for the fame and attention she gets from being a supervillain, while Superman is a media darling for his good deeds.
* ComicBook/VandalSavage: In a sense both men are immortal, while Savage is physically immortal Superman is metaphorically immortal as in Superman will always be remembered for saving people while Savage remains immortal through killing and [[CannibalismSuperpower eating]] [[ImAHumanitarian people]].
* Manchester Black: A British Anarchist who uses his powers according to his own moral compass and believes MightMakesRight compare to Superman - A moderate American who uses his powers according to human morals and laws, and believes RightMakesMight.

* Comicbook/{{Brainiac}}: Superman is the benevolent alien who took up with us. Brainiac is -paraphrasing Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}- "everything bad about aliens", all rolled into a robotic body with a singular mission to collect and destroy things. Also, as Superman gets his powers from his unique biology, Brainac contrasts in another way for using technology to fight the man of steel.

** Mongul falls under a similar catagory ([[LegacyCharacter The first Mongul that is]]) of being the power without mercy.

* Livewire's a loud ShockJock compared to Clark and Lois's respectable journalists. Her electrical powers parallel Superman's energy absorbtion, but she uses her powers purely for the fame and attention she gets from being a supervillain, while Superman is a media darling for his good deeds.

* Manchester Black: A British Anarchist who uses his powers according to his own moral compass and believes MightMakesRight compare to Superman - A moderate American who uses his powers according to human morals and laws, and beleives RightMakesMight.

* Like with Parasite, Livewire's electrical powers parallel Superman's energy absorbtion, but she uses her powers purely for the fame and attention she gets from being a supervillain, while Superman is a media darling for his good deeds.

* Liverwire: a loud ShockJock compared to Clark and Lois's respectable journalists.

* SelfDemonstrating/{{Bizarro}}: (borrowed from fridge brilliance) He's an imperfect, backwards clone of Superman. He's also a metaphor for humanity on the whole. Think of it; Bizarro has all of Superman's powers (if reversed, in some continuities), and is strengthened by the KryptoniteFactor. In the same vein, humanity has surpassed most if not all of its natural boundaries, defying the elements time and again. So given this, why isn't Bizarro the hero? Simple: despite his power, he's not mentally capable of bearing the responsibility that comes with protecting the world. He's every bit as powerful as the Big Blue Boy Scout, but his twisted logic will never let him do the good and right thing despite how badly he wants to. Sounds about right.

* Manchester Black: A British Anarchist who uses his powers according to his own moral compass and believes MightMakesRight compare to Superman, A moderate American who uses his powers according to human morals and laws, and beleives RightMakesMight.

* General Zod: Everything Superman is (you know, as a Kryptonian), only tyrannical instead of benevolent. While Superman has acclimated to Earth's culture and can perfectly synergize the best aspects of his adopted planet and Krypton, Zod waxes nostalgia on his planets more violent and competitive past. Sporting a militaristic straw-Darwinian philosophy, he uses his tactical genius and yellow-sun powers to prop himself up over others and wants nothing more than to rule a new Krypton with an iron fist. Superman is a citizen who voluntarily uses his powers to help people and ennoble others, Zod is a soldier at heart and sees no point helping those that are weaker. Both call upon their heritage, Superman opts for an enlightened perspective instilled in him by Jor-El, Zod longs for the brutality of old Krypton.
* Mr. Mxyzptlk: The Oddball of Superman's Rogue's Gallery, an imp from the fifth dimension who likes to mess around with Superman. However, this is actually perhaps the most hidden of foils, as Mxy is all of Superman's power (metaphorically speaking since elseworld tales have pretty much shown that if he wanted to, Mxy is more powerful than Superman), but none of the responsibility. He lives for his own amusement and mischief, rather than helping others as Superman does.

* General Zod: Everything Superman is (you know, as a Kryptonian), only tyrannical instead of benevolent. While Superman has acclimated to Earths culture and can perfectly synergies the best aspects of his adopted planet and Krypton, Zod waxes nostalgia on his planets more violent and competitive past. Sporting a militaristic straw-Darwinian philosophy, he uses his tactical genius and yellow-sun powers to prop himself up over others and wants nothing more than to rule a new Krypton with an iron fist. Superman is a citizen who voluntarily uses his powers to help people and ennoble others, Zod is a soldier at heart and sees no point helping those that are weaker. Both call upon their heritage, Superman opts for an enlightened perspective instilled in him by Jor-El, Zod longs for the brutality of old Krypton.

* Comicbook/LexLuthor: Superman, despite being an alien, was raised to believe that HumansAreSpecial, and strives to help humanity however possible with little thought for reward. Batman even calls Clark "One of the most human of us all." He also believes in being accountable for all he does. Lex, on the other hand, is everything Superman at once hates and yet needs. On one hand, he's [[ItsAllAboutMe egotistical]], {{pride}}ful, greedy, manipulates what exists for his own benefit, and hates having anyone talk down to him. On the other, he's super intelligent, and would be exactly the kind of man that would change the world so that it wouldn't need a Superman anymore. He's HumansAreTheRealMonsters, but at the same time, embodies so much potential, that Superman is at once frustrated and distasteful towards Luthor.

* General Zod: Everything Superman is (you know, as a Kryptonian), only tyrannical instead of benevolent.

* Metallo: Metallo is a Human turned robot who is fueled by Kryptonite while Superman is an alien that feels Human and is weakened by Kryptonite.

[[WMG: Super Villains]]

* SelfDemonstrating/{{Bizarro}}: (borrowed from fridge brilliance) He's an imperfect, backwards clone of Superman. He's also a metaphor for humanity on the whole. Think of it; Bizarro has all of Superman's powers (if reversed, in some continuities), and is strengthened by the KryptoniteFactor. In the same vein, humanity has surpassed most if not all of its natural boundaries, defying the elements time and again. So given this, why isn't Bizarro the hero? Simple: despite his power, he's not mentally capable of bearing the responsibility that comes with protecting the world. He's every bit as powerful as the Big Blue Boy Scout, but his twisted logic won't let him do the good and right thing despite how badly he wants to. Sounds about right.

* VandalSavage: In a sense both men are immortal, while Savage is physically immortal Superman is metaphorically immortal as in Superman will always be remembered for saving people while Savage remains immortal through killing and [[CannibalismSuperpower eating]] [[ImAHumanitarian people]].

* Bizarro: (borrowed from fridge brilliance) He's an imperfect, backwards clone of Superman. He's also a metaphor for humanity on the whole. Think of it; Bizarro has all of Superman's powers (if reversed, in some continuities), and is strengthened by the KryptoniteFactor. In the same vein, humanity has surpassed most if not all of its natural boundaries, defying the elements time and again. So given this, why isn't Bizarro the hero? Simple: despite his power, he's not mentally capable of bearing the responsibility that comes with protecting the world. He's every bit as powerful as the Big Blue Boy Scout, but his twisted logic won't let him do the good and right thing despite how badly he wants to. Sounds about right.

* Lex Luthor: Superman, despite being an alien, was raised to believe that HumansAreSpecial, and strives to help humanity however possible with little thought for reward. Batman even calls Clark "One of the most human of us all." He also believes in being accountable for all he does. Lex, on the other hand, is everything Superman at once hates and yet needs. On one hand, he's [[ItsAllAboutMe egotistical]], {{pride}}ful, greedy, manipulates what exists for his own benefit, and hates having anyone talk down to him. On the other, he's super intelligent, and would be exactly the kind of man that would change the world so that it wouldn't need a Superman anymore. He's HumansAreTheRealMonsters, but at the same time, embodies so much potential, that Superman is at once frustrated and distasteful towards Luthor.
* Brainiac: Superman is the benevolent alien who took up with us. Brainiac is "everything bad about aliens", all rolled into a robotic body with a singular mission to collect and destroy things. Also, as Superman gets his powers from his unique biology, Brainac contrasts in another way for using technology to fight the man of steel.
* Darkseid: Superman never puts himself above others, at least not in the tyrannical sense. Darkseid on the other hand lords over Apokalips as its LawfulEvil tyrant, and is so manipulative and cruel that Superman actually hates him. He may be passionate about going after Brainiac, but Darkseid is a being Superman actually hates.

* VandalSavage: In a sense both men are immortal, while Savage is physically immortal Superman is metaphorically immortal as in Superman will always be remembered by people while Savage sometimes hides so people will forget his crimes.

* Lex Luthor: Superman, despite being an alien, was raised to believe that HumansAreSpecial, and strives to help humanity however possible with little thought for reward. Batman even calls Clark "One of the most human of us all." He also believes in being accountable for all he does. Lex, on the other hand, is everything Superman at once hates and yet needs. On one hand, he's [[ItsAllAboutMe egotistical]], {{pride}}ful, greedy, manipulates what exists for his own benefit, and hates having anyone talk down to him. On the other, he's super intelligent, and would be exactly the kind of man that would change the world so that it wouldn't need a superman anymore. He's HumansAreTheRealMonsters, but at the same time, embodies so much potential, that Superman is at once frustrated and distasteful towards Luthor.

* Darkseid: Superman never puts himself above others, at least not in the tyrannical sense. Darkseid on the other hand lords over Apokalips as its LawfulEvil tyrant, and is so manipulative and cruel, that Superman actually hates him. He may be impassionate about going after Brainiac, but Darkseid is a being Superman actually hates.
** Mongul falls under a similar catagory ([[LegacyCharacter The first mongul that is]]) of being the power without mercy.
** Also the idea of Superman representing hope and Darkseid being fear both are ideas that each being wants to leave behind whether they are alive or not.
* Bizzaro: (borrowed from fridge brilliance) He's an imperfect, backwards clone of Superman. He's also a metaphor for humanity on the whole. Think of it; Bizarro has all of Superman's powers (if reversed, in some continuities), and is strengthened by the KryptoniteFactor. In the same vein, humanity has surpassed most if not all of its natural boundaries, defying the elements time and again. So given this, why isn't Bizarro the hero? Simple: despite his power, he's not mentally capable of bearing the responsibility that comes with protecting the world. He's every bit as powerful as the Big Blue Boy Scout, but his twisted logic won't let him do the good and right thing despite how badly he wants to. Sounds about right.
* General Zod: Everything Superman is (you know, as a Kryptonian), only Tyrannical instead of benevolent.
* Mr. Mxyzptlk: The Oddball of Superman's Rogue's Gallery, an imp from the fifth dimension who likes to mess around with superman. However, this is actually perhaps the most hidden of foils, as Mxy is all of superman's power (metaphorically speaking since eelseworld tales have pretty much shown that if he wanted to, Mxy is more powerful than Superman), but none of the responsibility. He lives for his own amusement and mischief, rather than helping others as Superman does.

* Lex Luthor: Superman, despite being an alien, was raised to believe that HumansAreSpecial, and strives to help humanity however possible with little thought for reward. Batman even calls Clark "One of the most human of us all." He also believes in being accountable for all he does. Lex, on the other hand, is everything Superman at once hates and yet needs. On one hand, he's [[ItsAllAboutMe egotistical]], {{pride}}ful, greedy, manipulates what exists for his own benefit, and hates having anyone talk down to him. On the other, he's super intelligent, and would be exactly the kind of man that would change the world so that it wouldn't need a superman anymore. He's HumansAreBastards, but at the same time, embodies so much potential, that Superman is at once frustrated and distasteful towards Luthor.

* Bizzaro: Superman is responsible and has that whole "Truth and Justice" thing. Bizzaro is a degenerate clone who cannot comprehend such things. He's all Superman's power, but without the wisdom and Midwest values that he had instilled into him from his Smallville times.

Superman is the modern IdealHero. Sure, plenty of people like to screw around with him, and the elseworld stories make BewareTheSuperman all the more appealing, but in the "modern" sense, superman is the ideal superhero: wise, strong, compassionate, loving, a balanced life in both superheroing and his normal life, idealistic and able to win fights without resorting to lethal violence. For that reason, his villains usually take one of his ideal traits, and turn them on their head. Not like batman per-se, but still somewhat similar.

* Lex Luthor: Superman, despite being an alien, was raised to believe that HumansAreSpecial, and strives to help humanity however possible with little thought for reward. Batman even calls Clark "One of the most human of us all." He also believes in being accountable for all he does. Lex, on the other hand, is everything Superman at once hates and yet needs. On one hand, he's [[ItsAllAboutMe Egotistical]], Prideful, greedy, manipulates what exists for his own benefit, and hates having anyone talk down to him. On the other, he's super intelligent, and would be exactly the kind of man that would change the world so that it wouldn't need a superman anymore. He's HumansAreBastards, but at the same time, embodies so much potential, that Superman is at once frustrated and distateful towards Luthor.

* Darkseid: Superman never puts himself above others, at least not in the tyrannical sense. Darkseid on the other hand lords over Apokalips as its LawfulEvil tyrant, and is so manipulative and cruel, that Superman actually hates him. He may be impassionate about going after brainiac, but darkseid is a being superman actually hates.
* Bizzaro: Superman is responsible and has that whole "Truth and Justice" thing. Bizzaro is a degenerate clone who cannot comprehend such things. He's all superman's power, but without the wisdom and midwest values that he had instilled into him from his smallville times.