Follow TV Tropes

Following

History ComicBook / Bizarro

Go To

OR

Changed: 79

Removed: 11613

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bizarro_785.png]]
-->''"Me am Bizarro."''

Bizarro is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman and first appeared in Superboy #68 (1958).

Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Books (1956 – c. 1970), the character has often been portrayed as an antagonist to Superman, though on occasion he also takes on an anti-hero role, and has appeared in both comic books and graphic novels as well as other DC Comics-related products such as animated and live-action television series, trading cards, toys, and video games.

Bizarro has had many origins over the decades, but one thing remains consistent: he is an imperfect copy of Superman created by science gone awry. Bizarro has powers similar to Superman but lacks his sense of justice and has difficulty telling right from wrong, often reveling in destruction for its own sake. Still, his deformed features combined with his childlike lack of guile sometimes makes him a sympathetic figure--sort of a modern-day FrankensteinsMonster.

See SelfDemonstrating/{{Bizarro}} for his own take on the situation.

----
!!Tropes associated with Bizarro:

* AbhorrentAdmirer: To Lois Lane in most stories. Though once he meets a Bizarro-Lois, he quickly transfers his affections to her.
* AlasPoorVillain: A surprisingly high number of Bizarro appearances end with his death, and it's always treated with a heavy measure of sadness. Stories generally treat Bizarro are someone with the capacity for good things and sometimes even the ''intention'' to do good things, but having to be fight against due to tragic circumstance. As Lois Lane summed up at one point, "He came from good stuff."
* AntiHero: On Bizarro World, where he's the only superhero they have. However, there ''is'' sometimes a Bizarro Justice League.
* AntiVillain: Nominally a villain, but only due to his immense power combined with his literally backwards-thinking. Being a clone of Superman, he genuinely wants to help people, but ends up doing the opposite.
* BadassCape: His cape is pretty cool.
* BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad: One of Bizarro's classic character tics is that he always says the opposite of what he means. This got downplayed after the Silver Age ended, but it's worth noting ''ComicBook/AllStarSuperman'' had an issue spoken almost entirely in Bizarro speech, since Superman got stranded on Bizarro's homeworld.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: Although Bizarro is sometimes reduced to comic relief, in more serious stories, he's exactly as terrifying as you would imagine as an angry toddler with the powers of Superman would be.
* BlindAndTheBeast: Pre-Crisis, his only friend is a blind girl who doesn't realize he's a monster. His first Post-Crisis homages this by having him save a recently blinded Lucy Lane from a suicide attempt and she mistakes him for Superman.
* TheBrute: Fills this role in the Superman Revenge Squad. During ''Last Son'' he even battles Zod's brute, Non, one on one.
* ChestInsignia: A backwards Superman shield. He sometimes wears a sign proclaiming "Bizarro #1" overtop of it.
* CloneDegeneration: He is an imperfect clone of Superman. Pre-Crisis, however, this was {{averted|Trope}}; the duplication ray that made him just made imperfect duplicates of everything.
* DependingOnTheArtist: Is his skin rocky, just white, or zombie-like? Are his costume's colors the same as Superman's, or darker shades? Is his logo the same as Superman's, or is it reversed? And whether he's wearing the "Bizarro #1" pendant.
* DependingOnTheWriter: Is his, and, by extension, all Bizarros' contrarian nature a conscious rejection of logical society (as in the Silver Age), a reflection of how their warped brains perceive reality (as in the Modern Age), or just sheer stupidity? Similarly, does he use sometimes-confusing "opposite" verbs and nouns in his speech, or not?
** Also extends to his superpowers: sometimes he possesses an inverted collection of Superman's powers ("freeze vision" instead of heat vision, "vacuum breath" instead of super breath), but other times they're completely identical to any other Kryptonian's abilities.
** Bizarro's personality also fluctuates wildly between iterations, sometimes being a comically inept bumbler, and sometimes being portrayed as a misunderstood outcast.
* DumbMuscle: Possibly the single stupidest character in the Superman comics,[[note]]if one doesn't count the [[UpToEleven even dumber]] Bizarro-Brainiac,[[/note]] leaving him open to manipulation by Luthor, and any other villain with a reasonable IQ.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness Bizarro's first appearance, as well as John Byrne's take on the character take the character very seriously. In fact, Bizarro, and his general situation is portrayed as quite a sad one, very much reminiscent of Frankenstein's Monster, with little to no comedy. In fact, he's not even portrayed as backwards-thinking and dumb, he's quite an intelligent being, although one that doesn't get a chance to explain himself due to what he is.
* EvilKnockoff: Though who is responsible for creating him varies--Luthor and the Joker are the two responsible in current continuity--his status as a direct, villainous ripoff of Superman remains the same. For his part, Superman has pretty much never considered Bizarro ''evil'' so much as incredibly misguided. This is across all incarnations, from the confused Superman clone to the backwards denizen of Bizarro World.
* ForgottenPhlebotinum: The scientist who created him Post-Crisis said he would have been a perfectly duplicate if Superman were human. Luthor could have used the cloning machine to make obedient clones of human superheroes and villains but it never occurs to him. This is very much averted with the Pre-Crisis technology that gave him life, however, as it made imperfect copies of everything and Bizarro used it to create enough other Bizarros to fill a planet.
* FriendlyEnemy: Is sometimes one to Superman.
* HulkSpeak: Technically, "Bizarro speak".
* {{Idiosyncrazy}}: His obsession with opposites - though this in only present in some versions.
* KryptoniteFactor: Blue Kryptonite, which, depending on who is writing, either kills Bizarro or makes him smarter. Regular Kryptonite, again depending on who is writing, either does nothing to him or [[InvertedTrope makes him stronger]].
* LaughablyEvil: In the Silver and Bronze Ages, Bizarro was used for his humor value much more often than as an actual threat, and he was much more of a [[FriendlyEnemy frenemy]] to Superman in those days. "Tales of the Bizarro World" was a long-running backup feature in the Superman books that was played completely for comedy, and it was goofily adorable. Post-Crisis stories have treated Bizarro and his world more seriously, though he has still had plenty of humorous takes since then.
* LegacyCharacter: There have actually been multiple Bizarros. In Pre-Flashpoint continuity, there have been three Bizarros. Pre-Crisis, there were two, the first being Bizarro-Superboy.
* LightningBruiser: Being a clone of Superman, means he’s stronger, faster and tougher than more than half the superhuman population.
* MentalHandicapMoralDeficiency: Bizarro is often written as if mentally disabled.
* MonsterProgenitor: No matter where he comes from, the first appearance of Bizarro is usually followed by legions of others, created by him.
* ObliviouslyEvil: Bizarro is often portrayed as completely ignorant of the bad things he is doing; frequently he does not understand, for instance, that punching somebody at full strength might kill them.
* OddballDoppelganger: His original conception, though he's since been used as a "straight villain" more often.
* OffingTheOffspring: When Mxyzptlk was destroying Bizarro World, Bizarro sent his son to the planet's core so he would die first.
* PaperThinDisguise: His shocked that Jimmy Olsen recognises his chalk white skin while dressed as Clark Kent. Interestingly it makes Jimmy conclude the Clark Kent couldn't possibly be Superman as Bizarro always does everything wrong.
** He also did this in his first adult Silver Age appearance when trying to visit Lois Lane at the Daily Planet. Superman, terrified of Bizarro revealing his secret identity, used super-clapping to drown out his voice.
* PetTheDog: He genuinely cares about those he considers friends. Many writers and adaptations even portray him as not even hating Superman or Lois that much, and in fact seeing them as friends.
* PsychopathicManchild
* RedBaron: The Idiot of Steel.
* StopOrIShootMyself: Once robbed a bank while pointing a gun at his own head. Luckily he turned down the money they offered him and demanded the contents of their trash cans.
* SuperheroesWearTights[=/=]UnderwearOfPower: Both are present in his knockoff Superman costume.
* SuperheroTrophyShelf: Wanted to replicate Superman's when building his own Fortress of Solitude, but filled his with garbage rather than trophies.
* SuperpowerLottery: Like Superman, he's a big winner, possessing most of the Man of Steel's powers, though with some differences.
** BreathWeapon: Unlike Superman, who has freezing breath, Bizarro breathes fire.
** EyeBeams: Can shoot freezing rays from his eyes as opposed to Superman's heat vision.
** FlyingBrick
** NighInvulnerability: Can take the same kind of beatings that Superman can and come out unscathed.
** SuperSenses: Though at one point his microscopic vision was inverted and instead caused things to grow.
** SuperSpeed: Extreme speed enough to race Zoom.
** SuperStrength: Enough strength to rival Superman.
* SupervillainLair: Has his "FOURTRISS UV BIZARRO" based on Superman's Fortress of Solitude. Usually shown to be in a desert or volcanic region in contrast to Superman being based at the North Pole.
* TragicMonster: Even pre-Crisis, he hated Lex Luthor for re-creating him, feeling that he didn't deserve to live.
* TykeBomb: Lex Luthor's intention for Bizarro in almost every version. Subverted in that [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption it never actually works]].
* UnskilledButStrong[=/=]DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength: Often, Bizarro is shown to be somewhat stronger than Superman. DependingOnTheWriter, this is usually justified a number of ways. The first is that Bizarro is essentially a child with the powers of Superman and has none of the conscious or unconscious self-control that Clark does so he always goes at the highest level of strength. His simple nature also means that he's focused and has a one track mind. This focus allows him to give it everything to the exclusion of everything else whereas Superman may be distracted by limiting environmental damage and rescuing innocent people during a fight. Also, whoever makes Bizarro does it with the intention that Bizarro will best Superman. His greater strength is an example of PowerAtAPrice. While Bizarro has higher energy reserves and can draw power from all sources of light (not just yellow sunlight), he is mentally stunted and handicapped with serious BodyHorror issues that come from his altered form of energy processing (his tissue calcifies from energy absorption and too much power could turn him into a statue).
* VillainousFriendship: With Batzarro.
* VolcanoLair: His post crisis Fortress.
* YouMakeMeSick: Reverse Flash says a variation to him after Bizarro says the [[Franchise/StarWars prequel trilogy]] of films were superior. Though considering his opposite thought process, he may have actually been insulting the prequels, or that thought process causes him to ''see'' them as good, or... [[MST3KMantra okay, we should probably stop thinking about this before it's too late.]]

to:

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bizarro_785.png]]
-->''"Me am Bizarro."''

Bizarro is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman and first appeared in Superboy #68 (1958).

Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Books (1956 – c. 1970), the character has often been portrayed as an antagonist to Superman, though on occasion he also takes on an anti-hero role, and has appeared in both comic books and graphic novels as well as other DC Comics-related products such as animated and live-action television series, trading cards, toys, and video games.

Bizarro has had many origins over the decades, but one thing remains consistent: he is an imperfect copy of Superman created by science gone awry. Bizarro has powers similar to Superman but lacks his sense of justice and has difficulty telling right from wrong, often reveling in destruction for its own sake. Still, his deformed features combined with his childlike lack of guile sometimes makes him a sympathetic figure--sort of a modern-day FrankensteinsMonster.

See SelfDemonstrating/{{Bizarro}} for his own take on the situation.

----
!!Tropes associated with Bizarro:

* AbhorrentAdmirer: To Lois Lane in most stories. Though once he meets a Bizarro-Lois, he quickly transfers his affections to her.
* AlasPoorVillain: A surprisingly high number of Bizarro appearances end with his death, and it's always treated with a heavy measure of sadness. Stories generally treat Bizarro are someone with the capacity for good things and sometimes even the ''intention'' to do good things, but having to be fight against due to tragic circumstance. As Lois Lane summed up at one point, "He came from good stuff."
* AntiHero: On Bizarro World, where he's the only superhero they have. However, there ''is'' sometimes a Bizarro Justice League.
* AntiVillain: Nominally a villain, but only due to his immense power combined with his literally backwards-thinking. Being a clone of Superman, he genuinely wants to help people, but ends up doing the opposite.
* BadassCape: His cape is pretty cool.
* BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad: One of Bizarro's classic character tics is that he always says the opposite of what he means. This got downplayed after the Silver Age ended, but it's worth noting ''ComicBook/AllStarSuperman'' had an issue spoken almost entirely in Bizarro speech, since Superman got stranded on Bizarro's homeworld.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: Although Bizarro is sometimes reduced to comic relief, in more serious stories, he's exactly as terrifying as you would imagine as an angry toddler with the powers of Superman would be.
* BlindAndTheBeast: Pre-Crisis, his only friend is a blind girl who doesn't realize he's a monster. His first Post-Crisis homages this by having him save a recently blinded Lucy Lane from a suicide attempt and she mistakes him for Superman.
* TheBrute: Fills this role in the Superman Revenge Squad. During ''Last Son'' he even battles Zod's brute, Non, one on one.
* ChestInsignia: A backwards Superman shield. He sometimes wears a sign proclaiming "Bizarro #1" overtop of it.
* CloneDegeneration: He is an imperfect clone of Superman. Pre-Crisis, however, this was {{averted|Trope}}; the duplication ray that made him just made imperfect duplicates of everything.
* DependingOnTheArtist: Is his skin rocky, just white, or zombie-like? Are his costume's colors the same as Superman's, or darker shades? Is his logo the same as Superman's, or is it reversed? And whether he's wearing the "Bizarro #1" pendant.
* DependingOnTheWriter: Is his, and, by extension, all Bizarros' contrarian nature a conscious rejection of logical society (as in the Silver Age), a reflection of how their warped brains perceive reality (as in the Modern Age), or just sheer stupidity? Similarly, does he use sometimes-confusing "opposite" verbs and nouns in his speech, or not?
** Also extends to his superpowers: sometimes he possesses an inverted collection of Superman's powers ("freeze vision" instead of heat vision, "vacuum breath" instead of super breath), but other times they're completely identical to any other Kryptonian's abilities.
** Bizarro's personality also fluctuates wildly between iterations, sometimes being a comically inept bumbler, and sometimes being portrayed as a misunderstood outcast.
* DumbMuscle: Possibly the single stupidest character in the Superman comics,[[note]]if one doesn't count the [[UpToEleven even dumber]] Bizarro-Brainiac,[[/note]] leaving him open to manipulation by Luthor, and any other villain with a reasonable IQ.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness Bizarro's first appearance, as well as John Byrne's take on the character take the character very seriously. In fact, Bizarro, and his general situation is portrayed as quite a sad one, very much reminiscent of Frankenstein's Monster, with little to no comedy. In fact, he's not even portrayed as backwards-thinking and dumb, he's quite an intelligent being, although one that doesn't get a chance to explain himself due to what he is.
* EvilKnockoff: Though who is responsible for creating him varies--Luthor and the Joker are the two responsible in current continuity--his status as a direct, villainous ripoff of Superman remains the same. For his part, Superman has pretty much never considered Bizarro ''evil'' so much as incredibly misguided. This is across all incarnations, from the confused Superman clone to the backwards denizen of Bizarro World.
* ForgottenPhlebotinum: The scientist who created him Post-Crisis said he would have been a perfectly duplicate if Superman were human. Luthor could have used the cloning machine to make obedient clones of human superheroes and villains but it never occurs to him. This is very much averted with the Pre-Crisis technology that gave him life, however, as it made imperfect copies of everything and Bizarro used it to create enough other Bizarros to fill a planet.
* FriendlyEnemy: Is sometimes one to Superman.
* HulkSpeak: Technically, "Bizarro speak".
* {{Idiosyncrazy}}: His obsession with opposites - though this in only present in some versions.
* KryptoniteFactor: Blue Kryptonite, which, depending on who is writing, either kills Bizarro or makes him smarter. Regular Kryptonite, again depending on who is writing, either does nothing to him or [[InvertedTrope makes him stronger]].
* LaughablyEvil: In the Silver and Bronze Ages, Bizarro was used for his humor value much more often than as an actual threat, and he was much more of a [[FriendlyEnemy frenemy]] to Superman in those days. "Tales of the Bizarro World" was a long-running backup feature in the Superman books that was played completely for comedy, and it was goofily adorable. Post-Crisis stories have treated Bizarro and his world more seriously, though he has still had plenty of humorous takes since then.
* LegacyCharacter: There have actually been multiple Bizarros. In Pre-Flashpoint continuity, there have been three Bizarros. Pre-Crisis, there were two, the first being Bizarro-Superboy.
* LightningBruiser: Being a clone of Superman, means he’s stronger, faster and tougher than more than half the superhuman population.
* MentalHandicapMoralDeficiency: Bizarro is often written as if mentally disabled.
* MonsterProgenitor: No matter where he comes from, the first appearance of Bizarro is usually followed by legions of others, created by him.
* ObliviouslyEvil: Bizarro is often portrayed as completely ignorant of the bad things he is doing; frequently he does not understand, for instance, that punching somebody at full strength might kill them.
* OddballDoppelganger: His original conception, though he's since been used as a "straight villain" more often.
* OffingTheOffspring: When Mxyzptlk was destroying Bizarro World, Bizarro sent his son to the planet's core so he would die first.
* PaperThinDisguise: His shocked that Jimmy Olsen recognises his chalk white skin while dressed as Clark Kent. Interestingly it makes Jimmy conclude the Clark Kent couldn't possibly be Superman as Bizarro always does everything wrong.
** He also did this in his first adult Silver Age appearance when trying to visit Lois Lane at the Daily Planet. Superman, terrified of Bizarro revealing his secret identity, used super-clapping to drown out his voice.
* PetTheDog: He genuinely cares about those he considers friends. Many writers and adaptations even portray him as not even hating Superman or Lois that much, and in fact seeing them as friends.
* PsychopathicManchild
* RedBaron: The Idiot of Steel.
* StopOrIShootMyself: Once robbed a bank while pointing a gun at his own head. Luckily he turned down the money they offered him and demanded the contents of their trash cans.
* SuperheroesWearTights[=/=]UnderwearOfPower: Both are present in his knockoff Superman costume.
* SuperheroTrophyShelf: Wanted to replicate Superman's when building his own Fortress of Solitude, but filled his with garbage rather than trophies.
* SuperpowerLottery: Like Superman, he's a big winner, possessing most of the Man of Steel's powers, though with some differences.
** BreathWeapon: Unlike Superman, who has freezing breath, Bizarro breathes fire.
** EyeBeams: Can shoot freezing rays from his eyes as opposed to Superman's heat vision.
** FlyingBrick
** NighInvulnerability: Can take the same kind of beatings that Superman can and come out unscathed.
** SuperSenses: Though at one point his microscopic vision was inverted and instead caused things to grow.
** SuperSpeed: Extreme speed enough to race Zoom.
** SuperStrength: Enough strength to rival Superman.
* SupervillainLair: Has his "FOURTRISS UV BIZARRO" based on Superman's Fortress of Solitude. Usually shown to be in a desert or volcanic region in contrast to Superman being based at the North Pole.
* TragicMonster: Even pre-Crisis, he hated Lex Luthor for re-creating him, feeling that he didn't deserve to live.
* TykeBomb: Lex Luthor's intention for Bizarro in almost every version. Subverted in that [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption it never actually works]].
* UnskilledButStrong[=/=]DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength: Often, Bizarro is shown to be somewhat stronger than Superman. DependingOnTheWriter, this is usually justified a number of ways. The first is that Bizarro is essentially a child with the powers of Superman and has none of the conscious or unconscious self-control that Clark does so he always goes at the highest level of strength. His simple nature also means that he's focused and has a one track mind. This focus allows him to give it everything to the exclusion of everything else whereas Superman may be distracted by limiting environmental damage and rescuing innocent people during a fight. Also, whoever makes Bizarro does it with the intention that Bizarro will best Superman. His greater strength is an example of PowerAtAPrice. While Bizarro has higher energy reserves and can draw power from all sources of light (not just yellow sunlight), he is mentally stunted and handicapped with serious BodyHorror issues that come from his altered form of energy processing (his tissue calcifies from energy absorption and too much power could turn him into a statue).
* VillainousFriendship: With Batzarro.
* VolcanoLair: His post crisis Fortress.
* YouMakeMeSick: Reverse Flash says a variation to him after Bizarro says the [[Franchise/StarWars prequel trilogy]] of films were superior. Though considering his opposite thought process, he may have actually been insulting the prequels, or that thought process causes him to ''see'' them as good, or... [[MST3KMantra okay, we should probably stop thinking about this before it's too late.]]
[[redirect:Characters/SupermanBizarro]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:



Added DiffLines:

!!Tropes associated with Bizarro:
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/superman_bizarro_9327.jpg]]

to:

[[quoteright:250:https://static.[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/superman_bizarro_9327.jpg]]org/pmwiki/pub/images/bizarro_785.png]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/superman_bizarro_9327.jpg]]
-->''"Me am Bizarro."''

Bizarro is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman and first appeared in Superboy #68 (1958).

Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Books (1956 – c. 1970), the character has often been portrayed as an antagonist to Superman, though on occasion he also takes on an anti-hero role, and has appeared in both comic books and graphic novels as well as other DC Comics-related products such as animated and live-action television series, trading cards, toys, and video games.

Bizarro has had many origins over the decades, but one thing remains consistent: he is an imperfect copy of Superman created by science gone awry. Bizarro has powers similar to Superman but lacks his sense of justice and has difficulty telling right from wrong, often reveling in destruction for its own sake. Still, his deformed features combined with his childlike lack of guile sometimes makes him a sympathetic figure--sort of a modern-day FrankensteinsMonster.

See SelfDemonstrating/{{Bizarro}} for his own take on the situation.
----
* AbhorrentAdmirer: To Lois Lane in most stories. Though once he meets a Bizarro-Lois, he quickly transfers his affections to her.
* AlasPoorVillain: A surprisingly high number of Bizarro appearances end with his death, and it's always treated with a heavy measure of sadness. Stories generally treat Bizarro are someone with the capacity for good things and sometimes even the ''intention'' to do good things, but having to be fight against due to tragic circumstance. As Lois Lane summed up at one point, "He came from good stuff."
* AntiHero: On Bizarro World, where he's the only superhero they have. However, there ''is'' sometimes a Bizarro Justice League.
* AntiVillain: Nominally a villain, but only due to his immense power combined with his literally backwards-thinking. Being a clone of Superman, he genuinely wants to help people, but ends up doing the opposite.
* BadassCape: His cape is pretty cool.
* BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad: One of Bizarro's classic character tics is that he always says the opposite of what he means. This got downplayed after the Silver Age ended, but it's worth noting ''ComicBook/AllStarSuperman'' had an issue spoken almost entirely in Bizarro speech, since Superman got stranded on Bizarro's homeworld.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: Although Bizarro is sometimes reduced to comic relief, in more serious stories, he's exactly as terrifying as you would imagine as an angry toddler with the powers of Superman would be.
* BlindAndTheBeast: Pre-Crisis, his only friend is a blind girl who doesn't realize he's a monster. His first Post-Crisis homages this by having him save a recently blinded Lucy Lane from a suicide attempt and she mistakes him for Superman.
* TheBrute: Fills this role in the Superman Revenge Squad. During ''Last Son'' he even battles Zod's brute, Non, one on one.
* ChestInsignia: A backwards Superman shield. He sometimes wears a sign proclaiming "Bizarro #1" overtop of it.
* CloneDegeneration: He is an imperfect clone of Superman. Pre-Crisis, however, this was {{averted|Trope}}; the duplication ray that made him just made imperfect duplicates of everything.
* DependingOnTheArtist: Is his skin rocky, just white, or zombie-like? Are his costume's colors the same as Superman's, or darker shades? Is his logo the same as Superman's, or is it reversed? And whether he's wearing the "Bizarro #1" pendant.
* DependingOnTheWriter: Is his, and, by extension, all Bizarros' contrarian nature a conscious rejection of logical society (as in the Silver Age), a reflection of how their warped brains perceive reality (as in the Modern Age), or just sheer stupidity? Similarly, does he use sometimes-confusing "opposite" verbs and nouns in his speech, or not?
** Also extends to his superpowers: sometimes he possesses an inverted collection of Superman's powers ("freeze vision" instead of heat vision, "vacuum breath" instead of super breath), but other times they're completely identical to any other Kryptonian's abilities.
** Bizarro's personality also fluctuates wildly between iterations, sometimes being a comically inept bumbler, and sometimes being portrayed as a misunderstood outcast.
* DumbMuscle: Possibly the single stupidest character in the Superman comics,[[note]]if one doesn't count the [[UpToEleven even dumber]] Bizarro-Brainiac,[[/note]] leaving him open to manipulation by Luthor, and any other villain with a reasonable IQ.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness Bizarro's first appearance, as well as John Byrne's take on the character take the character very seriously. In fact, Bizarro, and his general situation is portrayed as quite a sad one, very much reminiscent of Frankenstein's Monster, with little to no comedy. In fact, he's not even portrayed as backwards-thinking and dumb, he's quite an intelligent being, although one that doesn't get a chance to explain himself due to what he is.
* EvilKnockoff: Though who is responsible for creating him varies--Luthor and the Joker are the two responsible in current continuity--his status as a direct, villainous ripoff of Superman remains the same. For his part, Superman has pretty much never considered Bizarro ''evil'' so much as incredibly misguided. This is across all incarnations, from the confused Superman clone to the backwards denizen of Bizarro World.
* ForgottenPhlebotinum: The scientist who created him Post-Crisis said he would have been a perfectly duplicate if Superman were human. Luthor could have used the cloning machine to make obedient clones of human superheroes and villains but it never occurs to him. This is very much averted with the Pre-Crisis technology that gave him life, however, as it made imperfect copies of everything and Bizarro used it to create enough other Bizarros to fill a planet.
* FriendlyEnemy: Is sometimes one to Superman.
* HulkSpeak: Technically, "Bizarro speak".
* {{Idiosyncrazy}}: His obsession with opposites - though this in only present in some versions.
* KryptoniteFactor: Blue Kryptonite, which, depending on who is writing, either kills Bizarro or makes him smarter. Regular Kryptonite, again depending on who is writing, either does nothing to him or [[InvertedTrope makes him stronger]].
* LaughablyEvil: In the Silver and Bronze Ages, Bizarro was used for his humor value much more often than as an actual threat, and he was much more of a [[FriendlyEnemy frenemy]] to Superman in those days. "Tales of the Bizarro World" was a long-running backup feature in the Superman books that was played completely for comedy, and it was goofily adorable. Post-Crisis stories have treated Bizarro and his world more seriously, though he has still had plenty of humorous takes since then.
* LegacyCharacter: There have actually been multiple Bizarros. In Pre-Flashpoint continuity, there have been three Bizarros. Pre-Crisis, there were two, the first being Bizarro-Superboy.
* LightningBruiser: Being a clone of Superman, means he’s stronger, faster and tougher than more than half the superhuman population.
* MentalHandicapMoralDeficiency: Bizarro is often written as if mentally disabled.
* MonsterProgenitor: No matter where he comes from, the first appearance of Bizarro is usually followed by legions of others, created by him.
* ObliviouslyEvil: Bizarro is often portrayed as completely ignorant of the bad things he is doing; frequently he does not understand, for instance, that punching somebody at full strength might kill them.
* OddballDoppelganger: His original conception, though he's since been used as a "straight villain" more often.
* OffingTheOffspring: When Mxyzptlk was destroying Bizarro World, Bizarro sent his son to the planet's core so he would die first.
* PaperThinDisguise: His shocked that Jimmy Olsen recognises his chalk white skin while dressed as Clark Kent. Interestingly it makes Jimmy conclude the Clark Kent couldn't possibly be Superman as Bizarro always does everything wrong.
** He also did this in his first adult Silver Age appearance when trying to visit Lois Lane at the Daily Planet. Superman, terrified of Bizarro revealing his secret identity, used super-clapping to drown out his voice.
* PetTheDog: He genuinely cares about those he considers friends. Many writers and adaptations even portray him as not even hating Superman or Lois that much, and in fact seeing them as friends.
* PsychopathicManchild
* RedBaron: The Idiot of Steel.
* StopOrIShootMyself: Once robbed a bank while pointing a gun at his own head. Luckily he turned down the money they offered him and demanded the contents of their trash cans.
* SuperheroesWearTights[=/=]UnderwearOfPower: Both are present in his knockoff Superman costume.
* SuperheroTrophyShelf: Wanted to replicate Superman's when building his own Fortress of Solitude, but filled his with garbage rather than trophies.
* SuperpowerLottery: Like Superman, he's a big winner, possessing most of the Man of Steel's powers, though with some differences.
** BreathWeapon: Unlike Superman, who has freezing breath, Bizarro breathes fire.
** EyeBeams: Can shoot freezing rays from his eyes as opposed to Superman's heat vision.
** FlyingBrick
** NighInvulnerability: Can take the same kind of beatings that Superman can and come out unscathed.
** SuperSenses: Though at one point his microscopic vision was inverted and instead caused things to grow.
** SuperSpeed: Extreme speed enough to race Zoom.
** SuperStrength: Enough strength to rival Superman.
* SupervillainLair: Has his "FOURTRISS UV BIZARRO" based on Superman's Fortress of Solitude. Usually shown to be in a desert or volcanic region in contrast to Superman being based at the North Pole.
* TragicMonster: Even pre-Crisis, he hated Lex Luthor for re-creating him, feeling that he didn't deserve to live.
* TykeBomb: Lex Luthor's intention for Bizarro in almost every version. Subverted in that [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption it never actually works]].
* UnskilledButStrong[=/=]DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength: Often, Bizarro is shown to be somewhat stronger than Superman. DependingOnTheWriter, this is usually justified a number of ways. The first is that Bizarro is essentially a child with the powers of Superman and has none of the conscious or unconscious self-control that Clark does so he always goes at the highest level of strength. His simple nature also means that he's focused and has a one track mind. This focus allows him to give it everything to the exclusion of everything else whereas Superman may be distracted by limiting environmental damage and rescuing innocent people during a fight. Also, whoever makes Bizarro does it with the intention that Bizarro will best Superman. His greater strength is an example of PowerAtAPrice. While Bizarro has higher energy reserves and can draw power from all sources of light (not just yellow sunlight), he is mentally stunted and handicapped with serious BodyHorror issues that come from his altered form of energy processing (his tissue calcifies from energy absorption and too much power could turn him into a statue).
* VillainousFriendship: With Batzarro.
* VolcanoLair: His post crisis Fortress.
* YouMakeMeSick: Reverse Flash says a variation to him after Bizarro says the [[Franchise/StarWars prequel trilogy]] of films were superior. Though considering his opposite thought process, he may have actually been insulting the prequels, or that thought process causes him to ''see'' them as good, or... [[MST3KMantra okay, we should probably stop thinking about this before it's too late.]]

Top