Why A Better World is my favourite "Evil Superman" Story
So in the last two decades or so, there's been a notable amount of dark and edgy stories around superheroes turning evil and whatnot and most of them really love to do their own expies of Superman. I've never been the biggest fans of these kinds of stories.
And then there's the actual stories of Superman and other heroes being outright villains or at least just massive assholes. In recent years, this has been largely thanks to the influence of media like the Injustice Games or the Synderverse DC movies. It's... honestly become a trope I am tired of.
Because you know the damnest thing? There is a story that does all these ideas really damn well and arguably better. It is the two-parter from the Justice League cartoon "A Better World".
Now, I am aware how most people favouring the DCAU has become a bit of toxic nostalgia at times and it's something I myself am trying to work through a bit. But in this case, I do think it's the best idea of doing an evil DC story, much better and more interesting than the Crime Syndicate, who if you ask me are not very interesting, though I do remember liking the Crisis On Two Earths movie a lot, which funny enough, was originally going to be this two parter before various things led to it being canned and then later repurposed as a direct to DVD movie.
Anyway, my main crux of why I love this story is simple... The entire Justice League turns evil... and the reasons are very much in-character for all of them. You look at the scene with Justice Lord Batman for example.
As fucking evil as the Justice Lords are... Batman can't quite fully hate his alternate self for his reason for taking part in all this being basically one-step further than his own mission, that no child should ever go through what he did. Hell, I recall reading that the reason the writers had Batman drop his batarang at the end of this scene... was because he genuinely wouldn't be able to come up with an argument to that.
Superman likewise kills Lex Luthor because yeah, Luthor literally exploited the flaws in Democracy and became president of the US, threatening to kinda basically start world war 3. It's obviously horrible... but Superman is a character whose main motivation is making the world a better place. And if people who abuse the systems of power of the world are hurting people, why shouldn't Superman put a stop to that?
And yeah, Superman should obviously never kill, he's the most paragon of paragons of the DC universe, a man committed to always being better than the villains he fights... but this is him pushed to his most logical extreme. Hell, the main Superman knows this and its why Lex used his knowledge of this alternate universe as part of his plan in the season after this, to goad our Superman into crossing the line because yeah, there's a part of him that could go this far.
But right as Superman is about to apparently finish him, the big guy says this.
"I'm not the man who killed President Luthor. I wish to heaven that I were but I'm not."
Because Superman like everyone else, obviously would have those same thoughts and same urges. He's human.
I've kinda gone off Injustice a bit because to be honest... the injustice games were kinda just this but a bit too edgelordy. Hell, in A Better World, Lois Lane still lives and the whole genesis of it doesn't revolve around her getting fridged.
So yeah, A Better World is probably one of my favourite mirror universe stories because of the fact that well... it really is like looking in a mirror and seeing just how easy the greatest heroes can become evil and how they wouldn't be massively out of character doing so. But also it reminds us that as much as this darkness can tempt some of our finest, the ones who don't go down this dark path are stronger in heart than anyone else. Because when the world becomes a dark and horrible place, it becomes very easy to be just as dark. But even though it can be hard to still try and be a good person even in dark times, it's ultimately worth it. Because good always triumphs over evil.
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A Justice Lord Superman AU where all the Batfam except for Damian die.
Damian now grieving and alone returns to the League of assassins, the LoA are successfully using Lazarus and/or other forms of ancient magic to hold their territory, with Damian’s bat training they easily keep their grip.
He sets up like stained glass windows as memorials for his family and tells stories of them, he’d do anything he could to make them be remembered.
Damian starts training a group of assassins with specially Robin lineage techniques as a way to pay tribute to his predecessor’s. The assassins all assume the previous birds must have been some kind of forces of nature, like they’ve heard of the bats from Lady Talia and the Demons Head, while technically they’ve heard of the birds to they’ve always been more mysterious than the bats, when people talk about the bats its clear where they were first got experience, like Batman and BlackBat were trained by the LoA while Batwoman had military training and Oracles father was the police commissioner. The birds only have slightly traceable roots with Damian himself and maybe Steph but her father wasn’t particularly high level, sure they had experiences that helped but to the LoA it seems a lot like these guys just popped out of nowhere, they were unhinged and dangerous for the entirety of their careers.
The basis for this is essentially Damian desperately trying to figure out how to mourn without destroying himself, all while trying to do the Robin legacy proud.
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What would happen if Justice Lord Superman came and tries to take Y/N because he lost his Y/N to Luthor and promises to "protect" and love Y/N better than Justice League Superman?
Despite what others may think, Superman of Earth-50 wasn't a bad guy, just hurt too many times and he let it slide without going unpunished. But after President Luthor killed his Y/N, the Justice League conquered their earth after Superman killed Luthor in retaliation. Curbing free speech, democracy and rebellion for the sake of "safety" and "order".
It was interesting to note that Batman found an earth similar to theirs. One where their Flash was alive, and more importantly, Y/N. Clark and the other Lords examined this earth and all that they stood for. It was inevitable that this earth would be doomed to destruction if someone didn't save it from themselves.
The Justice Lords appeared on Earth-1 of this universe and planned on saving it like they saved their own world. So, while the others went in search of the so-called "heroes" of this earth, Justice Lord Superman searched for Y/N. He found him in the apartment of the other Superman. He flew down to the balcony and when he saw him, his knees started to buckle. He was here and alive. Clark couldn't believe how much he looked like his Y/N had. Right down to the same ugly fuzzy slippers Clark bought him.
When Y/N saw him, he smiled and threw his arms around the man he thought was his Superman. "You're back! That was fast. Did everything go ok? Why the sudden change to your costume?"
Justice Lord Superman smiled. "The others and I thought we needed a change, but it's not safe for you here, Y/N. Something is coming and I have to get you somewhere safe."
"But I don't understand what could possibly be so dangerous that you have to–"
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
Y/N and Justice Lord Superman turned to see this earth's Superman floating by the balcony, arms across his broad chest and eyes glowing red. Y/N looks shocked. There were two Supermans? How was that possible? Justice Lord Superman put a hand out in front of Y/N. "He's coming with me. My team and I can protect him better than you or your heroes can. I can love him better than you can."
Superman growled and surged forward as he tackled Justice Lord Superman out of the apartment, and away from Y/N.
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Justice Lord Clark x Bruce Wayne got me in a chokehold though
Same. There’s not enough fic for it! That and Injustice Superman x Bruce, which I feel has fallen a bit out of favor recently.
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