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Superman is the most righteous and conscientious superhero who won't kill if that’s an option, and in many cases, he is ready to get defeated. As such, it would be a drastic step for the flying hero to kill a large number of people. However, he did just that in the DC Comics series – DCeased.
While almost the entire population of Earth is infected by a virus changing humans into violent zombie-like creatures, mass killing is the only option left for Superman. Additionally, when he also gets infected in the process, he has to terminate his life to control further spread.
Fans can capture this tale in the DCeased miniseries, which has seven issues written by Tom Taylor along with artists Trevor Hairsine and Stefano Guadiano. The narrative is based on an alternate Earth, and Lois Lane, Superman’s wife, is the narrator of the story. She reveals how the incidents escalated in a short span of a few weeks and their Earth is destroyed.
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Disclaimer: This article may contain spoilers about the miniseries DCeased.
Why did Superman need to kill masses of people?
A deadly viral pandemic has caused Superman to eliminate the infected in an attempt to save the survivors. The crisis started when Cyborg carried a merged but corrupted virus called Anti-Life Equation within him and DeSaad sent him to Earth. In Metropolis, the deadly virus jumped from Cyborg’s system to an internet connection which then infected millions of people via screens of corrupted devices.
Soon Superman found out about the trouble and guessed the source of the spread. After securing his family from screens which he destroyed with his heat vision, the mighty hero took them to the Daily Planet building where he met some heroes and their allies – Black Canary, Green Arrow, and Alfred Pennyworth. A bitten and infected Batman arrived there to share details about the virus before turning and being killed by Alfred.
The flying warrior removed all the infected from the Daily Planet building, secured the entrances, and left the uninfected before going away to tackle the problem. He flew to various destinations, helping eliminate the infected and giving directions to the Daily Planet building for others.
While more and more people, including some superheroes, got infected and killed, Superman helped other superpowers fight the virus. They disabled the internet while eliminating the disease-ridden.
Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, Green Lantern, The Flash, and even Cyborg all worked with the Kryptonian hero to counter this disaster.
How did Superman meet his end?
Superman was busy fighting the infected superheroes when one by one the heroes fell prey to the viral infection. When The Flash was infected, the Kryptonian hero fought and killed him. However, in the process, two of Barry’s fingers got stuck in the powerful warrior’s stomach, infecting him.
Before turning, the tough superhero bade his family goodbye and tried to fly into space hoping the lack of oxygen would kill him. Unfortunately, he transformed into a zombie instead of dying. He returned to attack New York, but knowing the danger, Wonder Woman crafted a sword with the Kryptonite provided by Damian and laced it with magic to kill Superman.
While the survivors were set to evacuate the planet, the savage superhero was able to identify the arks and meant to destroy them. In his fight with Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Cyborg, the infected superhero injured and infected Wonder Woman before trying to wreck the arks.
The Superboy plunged towards his father but the collision broke the boy’s hand and knocked him out. The Green Lantern and the Green Lantern Corps arrived at the spot. Realizing that there were too many people to fight, Superman soared toward the Sun and started absorbing it.
This would eventually extinguish the sun and annihilate all life in the Solar System. The virus would go dormant in such a sunless atmosphere. The survivors, according to the story, moved to a new world, Earth 2.
Are there any spin-offs or sequels to this storyline?
Since the story leaves the lives of the survivors on Earth 2 as well as the infected on Earth abruptly, there are many spin-offs and sequels possible. The spin-offs trace the other superheroes and their teams along with survivors in small pockets.
Some spin-off stories follow the fate of some superheroes till they get infected, while others tell the situation of survivors being saved by teams of heroes. Some heroes eliminate themselves before turning, while others eliminate the infected superpowers.
The sequels will leap into various future timelines to take the tale forward. There is hope that the infection can be cured and this opens up the possibility of a cured Superman in the future. Additionally, fans can rejoice as they will continue to see the mighty hero who has died many times in other stories. The sequels can be attractive reads to pursue after the main storyline leaves the readers asking for more.
