Superman (Poignantly) Loses It in Superman Annual #11

In “For the Man Who Has Everything…” Moore & Gibbons portray a Superman who lets go of a dream of what might have been, but this process isn’t entirely benign. Indeed, before that can occur, the unthinkable must first happen: Superman loses his shit. #superman 1/8

Though Superman was quite capable of using lethal force in his early appearances (sometimes gleefully), by the mid 1980s those days were long gone, and Superman was instead known for his heroic virtue and supernatural restraint in the face of temptations toward violence. 2/8

But here Superman’s emergence from the spell of the Black Mercy triggers in Kal-El a rare and frighteningly out-of-character bloodlust. As he emerges, he screams for Mongul and tears off, clearly seeking revenge much more than justice. 3/8

Interestingly, it is possible to view this step toward the dark side as the source of some limited success against a foe who has him outmatched. Normal Superman might have been easily overtaken by Mongul – berserker Superman fares pretty well. 4/8

Mongul, presumably taunting Superman, says he should just be happy with the Black Mercy’s illusion and Superman becomes irate at the very idea of ‘happy.’ When Mongul seeks to apply the killing blow to Superman, Superman simply declares “burn” in response. 5/8

Most importantly, however, it’s the deviation from character and the betrayal of values that establish the extent of Kal’s suffering at the hands of the Black Mercy. By the end of the story he regains his composure, politely receiving useless gifts and offering to make coffee 6/8

But for a few moments there, Superman looked a bit more like Wolverine and, in that show of power, the creators counterintuitively express Kal’s vulnerability. His anger shows the depth of his pain, the extent to which he was truly lost for just a moment. 7/8

All told, it’s an example of deviation from character norms in order to offer poignant commentary on them. This isn’t the Superman we know and love, and daring to move him from one of the character’s definitive traits adds gravitas to the story as a whole. 8/8