Superman was the first true superhero and DC's first and, arguably, most iconic character. He was created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and his comics have been running for over 80 years. He's been a frequent member of the Justice League and has aided the Justice Society and Teen Titans on several occasions.
With all of that time and lore behind him, there have been several instances in which Superman comics have provided some stunning plot twists that many readers didn't see coming. Even the even-tempered boy scout that is the Man of Tomorrow can throw his readers for a loop sometimes.
10 Superman Finally Revealing His Secret Identity To Lois Lane
Moving backward to the 1990s, it was a momentous occasion when Superman finally revealed his secret identity to Lois Lane. The two soon wed shortly afterward, which actually lined up with the couple's wedding in the then-ongoing Lois & Clark television series.
This isn't the first time that Superman revealed his identity to Lois of course, as the Golden Age Superman and Lois Lane had married as well. However, this continuity was shifted out during Crisis on Infinite Earths.
9 The Death Of Supergirl In Crisis On Infinite Earths
Speaking of Crisis, the death of Superman's cousin, Supergirl, during Crisis was a shocking twist all its own. Supergirl had been a longtime crimefighting partner of Superman and had been around since her debut in Action Comics #252 in 1959 and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino. Supergirl had even worked with the Legion of Superheroes, much like her cousin.
Supergirl ultimately died saving Superman from the Anti-Monitor, and she almost singlehandedly defeated the Anti-Monitor herself. However, the entity was able to turn the tides and killed Kara Zor-El.
8 Superman And Lois Adopting Christopher Kent/Lor-Zod
When General Zod and Ursa sent their son, Lor-Zod, out of the Phantom Zone, he was found by none other than Superman himself. After discovering that Lor-Zod was Kryptonian, Clark and Lois adopted Lor-Zod as their own, naming him Christopher.
Eventually, Zod and Ursa returned from the Phantom Zone with other Kryptonian prisoners and attacked Earth, but Chris turned on his biological father. Clark and Lois formally adopted Chris after that. However, Superman lost Christopher when he sacrificed himself to stop another attack from Zod, and he became the Nightwing (an old Kryptonian folk hero) in the bottled city of Kandor. Lor-Zod returned more recently in DC Rebirth under the guidance and parentage of Zod and Ursa.
7 Lois Lane Exposing Superman's Secret Identity To The World In New 52
An android called Hordr_Root became a recurring threat for the New 52 Superman, and the New 52 Lois Lane at this point was able to discern that Clark Kent and Superman were one and the same. She didn't know what to do with this information and tried to confront Superman about it.
Shortly after, Hordr-Root captured both Superman and Lois, and he threatened to kill Superman if Lois didn't release his secret identity to the public. Lois did so, which infuriated Superman and put a permanent schism between the two of them.
6 Superman And Wonder Woman Becoming A Serious Couple
Superman and Wonder Woman as a couple had been hinted at a few times before, perhaps most famously in the ending of Kingdom Come. However, this became mainstream DC canon in the New 52 when Clark and Diana shared a kiss and became a romantic couple.
This lasted a long time, with Superman/Wonder Woman becoming an ongoing series and some of the powers that be panicking over the potential of a Kryptonian/Amazon hybrid child. However, the Superman of the New 52 Earth eventually perished.
5 Pre-Flashpoint Superman Popping Up On The New 52 Earth With A Son
However, this didn't leave Earth without a Superman, as the pre-Flashpoint Clark Kent, married to pre-Flashpoint Lois Lane and with a son named Jon Kent, had recently arrived on Earth. Clark and Lois recognized that this Earth already had a Superman and decided to live in the shadows to raise Jon.
However, the death of that Earth's Superman prompted the older Superman to come out of the shadows and defend the Earth once more.
4 Lex Luthor Becoming A Superhero And Member Of The Justice League
The events of Forever Evil left Lex Luthor at a moral crossroads, and he (along with Captain Cold) decided to try and join the Justice League. The Justice League tentatively accepted these new members, even if they didn't fully trust him. Luthor remained a member through the outbreak of an infectious super-disease and even the apocalyptic Darkseid War.
He left the team with the arrival of DC Rebirth, but, with the death of the New 52 Superman, Luthor decided to take up the mantle of Superman himself with a suit of power armor that homaged Kal-El's costume. However, the pre-Flashpoint Superman's arrival caused some new friction between Superman and Luthor.
3 The Revelation That Rogol Zaar Destroyed Krypton
A more recent major twist for Superman came about with the arrival of Rogol Zaar, an immensely powerful alien being with a secret history. Namely, Rogol Zaar destroyed Krypton; it wasn't a natural disaster or the result of Kryptonian carelessness.
Zaar was tasked with doing so by a shadowy alien cabal that saw the Kryptonians as a potential threat, and Superman had a few duels with Rogol Zaar that ended with the creature being put in stasis. Meanwhile, Supergirl went on to investigate the people who ordered Zaar to destroy Krypton.
2 The Return Of Jor-El As Mr. Oz In DC Rebirth
An even bigger twist than Rogol Zaar's arrival was, arguably, the revelation that Jor-El had escaped the destruction of Krypton and had been manipulating Superman's recent adventures as the shadowy Mr. Oz. He also began manipulating the timeline as well as galactic politics, making many enemies along the way.
It was revealed that Jor-El was actually saved by Doctor Manhattan, though this didn't change Jor-El's goals very much. Kal-El and Lois trusted Jor-El with watching over Jon Kent, their son, for a time. This was only months by Clark and Lois' perception, but years passed by for Jon. He came back home a teenager. After this, the United Planets finally arrested Jor-El for his crimes and sent him back to the moment of Krypton's destruction as punishment.
1 The Death Of Superman Truly Shocked The World
The biggest twist in Superman comics of all time is undoubtedly the death of Superman at the hands of Doomsday. It was announced beforehand, but that didn't soften the blow for readers. They got to watch DC's oldest and greatest hero die fighting an unstoppable beast out of Krypton's past.
This was before heroes dying and returning was commonplace, so readers truly thought that Superman was just dead forever. This only seemed to be reinforced during Reign of the Supermen when Superboy, Steel, Cyborg Superman, and Eradicator all arrived to take Superman's place. Of course, Superman did end up returning, and the trend of resurrecting heroes hasn't stopped since then.