Of all the different comic book crossovers that Superman has participated in over the years, none have been as strange -- or violently horrifying -- as a trilogy of miniseries that saw the Man of Steel cross paths with the ravenous Xenomorphs from the Alien franchise. Blending superhero action with the sci-fi horror that has made the film series a huge hit with fans for decades, the trilogy saw DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics come together to craft bloody tales that saw Clark Kent collide with the acid-blooded foes.
Now, we're taking a closer look at the three comic book miniseries and how the Superman dealt with the acid-spewing, egg-laying Xenomorphs.
Superman/Aliens
Published in 1995, the first installment was written and illustrated by longtime Superman scribe Dan Jurgens, with Kevin Nowlan providing finished artwork over Jurgens' layouts. After LexCorp receives a Kryptonian distress signal sent from a probe, Superman goes to investigate a Kryptonian city on a faraway planet that was spared Krypton's destruction, while Lois Lane and several LexCorp scientists orbit the planet from above. Weakened from the planet's different solar radiation, Superman is able to send unconscious survivors to the LexCorp ship before learning a freighter carrying the Alien Queen crashed on the planet years ago.
Along with a survivor named Kara, Superman is impregnated with Xenomorph offspring by the Alien Queen due to the rapid loss of his powers in the new solar system. Meanwhile, the apparent survivors sent to the LexCorp ship hatch Xenomorphs of their own, leading Lois and the scientists to fend for their lives. As the group makes it back to Earth's solar system, Superman's powers are restored, and he is able to crush the Xenomorph growing inside him from within his own body before it can hatch, spitting it out as he returns home.
Superman/Aliens 2: God War
In 2002, Superman/Aliens 2: God War, written by Chuck Dixon and illustrated by Jon Bogdanove and Nowlan, saw Darkseid bring Xenomorph eggs back to Apokalips for his own devious plans. Implanting Xenomorph embryos within several Parademons, Darkseid sends them to New Genesis where they hatch, resulting in Orion becoming impregnated by a Xenomorph embryo himself. Realizing he is dying, Orion enlists Superman to accompany him to Apokalips to destroy the Alien Queen once and for all before succumbing to the Xenomorph rapidly growing inside of him.
The two are ultimately successful in their mission, even as Orion grows progressively weaker and Superman has complications with the conditions on Apokalips. Before the Xenomorph within him can hatch, Orion is saved by Darkseid using his Omega Beams to destroy the embryo, remarking that, for all their differences, Orion is still his son and deserves a worthier death. Darkseid later confides in Desaad that his plan all along was to get Orion infested and save him as part of his scheme to turn his son against New Genesis by showing him unexpected mercy.
Batman and Superman vs. Aliens and Predator
While Superman and Batman had encountered the Xenomorphs and Predators in their own respective crossover miniseries, the World's Finest came together to take on both in a 2007 miniseries written by Mark Schultz and illustrated by Ariel Olivetti. In this crossover, a Predator ship became trapped in the South American Andes centuries ago, before a mountain-climbing expedition discovering into the present-day DC Universe.
As the heroes investigate, they come into conflict with both warring extraterrestrial species, with the Predators eventually revering Superman as a sun god and seeing Batman as his agent. The two heroes decide to help the Predators leave the planet and help them defeat the Xenomorphs once and for all before the Predators finally return home.