As one of the first-ever superheroes to be introduced in comics, Superman has been the staple of DC and one of the most popular heroes of all time. Fans have seen Superman as a part of just about every superhero team, we've seen him take on some of the most powerful villains, and fans have even seen him die a few times.
With a character as popular as Superman, fans have seen him evolve and we've even seen alternate versions of the hero, either through the multiverse or Elseworlds stories. Let's look at the top 10 best alternate versions of the hero.
10 Kingdom Come Superman
In an alternate universe where fans see an older Justice League, and they are more ruthless than ever. Superman, in particular, is still the blue boy scout fans all know and love except he is much more ruthless and unforgiving.
It's an interesting version of the hero, although he is technically an evil version of the hero, fans see how Superman would be like if he lost control of his emotions and became impatient with people.
9 Injustice Superman
Arguably the evilest version of the hero, this Superman is brought to the edge when the Joker tricks Superman into thinking Lois Lane is Doomsday and he accidentally kills her. Being the love of his life, he is rightfully horrified when he realizes what he did, and it's even worse when it is revealed she had been pregnant with his kid.
Superman does what no one thought he ever could, kill. He kills the Joker in retaliation and to Batman's horror, it starts an all-out war between the heroes and fans see Superman become a powerful dictator with no tolerance for any sort of crime.
8 Earth 23 Superman
On Earth-23 Kal-el came from an island on Krypton and landed on Earth. Designed to look like former President Barack Obama, Calvin Ellis is one of the first black supermen fans saw in comics and he is more than a reporter but the president of his version of the United States.
Becoming a popular character in the comics, superfans have seen Calvin make quite a few appearances in Final Crisis and has fought alongside the Earth-1 Superman among others across the multiverse.
7 Superman (The Nail)
In this Elseworld's story, Martha and John Kent get a flat tire due to a nail on the road and it prevents them from finding Kal-el. He is then adopted by an Amish couple who raise him with good values yet they keep him disconnected from the world around him.
Fans see a Justice League without Superman and the world is in chaos due to the lack of Superman. The League and all Metahumans are welcomed, and Batman even kills the Joker which leads to a manhunt of the League. It's an interesting story because fans see just how much the world needs Superman.
6 Secret Identity Superman
In this alternate version of the hero, Clark Kent exists in our world and is teased for having the same name as a comic book character. When he discovers he has powers like Superman, he uses them to fight for good.
It's an interesting version of the hero as fans see a young, inexperienced Clark Kent with a lot of optimism and fans see him in a new light, as a highschooler.
5 Red Son Superman
This Elseworlds story has Superman landing in Soviet Russia instead of Smallville, which in turn makes him a pawn of the Communists. Like the Injustice Superman, he rules by force and strength and he works to instill the Soviet values to the world.
It's an interesting take on the hero as it shows that Martha and Jon Kent are crucial to Superman's development as a hero with great values.
4 Earth 2 Superman
To make up for the continuity error that Superman is in both the modern Justice League and in the older Justice Society of America, the writers simply made the JSA part of earth 2.
In this alternate version of the hero, he is basically the same as his Earth-1 counterpart except he is much older and married to Lois Lane. This version has been fighting for decades more than Earth-1 Superman and is more experienced. It's almost like a glimpse into the future for our Earth-1 Kal-el.
3 Ultraman
Hailing from Earth-3 where the Justice League heroes are evil and the villains are the good guys, fans see Superman as the evil leader of the evil Justice League. He has the same powerset and a similar uniform except instead of an "S" fans see a "U" for Ultraman.
Since he is the complete opposite of Superman, he draws his power from Kryptonite instead of the sun and relies on killing and lacks creativity with his powers. Fans have seen him take on Superman on several occasions and it's always an epic fight.
2 Earth -11 Superwoman
In this alternate earth, fans see a genderswapped Justice League, with Batwoman, Aquawoman, and Superwoman, and Wonderousman. Superwoman is simply just the female version of Superman with the same powers, origins, and similar values, they even share a similar hairdo.
Superwoman is a great alternate version of the hero as she proves to be a great ally in multiversal events and her leadership skills and optimism help drive the heroes of Earth-11. She's a great influence for any young girl that wants to see themselves as a great superhero, due to her values and powers.
1 Superman Beyond
Besides having one of the coolest costumes on the list, this Superman is a good mentor and help for our Batman Beyond, Terry Mcginnis. He is every bit the same Clark Kent/Superman fans all know and love except he is much older, more experienced, and he's in the future.
Since he is Kryptonian, he doesn't feel the effects of age like Batman and the rest of our human heroes do so he is still a powerful force to be reckoned with despite his age. He is a nice connection to the past of our favorite heroes prior to Terry Mcginnis taking over as Batman.