For many, Superman is probably considered the prototype superhero. He represents hope, heroism, and a certain superiority. However, in 1993, he was killed by another powerful being in an important storyline.
Which storyline is it? Superman made his first appearance in Action Comics No. 1 in 1938. He quickly became one of the most well-known superheroes, still relevant today. A new film about the hero will be released again in July 2025.
The radiant, seemingly unbeatable hero was killed by DC in 1993 in a popular storyline by one of his most powerful enemies.
Superman faced an opponent that no one else could stop
What kind of opponent was that? In 1992, a new powerful enemy freed itself from its shackles in the comic Superman: The Man of Steel No. 18. An unknown humanoid being, surrounded by tubes, fights through a mountain and begins a wave of destruction.
This was quickly noticed by the Justice League America. At that time, the group, aside from Superman who was giving an interview, consisted of rather lesser-known heroes. Maxima, Booster Gold, Guy Gardner, Blue Beetle, Ice, Fire, and Bloodwynd set out to assess the situation.
They began the fight with the being later named Doomsday, after the Last Judgment. It quickly became clear that the heroes stood no chance. Doomsday was simply too strong, and after a desperate battle, Superman received the information that his team needed help.
The Death of Superman.
However, even with Superman’s help, Doomsday could not be easily defeated. After all his friends had failed, only he remained in the fight with the monster, while he simultaneously tried to save lives.
After a fierce and brutal battle, the hero managed to kill Doomsday, but he paid a great price: In issue Superman No. 75, the hero died in January 1993.
Superman’s biggest problem in the early ’90s was sales numbers
Why was Superman actually killed? Superman was seen as a shining hero who could withstand any threat, which is why his death was quite surprising. As Christian Heiß explains in the introduction to the 2025 new edition of The Death of Superman
, more violent anti-heroes were particularly popular in the early ’90s. Marvel, in particular, scored points during that time.
As Owen Likes Comics explains in a YouTube video, even insignificant Marvel titles managed to outpace the major DC icons in sales.
Superman’s sales numbers also dropped. The radiant hero did not fit into the anti-hero era. The announcement that Superman would die caused uproar and culminated in the finale of the storyline in the comic Superman No. 75 (1993).
Mike Carlin explains in the documentary Look Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman (via YouTube): The world took Superman for granted, so we literally said: Let’s show the world what it would be like without Superman.
According to Heiß, the issue sold over 6 million copies, a pretty high number for a single issue. By comparison: In 2024, Absolute Batman No. 1 was the best-selling comic of the year with over 400,000 copies sold (source: aiptcomics.com).
The event was so public that it was even reported in CNN News (via YouTube). Although the death seemed quite final, viewers doubted that the great hero would be dead forever. And as we know even today, the hero naturally returned.
Still worth a look after over 20 years
What does MeinMMO editor Nikolas Hernes say about The Death of Superman
? Panini has sent us the new collection of The Death of Superman
as an editorial review copy. After reading not only the exciting story but also the context behind it, the idea for this article arose.
I have mainly read modern comics, so I had to get used to the ’90s style. But it happened quickly. I found the perspectives of some pages and panels particularly memorable. A whole page using a camera lens is something I won’t forget anytime soon.
I also enjoyed the story. The whole collection has almost nonstop action that plays with the idea of Superman. His role in society and the city is addressed without being pushed on the reader in words.
Particularly good is the adversary Doomsday. Almost as a counterpoint to Superman, he works well as a villain, even though he lacks motivation and a significant character. Ironically, among all the anti-heroes we now see in cinema or TV, this comic was a refreshing change.
How can I read The Death of Superman? Since the story is quite iconic, there are many collections that summarize the story from Doomsday’s appearance to Superman’s death.
For collectors, it’s harder to obtain the individual issues. However, if you’re interested in the story itself, there has been a new edition of the story in the collection by Panini since May 27, 2025. There were also several series about the hero, but he was not allowed to meet one of his best friends: 20 years ago, a rule forbade Batman from appearing in a popular DC series
