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Lucy in the sky with diamonds : Red Sonis one of the most democratic alternateSupermanstories ever secern . give up in 2003 , the Elseworlds miniseries divulge a parallel world where Kal - El land in Soviet Union and was elicit to be “ The Champion of the vulgar worker who fights a never - ending struggle for Stalin , socialist economy , and the international enlargement of the Warsaw Pact . ” The comic , written by Mark Millar , bear witness very popular , was nominated for an Eisner Award , and even hadan enliven film based on it .
While Millar has gone on record stating that the musical theme forSuperman : Red Sonhave been with him since he was six - years - sometime and that he had set up the story to DC when he was thirteen , the conception of a Superman who took a more dictatorial attack to crimefighting has been around almost since his conception . In 1990 , the musical theme really made it to survive activeness when the television showThe Adventures of Superboyoffered a story that introduced a character very similar to the “ Red Son . ”
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Although still mostly unexplored by many forward-looking DC fans , The Adventures of Superboywas a popular live natural action television show that ran for four seasons from 1988 - 1992 and followed the adventures of a young Clark Kent . Decades beforeSmallville , Arrow , The Flash , orSupergirlshowcased stories about DC ’s multiverse or experimented with how superhuman conflict would look on the small screen , The Adventures of Superboywas put the foundations for the superhero rebirth that lie ahead .
Beginning in the second season , Superboy was play by Gerard Christopher , who acted opposite the show ’s Lana Lang ( Stacy Haiduk ) . Many of the show ’s episodes were written by famous laughable book writer , include Denny O’Neil , J.M. DeMatteis , and Cary Bates who introduced mirthful account book image seldom seen in live action superhero present up to this percentage point . This includedexploring the multiverse , which Superboy did when he came across a portal to alternate Earths in the third season two - part storey “ Roads Not Taken . ”
The first parallel Earth Superboy lands in bring him face - to - face with a Superboy who had kill his world ’s Lex Luthor ( and begin plume very similar to the comic bookSuperboy clone Conner Kent ) . In the 2d part of the story , however , Superboy is banish to another alternative world which had a very different Kryptonian …
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turn out , in this world , Kal - El ’s ship did n’t state on the Kent Farm but a few hundred yard aside in the Elman grain complexes where the totalitarian - minded “ Old Man Elman ” raised him to believe in a school of thought of fear and intimidation . Upon accomplish maturity date , Kal - El – now call himself “ The Sovereign ” – involve over theentire planet with his powersand rules it with an authoritarian fist . Wearing a military - style variation of the Hellenic Superboy costume , he spend a penny certain to hang “ Red Son - mode ” propaganda posters of himself on the buildings and teach multiplication of schoolchildren the story of his lifetime as a new faith .
While most of the planet live in fear of the Sovereign , a ohmic resistance group call “ The Movement ” which includesLana Langand Lex Luthor , fights against the tyrant . When the “ prime Earth ’s ” Superboy lands in this worldly concern , he end up helping the resistor against his dimensional Twin Falls . However , the concluding blow is not struck by Superboy but by Lana – who kills both herself and the Sovereign in a self-destruction attack using a Kryptonite bomb . ( Superboy himself escapes the blast when the reformed “ bad son ” Superboy from the previous alternating Earth come to save him ) .
One of the darkerAdventures of Superboyepisodes , “ Roads Not Taken ” bears some striking similarities toSuperman : Red Sonas well as the Superman feature in the more recentInjusticeseries . LikeRed Son , the Sovereign version of Superboy uses both propaganda and intimidation to make the creation ’s universe submit to his rule . He also engages in ruthless tactics to stamp out any dissidents – even sending his men to kill Lex Luthor at his base . Luthor himself became something of the hero of this humanity , turning into a freedom paladin rather than a cosmos vanquisher , as all of his care is now focused on ending the Sovereign ’s dictatorial rule .
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That being read , Millar’sSuperman : Red Sonis able to explore more grey areas in the alternate Superman that a 22 - arcminute longSuperboyepisode could n’t . Although raised with a different set of values than his mainstream similitude , the“Red Son ” Superman is not malign . truly believing that the apotheosis of the Communist Party can aid make a better world , this Superman wants to help masses – include “ Svetlana , ” the alternating variant of Lana Lang . Red Sonalso focuses more on the tenseness between the United States and the Soviet Union , while “ roadstead Not Taken ” strike position in a world already suppress by the Sovereign .
Nevertheless , the visual aspect of “ The Sovereign ” in “ roadstead Not Taken ” is famed as one of the first springy action appearances of an substitute Superman who became a dictator primarily because of how he was raised . Other tv shows and movies have seize on this estimate , butAdventures of Superboydeserves particular acknowledgement for being the precursor for such fib – even before their more popular twin appeared inSupermancomic books .
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