With a jazzed-up jumpsuit, Superboy ditched the cape for an era-appropriate leather jacket and gloves. Literally, a clone of Superman as a hip and 90’s “MTV Teen.” This was also a plan to make sure the character concept of Superboy was revived, even if he detested being called that. Karl Kesel, the newest writer on the Adventures of Superman, would work with his creative team to make The Metropolis Kid. Others argued that some long-standing heroes were getting too old and “hard to identify with.” While this was often aimed at the competition’s Spider-Man by some of his own creators, others had aimed it at Superman as well. His powers had also changed with plasma blasts erupting from his hands, and no trace of his old modified visions. To go with the colder outlook, this Superman wore sunglasses (to shield his sensitive eyes), and his costume was darker with an altogether more alien appearance than his classic red and blues. This Superman, called The Last Son of Krypton in marketing, was cold and calculating and killed without mercy. So, for the pages of Action Comics, creator Roger Stern made a Superman who was a very “Old Testament” kind of hero. With anti-heroes on the rise through Wolverine, the Punisher, and the entire spate of offerings from Image Comics, some fans cried out that Superman needed to become a cold and ruthless killer.
Even more amusingly, some of these Supermen could be seen as direct responses to feedback for how Superman (and other heroes) could be “improved” at the time.
However, it once again built into DC’s recently discovered running theme of Legacy, as it only made sense someone would rise up to fill the boots of the Man of Steel. Of course, the four new Supermen wound up, making the story infinitely more gimmicky than just death and rebirth ever could.
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