# Who killed Superman? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 9, 2010, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-killed-superman/524253 "2010-01-09T05:05:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-killed-superman/524253/1 "2010-01-09T05:05:10Z")
I’m running a trivia game for some anal-retentive geeks. One question I want to ask is “Who killed Superman?” I thought the answer was “Doomsday”. However, due to the aforementioned anal-retentive geeks I researched Superman (to be absolutely sure) and there were some hints of other stories that involved the death of Supes. Is Doomsday the unambiguous answer? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-killed-superman/524253/2 "2010-01-09T05:16:12Z")
To my knowledge, yes. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-killed-superman/524253/3 "2010-01-09T05:18:02Z")
Moving to Cafe Society from GQ. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-killed-superman/524253/4 "2010-01-09T05:39:15Z")
Your main problem is that there has been _more than one_ Superman. DC Comics has that whole parallel Earths thing going on. So, for example, Superman of Earth-2 died in Infinite Crisis a few years ago, while Superman of Earth-1/New Earth continues to live. (the latter being the Superman killed once by Doomsday) I suppose one could make a case that Superman dies after “Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow”, but it’s been a while since I read that one. Additionally, I’m pretty sure there are a bunch of obscure Silver Age stories where the death of Superman/Clark Kent is part of the plot – all reversed in the dramatic final reveal, of course. But you’re dealing with geeks here, after all… (I once geeked a trivia contest to a halt, by answering the question “Who were the sisters of Medeusa?” with “Stheno and Euryale.” of course, they were looking for “the Gorgons” and googling had to ensue.) ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-killed-superman/524253/5 "2010-01-09T07:32:39Z")
Have you ever wondered why Jeopardy! clues tend to be verbose? A common technique for geek-proofing a trivia question is to add restrictive information; e.g., “Who killed Superman in a highly publicized 1992 comic-book storyline?” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-killed-superman/524253/6 "2010-01-09T07:34:59Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > Have you ever wondered why Jeopardy! clues tend to be verbose? It provides a hint and sometimes links the question and answer to the category. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-killed-superman/524253/7 "2010-01-09T07:35:56Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > Have you ever wondered why Jeopardy! clues tend to be verbose? A common technique for geek-proofing a trivia question is to add restrictive information; e.g., “Who killed Superman in a highly publicized 1992 comic-book storyline?” Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding. Sorry… _Who are_ Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding? ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-killed-superman/524253/8 "2010-01-09T07:53:00Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > It provides a hint and sometimes links the question and answer to the category. That was a rhetorical question! > [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding. In a highly publicized 1992 comic-book storyline, Superman was killed by _what fictional character_? (It is not necessary to phrase your response in the form of a question.) _Sheesh_. Geek-proofing is harder than I thought. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-killed-superman/524253/9 "2010-01-09T09:28:14Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > _Sheesh_. Geek-proofing is harder than I thought. Geeks make the best tax lawyers. 🙂 I mean the tax-avoiding kind, of course. Not the tax-collecting kind. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-killed-superman/524253/10 "2010-01-09T15:21:25Z")
The same Superman who was killed by Doomsday was also killed by Mantou Raven (I think) in Obsidian Age - almost the entire JLA was, in fact. At the time, it consisted of Superman, Wonder Woman (who has also died twice), Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner, just came back from his very brief second death), Batman (…currently dead for the second time\*), Martian Manhunter (ditto), and Plastic Man (who technically didn’t die then…but it was a bad few thousand years for him). - His soul’s on walkabout…and making its way back. Superman-2, FTR, was killed by Superboy-Prime (who may have been using Superman-Prime at the time…can’t quite remember), another alternate-universe equivalent. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-killed-superman/524253/11 "2010-01-09T16:27:04Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > The same Superman who was killed by Doomsday was also killed by Mantou Raven (I think) in Obsidian Age… Manitou Raven. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-killed-superman/524253/12 "2010-01-09T17:07:16Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > Geeks make the best tax lawyers. 🙂 > > I mean the tax-avoiding kind, of course. Not the tax-collecting kind. In my experience, lawyers on both sides of a tax case tend to be geeks. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-killed-superman/524253/13 "2010-01-09T22:21:50Z")
Superman was killed by Batman (Using Lex Luthor’s Kryptonite ring) in a 1991 story. The death was not imaginary, or reversed, but it took place in “The future” (2001) as seen by a time-sensitive character. > **[Armageddon 2001](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armageddon_2001)** > > "Armageddon 2001" was a 1991 crossover event storyline published by DC Comics. It ran through a self-titled, two-issue limited series and most of the annuals DC published that year from May through October (Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #2 did not tie-in to the storyline). After the event, there were two limited series, Armageddon: The Alien Agenda #1-4 (which was a direct sequel) and Armageddon: Inferno #1-4 (which was only tangentially related). > Each participating annual explored potential ... (BTW, I’m not the World’s greatest Superman expert, but wasn’t his death in the Doomsday story a fake? He wasn’t really dead, just in some form of suspended animation, or something like that?) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-killed-superman/524253/14 "2010-01-09T22:30:21Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > (BTW, I’m not the World’s greatest Superman expert, but wasn’t his death in the Doomsday story a fake? He wasn’t really dead, just in some form of suspended animation, or something like that?) He was indeed dead. He got better. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-killed-superman/524253/15 "2010-01-09T22:33:49Z")
No, he was dead, and repaired - a few writers have tried to retcon it into a coma, but others have specifically called it death. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-killed-superman/524253/16 "2010-01-11T04:01:51Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > Have you ever wondered why Jeopardy! clues tend to be verbose? A common technique for geek-proofing a trivia question is to add restrictive information; e.g., “Who killed Superman in a highly publicized 1992 comic-book storyline?” It feels more more dramatic to ask “Who killed Superman?” but I think I will have to take your advice. Damned geeks! ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-killed-superman/524253/17 "2010-01-11T14:59:37Z")
Well, if he was really dead, how was his resurrection explained without making him into a beardless Jesus? ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-killed-superman/524253/18 "2010-01-11T15:15:39Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Well, if he was really dead, how was his resurrection explained without making him into a beardless Jesus? What do you mean “without?” Superman has been a literary (note: not a\* LITERAL\*) Christ symbol for decades. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Baldy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Gary\_Baldy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Baldy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-killed-superman/524253/19 "2010-01-11T15:17:06Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Well, if he was really dead, how was his resurrection explained without making him into a beardless Jesus? Silly mortal. I thought everyone already knew that writers for the past few decades have used symbolism that Superman is Jesus. For example, didn’t the first episode of Smallville have Clark Kent crucified? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-killed-superman/524253/20 "2010-01-11T15:41:13Z")
To be fair, he \*is \*Jewish. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-killed-superman/524253.md?page=2)