Published Jan 28, 2026, 3:31 PM EST
Andrew Dyce is the Deputy Editor for ScreenRant's coverage of Marvel, DC, and all other comics. Whether superheroes, sci-fi, fantasy, or any other genre, Andrew's decade in the industry and countless hours of analysis on podcasts like the Screen Rant Underground, Total Geekall, The Rings of Power Podcast, Batman v Superman: By The Minute, and more has left its mark.
With over a decade spent at GameRant and ScreenRant, Andrew has made himself known as an outspoken fan and critic of film, television, video games, comics, and more.
The time has come for Superman fans of the 1990s to finally exorcise some demons, now that DC has officially killed off its most loathed era of the Man of Steel. But in keeping with DC's new mission, the story and nostalgia at play in this Kryptonian sacrifice may remind even Superman Blue's biggest haters to be careful what they wish for.
The Electric Blue Superman Returns, To Officially Be Killed in DC Canon
Even For A Hated Hero, The Superman Variant Gets A Brutal Death
The massive DC K.O. fighting tournament has caused chaos for more than just the contestants, tearing space and time in a disaster being faced by the new Justice League Unlimited. The good news is that said breaches in reality have drawn variants of heroes from across DC's timeline and Elseworlds, from Batman Beyond to the one-handed Aquaman. The bad news? It's also brought back the electric blue Superman.
Where the original Superman comics of the late '90s would eventually transform Superman from his electric form back to normal, this recruited doppelganger is still smack in the middle of the "Superman Blue" era which begun in 1997. And while writers have poked fun at the electric Superman in the past, his fate has taken a dark, dark turn.
Joining Mister Terrific's mission into Hell, the previous issue dropped what might be one of the saddest possible moments for any variant of Superman. Forced to pay a tragic price to Charon to cross the River Styx, the mythological ferryman demanded that which Superman treasures most: his hope. And the latest issue reveals just how crucial that really is for the Man of Steel to persist.
And so it is that in the new Justice League Unlimited #15, Superman decides to offer one final sacrifice for the sake of his teammates. Flying directly into the mouth of a giant demonic monster, Superman discharges all the power contained inside of him, killing the beast, and ending his life in one fell swoop.
Will Superman Fans Finally Forgive DC For His 'Electric' Era?
The Controversial Superman Redesign is A Hall of Fame 'Mistake'
It's a bittersweet moment for older fans, and that is surely by design of the creative team. After all, Superman's dramatic transformation into this intangible, electromagnetic form is one of the most notorious and disliked in the character's long history. There was a time, one could easily argue, when a chance to witness the variant truly die would have been on many a DC fan's wishlist.
But to see it happen in so hopeless a fashion, trading Clark Kent's life for so little, it's hard not to feel a pang of regret. Or at the very least, allow even disgruntled fans to put their harsh feelings about Superman Blue to bed once and for all. But... we somehow doubt it.
Justice League Unlimited #15 is available now from DC Comics.
Created By Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel
First Appearance Action Comics
Alias Kal-El, Clark Kent, Jonathan Kent
Alliance Justice League, Superman Family
Race Kryptonian
Franchise D.C.
English (US) ·