Published Feb 18, 2026, 1:03 PM EST
Robert Wood is a writer and editor based out of Cheshire, England. He is the author of 'The False Elephant: and 99 Other Unreasonably Short Stories' - 100 stories, each told in exactly 100 words.
Rob got into comics via Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man and the UK anthology 'The Mighty World of Marvel,' which was running Frank Miller's Daredevil, Classic Hulk and Contest of Champions II.
Prior to journalism, he worked in copywriting and copyedited for Oxford University Press. He is on X as @PinchTwigs and Instagram as roobwoodjourno.
DC just confirmed a shock hero can officially and near-effortlessly kill Superman, revealing the fellow do-gooder that the Man of Steel should really stay on the right side of. Here's what DC fans should know...
Doom Patrol's Negative Man Can DESTROY Superman
In today's Batman/Superman: World's Finest #48 - from Mark Waid, Marcus To, Tamra Bonvillain and Steve Wands - fans head to Earth-3, the home of Ultraman and Owlman. The two villains stomp down some heroes and rivals, going up against this world's answer to the Doom Patrol.
In the fight that follows, Negative Man dominates Superman, with the reveal that the energy-based hero can transform his body into red solar radiation. This radiation is lethal to Superman, disabling and killing him just as fast as Green Kryptonite.
Ultraman only survives because Owlman comes to his rescue, preventing Negative Man reconnecting to his host and thus killing them both. Had Owlman not stood up for his ally, Ultraman would have been slaughtered by Negative Man.
While Ultraman is a different character to Superman, their weakness to red solar radiation is identical, and Earth-3's Negative Man has the same powers as the mainstream version. This issue acts as confirmation that should the Doom Patrol take on the Man of Steel, Superman would die in minutes from just one of their number.
Who Is Doom Patrol's Negative Man?
In DC's mainstream canon, Negative Man is Larry Trainor - the human host of a 'negative spirit' named Keeg Bovo. Larry stores the Negative Man within his body, keeping the entity tethered to the material world.
The Negative Man form can absorb, alter and exude most forms of radiation, as well as flying and turning intangible. Originally, the Negative Man could only be deployed for sixty seconds at a time - a limit the mainstream Larry eventually overcame, but the Earth-3 version didn't.
The Doom Patrol are generally considered DC's weirdest heroes, with surreal enemies and bizarre interpersonal dynamics. However, that doesn't make them weak, and Ultraman's experiences confirm that in any fight between Superman and Negative Man, the Man of Steel is going down.
Batman/Superman: World's Finest #48 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) ·