(Photo Credit: Warner Bros.)
Superman is famed for his self-sacrificing nature. He is also notable as an inspiration for others to do good deeds. This example was taken to heart by one of the Man of Steel’s allies, who made a surprising sacrifice in a recent DC K.O. event tie-in.
The shocking death came in Superman #35 by Joshua Williamson, Eddy Barrows, Júlio Ferreira, and Eber Ferreira. The issue continued a battle between the Man of Steel’s allies and the Omega Legion – a corrupted Legion of Super-Heroes devoted to Darkseid. The hero team was made up of Superboy Prime, Lois Lane (who had recovered her Superwoman powers) and a Superman robot.
The battle was being fought to secure knowledge of how to defeat the being that Kryptonian prophets called “The Final God.” This was believed to be Darkseid. The ancient Kryptonians also created a being intended to be the alpha to Darkseid’s omega. This being came to be known as Doomsday, and ultimately evolved into the cosmic being known as the Time Trapper. This retcon was originally revealed in the Superman comics building up to the DC K.O. event.
(Image Source: DC)
Despite the damage to its body, the Superman robot fought the metal-manipulating Cosmic Boy. It also used its last of energy to replay the hologram confirming Doomsday’s purpose. This inspired the Time Trapper to join the final battle against Darkseid. However, this effectively killed the robot, as it could not be rebuilt with the materials on Earth.
How Superman robot defied programming for noble sacrifice
Logically, the robot should not have been able to do this. It was discussed in a flashback that Superman’s robot doubles were programmed to choose self-preservation over sacrifice. This was intended to hide the fact that sometimes Superman made use of robot doubles. It also avoided the programming glitches that might arise from a machine attempting to understand complex moral dilemmas.
(Image Source: DC)
However, the robots were also programmed to mimic Superman’s behavior as much as possible. When questioned why it didn’t flee from Cosmic Boy, the robot said it just did what Superman would do. With all reality in danger, this imperative apparently overrode the order for self-preservation. The Man of Steel is famous for breaking many things, but this may be the first time his example broke a robot’s programming.
Superman #35 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
