The ’90s was a time when comic book companies tried to shake up the status quo. Batman had his back broken and was replaced by a more violent Dark Knight. Spider-Man and Daredevil—two of the most agile, high-flying superheroes at Marvel—were given heavy suits of clunky armor. Wolverine lost his adamantium and found out his claws were actually made of bone. And then there’s poor Clark Kent…
DC really put Superman through the wringer during comics’ most gimmicky decade. First, he was killed in what was essentially a publicity stunt meant to garner attention for a character some saw as stale and “old timey,” for the edgy ’90s. Next, he was replaced by four new heroes, all claiming to be the “real” Superman—a young clone grown from a mixture of his and Lex Luthor’s DNA, A violent, emotionless vigilante, a cyborg, and an Iron Man ripoff with a sledgehammer.
And when DC did bring Superman back, what final indignity did they make him suffer? They give him a mullet like Billy Ray Cyrus. All of that was nothing, however, compared to Superman Red and Superman Blue.