Of all the characters in the DC Universe, the villain Superboy-Prime stands out as one of the most tragic in the publisher's history. A rare moment of self-reflection for the reviled character gave insight into the psychological toll his history as a comic book rogue has had on him.
Superboy-Prime burst onto the comic scene around the time of DC's first major Crisis, and was presented as a Superman from Earth-Prime, a world much like the real-life Earth. Like the 'real' Earth, the adventures of the DCU were published as comic books that Prime was a huge fan of. After Crisis On Infinite Earths ended with Prime retreating to a pocket dimension, the young hero grew bitter and disillusioned over the changes to DC's status quo. After attempting to kill the heroes he loved so much, Prime was depowered and exiled back to Earth-Prime, where he spent his days trolling DC Comics' message boards.
The past came back to haunt Superboy-Prime in a two issue arc beginning with Adventure Comics #4 by Geoff Johns, Sterling Gates, and Jerry Ordway. Prime realizes he’s in a tie-in issue to Blackest Night and that his old associate, Alexander Luthor Jr, is coming back as a Black Lantern Corps member to kill him. Luthor arrives and leads a Black Lantern army of Prime's victims to attack the former hero. Superboy-Prime bemoans how his ascension into villainy wasn't his fault and that he's nothing more than the plaything of DC Comics. Prime even attempts to destroy DC Comics' headquarters as payback for the dark trajectory they put him on. Prime is able to defeat his enemies using a Black Lantern ring against them, but the entire event leaves the young man lamenting about his fate as a puppet on strings.
Not that it makes the awful things Superboy-Prime did any better, but he isn’t wrong about his lack of control. Prime is fully aware that he’s a comic character and that the decisions he makes aren’t made by him, but by comic creators trying to tell a good story. All Prime can do is sit back and watch as his life goes to hell while he's derided by DC heroes and DC Comics readers alike.
Meta-awareness is often portrayed as a fun power that embraces the sillier nature of comic books. And while that may be true for Deadpool or Lobo, it’s portrayed to be the heaviest burden for Superboy-Prime. Not only has he had to grasp the existential ramifications of being a comic character at a young age, he knows that his turn from a hero into a villain wasn't his fault, but by masterminded by people far above him. It's hard not to feel at least slightly sorry for someone who knows how little autonomy he truly has, especially when he could have just as easily been written to be the hero. The DC Universe is filled with plenty of tragic characters, but the fate of Superboy-Prime remains its most heartbreaking downfall.