Spoilers for Dark Nights: Death Metal--The Secret Origin #1 ahead!
DC has revealed their most hated villain, Superboy-Prime, is actually a toxic fanboy. In Dark Nights: Death Metal - The Secret Origin, readers get to see Superboy-Prime’s life before fate intervened and are also privy to his redemption. The one-shot issue, written by Geoff Johns and Scott Snyder, with a rotating team of artists including Jerry Ordway, Frances Manapul, and Ryan Benjamin, is in stores now.
Superboy-Prime is a native of Earth-Prime, which in the original DC Multiverse was our Earth, and he was its only hero. Earth-Prime was destroyed in the Crisis on Infinite Earths and Superboy-Prime went into a pocket dimension with other Crisis survivors. While in that pocket dimension, he slowly went mad, feeling he had been cheated of his opportunity to be a great hero. When he was freed from that dimension in Infinite Crisis, he joined Alexander Luthor’s quest to restore the Multiverse, even if it meant killing others.
The Secret Origin fleshes Superboy-Prime's story out. His parents found him in a field and named him Clark Kent as a homage to Superman. Growing up a comic book fan, he develops a particular fondness for DC Comics, and a young woman named Laurie. One night at a beach party with Laurie and his friends, Superboy-Prime flies for the first time, right as the Crisis hits his Earth, destroying it. He blames Superman for his world’s demise and swears revenge. Now with the Multiverse gone, Superboy-Prime gets a shot at redemption, and sacrifices himself to help stop the Batman Who Laughs. At the issue’s end he wakes up on a new Earth-Prime, and the adventure begins again.
Superboy-Prime’s attitude mirrors the more toxic elements of fandom. He feels as if he is owed a heroic career, just because he has all the powers of Superman. He makes flippant comments about the other heroes, including Superman. Superboy-Prime has a chip on his shoulder towards the others, even Krypto, although the dog winds up becoming one of the instruments of his redemption.
The character of Superboy-Prime became a commentary on the toxic nature of comic book fandom. He feels entitled to everything just because of who he is, and this had led him into conflict with the heroes of the DC Universe on more than one occasion. Given his past actions, it appeared the character was beyond redemption, but by coming to terms with his own toxic background, he was able to throw a wrench into the Batman Who Laugh’s plans and return to his own world to start over again. It an unexpected but satisfying conclusion to the character’s arc.