Thanks to his incredible power, Superman has been able to fight more than his fair share of gods in the name of safeguarding humanity, but it took the death of Darkseid to actually transform him into one. But while Superman's God of Strength origin and redesign were suitably epic, a sketch of the Man of Steel's original divine costume shows he could have looked even cooler if not for a trivial detail that sadly stood in the way.

Part of the New 52 era, Justice League: The Darkseid War saw Darkseid and the Anti-Monitor maneuvered into an epic clash with DC's heroes caught in the middle. Against all the odds, the Justice League actually managed to strike down Darkseid, but killing a literal god had a ripple effect on reality, and the heroes began to take on epic new forms and powers. Batman's possession of the Mobius Chair turned him into the God of Knowledge, Flash merged with the Black Rider to become the God of Death, and Superman siphoned the energies of Apokolips to become the DC Universe's new God of Strength.

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Trapped on Apokolips without his powers due to the lack of yellow sunlight, Superman was tossed into one of the planet's giant fire pits by Lex Luthor, supercharging his cells with energy that corrupted his mind and began gradually killing his body. Superman's new form was represented by a recoloring that turned him into a black and white photo negative, representing how his perspective had flipped. But while this look was striking, it pales in comparison to the new forms adopted by Green Lantern, Shazam, and even Lex Luthor, since it doesn't actually change anything about the Man of Steel's costume. In a sketchbook section included with DC's 'Essential Edition' of the story, Francis Manapul's original design is revealed, with a revamped look that better communicates Superman's transformation into a Darkseid-style New God.

Superman God of Strength Comparison

With a high, straight collar, metallic cuffs, and iconic 'Kirby dot' energy bleeding from his body, Superman's original God of Strength design communicates how centering his physical might as his defining attribute perverts the hero he's meant to be.

An editor's note under the costume reveals that this "Super-God" costume was ultimately not used because "there was no opportunity for Superman to change costumes." It's an unfortunate explanation, but one that makes sense seeing as Superman changes form after being dropped into the core of Apokolips, rather than merging with another force or being like the rest of the Justice League. Unfortunately, this minor detail kept Manapul's much more imposing design from appearing in the actual story.

The negative design used in the series is still effective - even if it does fall back on a relatively clichéd design choice - but with DC's New Gods firmly rooted in the inimitable art of Jack Kirby, it was a major missed opportunity not to give Superman a full New God transformation. While Superman is known for his incredible strength, Justice League: The Darkseid War explored what he would become if that quality came to define him, with the original design for the new God of Strength including a range of insightful touches that hammer home how easy it is to shift the priorities of the Man of Steel and transform him from hero to bully.

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