Under the influence of the Eradicator, Superman received a costume so bad it should make fans glad Krypton was destroyed. In the classic Superman story “Day of the Krypton Man,” the Man of Steel is corrupted by the Eradicator, fully embracing his Kryptonian heritage—complete with a Kryptonian costume. And Kal-El’s embrace of his alien side reminds fans of the importance of Earth in shaping Superman.
Comic book fans know Krypton is Superman’s home world, and that he escaped as an infant. However, depictions of Krypton have differed over the years. Initially portrayed as a vibrant and colorful utopia, Krypton received a serious makeover courtesy writer/artist John Byrne in 1986’s The Man of Steel. The mini-series, which retooled Superman’s mythology for the modern era, recast Krypton as a cold and sterile society, where personal relationships were forbidden, and children were conceived entirely in test tubes. These Kryptonians were highly xenophobic, and created a device called the Eradicator to keep other races at bay. During this era, Superman exiled himself into space, and before he returned to Earth, he received the Eradicator as a gift from the Cleric, who had been on Krypton years prior. The Eradicator would go on to be responsible for creating Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, but in “Day of the Krypton Man,” it tried to convert Superman into a full-on Kryptonian.
In 1990’s Superman #41, written and illustrated by Jerry Ordway, the Eradicator first took control of Superman, and slowly began purging his human side. While under the sway of the Eradicator, Superman received a ceremonial Kryptonian outfit, including a sash and ruffles on the sleeves. Over the issues that followed, Superman began to become more hard-lined in his fight against evil, and in Superman #42, he nearly killed an opponent; meanwhile, his personal life began to suffer as well. Matters came to a head in Action Comics #652, written by Roger Stern and illustrated by George Perez, when Ma and Pa Kent intervene. When a Kryptonian battle suit attempts to attack the Kents, it ultimately snaps Superman back to reality and away from the Eradicator’s influence. The storyline concludes with Superman reaffirming his human side in light of the Eradicator’s manipulation.
While Superman’s Kryptonian outfit may look ridiculous, it is actually a grim reminder of Superman’s duality. He is an alien and an extremely powerful one at that, but he was raised by humans, who instilled in him morals and empathy—the very concepts that make him Superman. If Superman had been raised on Krypton, particularly the one depicted in “Day of the Krypton Man,” he would not have the goodness given to him by the Kents and would be a cold and ruthless vigilante. As proof of this, during the “Reign of the Supermen” storyline, the Eradicator returned, temporarily taking over Superman’s then-dead body and embarking on a brutal, one-man war against evil. The ceremonial Kryptonian garb Superman wore during this storyline became a symbol of corruption and oppression, reminding fans that it Earth is what truly makes him Superman.
As mentioned earlier, the Eradicator was instrumental in helping revive Superman after his death at the hands of Doomsday, but at one point it tried to take over Superman, making him more Kryptonian which is proof that it was probably a good thing Krypton was destroyed.