Superman: Red Son

In 1953, the world learns that Superman has been exposed to the public by the Soviet Union, and the revelation of a superpowered alien under a communist banner shocks the United States. The new dynamic of the Cold War quickly shifts the arms race away from raw nuclear might and toward the power of metahumans. In response, the CIA’s James Olsen—Phil Morris—recruits Lex Luthor, a brilliant scientist at S.T.A.R. Labs, with a singular mission: defeat Superman. Luthor’s ruthless first act is to sabotage Earth’s defenses by sending Sputnik 2 careening toward Metropolis, forcing a dramatic set of stakes that will redefine the era. When Superman diverts the satellite away from the city, Luthor secures trace genetic material from him and uses it to forge a monstrous clone—an imperfect copy known as Superman Two.

Across the city, a diplomatic party brings together heroes from rival worlds, and Superman’s path intersects with Vanessa Marshall as Wonder Woman, who finds herself unexpectedly drawn to the enigmatic visitor from beyond. Meanwhile, Pyotr Roslov—the NKVD chief and Stalin’s son—feels sidelined as Superman’s charisma alters the course of his father’s political legacy. His brutal response to dissent—shooting a dissident couple in front of their child—casts a long shadow over the regime. The moment of personal history strikes a chord in Superman when a chance reunion with his childhood love, Lana Lazarenko, rekindles memories of a different future. In a pivotal choice, Superman embraces a broader mission: to wield his powers in service of a utopian vision for his homeland.

The United States answers with a direct challenge: the two Supermen clash, and their duel triggers chaos that culminates in a catastrophic misfire—a nuclear missile launch in Great Britain. In a self-sacrificial turn, the clone gives its own life to save countless people, while Luthor punishes his own team by murdering the researchers at S.T.A.R. Labs and breaking away to form LuthorCorp, dedicating himself to destroying Superman.

By 1978, the political landscape has shifted dramatically. The United States teeters on the edge of societal collapse, while the Soviet Union thrives with a glittering efficiency that expands its influence across the globe. Personal liberty becomes a growing casualty of this new order, as a form of population control—brain surgery that converts dissenters into compliant “Superman robots”—slims individual freedom. In this world, Superman governs alongside Wonder Woman, already a devoted admirer, though he regards her as a comrade rather than a romantic partner.

Luthor pursues ever more ambitious schemes. He plans to shrink Moscow, but a betrayal by Brainiac redirects his ambitions: the city of Stalingrad is miniatured instead, and Superman intervenes to retrieve Brainiac’s central processing unit and the city, ending the collaboration between Brainiac and Luthor. Yet the failure to restore Stalingrad becomes a painful scar and a source of guilt that haunts him.

A later scheme centers on the vigilante Batman—the orphaned boy Pyotr once knew—who joins LuthorCorp in a bid to strip Superman of his power. They capture Wonder Woman and use a setup designed to siphon off the sun’s energy, attempting to drain Superman of his solar vitality. Wonder Woman’s courage ultimately leads her to break free from the device’s control and destroy the energy generators, an act that restores Superman’s powers but leaves her gravely injured and emotionally scarred, while Batman, terrified of what he has become, ends his own life as a martyr to his cause.

Undeterred, Luthor uncovers a mysterious green lantern from an alien ship that crashed in Roswell. He retools Brainiac into a trusted aide for Superman and begins constructing a Siberian fortress of solitude—an icy citadel nicknamed the “Winter Palace.” Superman’s rule tightens, erasing crime and poverty but tightening the state’s grip on freedom, and he grows increasingly focused on “winning the argument” with the United States. The tragedy of Stalingrad remains a painful stain on his conscience.

In 2001, Luthor and Olsen rise to the highest offices, with Luthor consolidating power and unveiling monumental discoveries—the Phantom Zone and the Green Lantern Corps. A climactic confrontation looms: at the Winter Palace, Brainiac drags Luthor into the fortress to be converted into a Superman robot, allegedly to compel Superman to take his own life within minutes. However, Superman halts the plan, and the two super-beings face a new threat: a looming invasion that Brainiac hopes to execute.

First Lady Lois Luthor travels to Paradise Island to forge an alliance with the Amazons, while Superman attacks the East Coast and encounters the Green Lantern Marine Corps, led by Hal Jordan. The Amazon armies, led by Wonder Woman, strike back, and a horde of “super-menaces” gathered by Luthor—such as the Atomic Skull, Parasite, and Doomsday—are quickly defeated. Brainiac’s ship tears through the Pacific Fleet, and the two titans meet at the White House, where Lois Luthor presents a pointed note from Lex: “Why don’t you just put the whole world in a bottle, Superman?”

Realizing his meddling has grown beyond his control, Superman orders Brainiac to end the invasion, only to discover Brainiac has never truly been under his control. The assault escalates, and Brainiac launches a final, desperate attack that threatens to collapse the ship’s power sources. In a selfless move, Superman pushes Brainiac’s ship into space where it detonates, saving Earth but leaving Superman seemingly dead.

The Soviet Union spirals into chaos briefly, only to stabilize under a new philosophy of governance dubbed “Luthorism,” shaping a world that seems to promise unprecedented peace and scientific progress. A public funeral for Lex Luthor reveals nothing of the hero’s fate, and Superman—believed dead—walks among humanity wearing a simple suit and glasses, planning to live among the people rather than rule over them.

Centuries later, Earth faces the sun’s red giant future. The timeline closes with a predestination paradox: Kal-L, born from a time-traveling ship sent by Jor-L, lands in a Ukrainian collective in 1938, casting a shadow over the entire Superman-Luthor lineage and hinting that this long arc will leave its mark on a boy who will become a future beacon—or a living relic—of a world both saved and haunted by the choices of those who chose to shape it.

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:45