Who Is Eradicator Superman? Comic Origins & Powers Explained

Superman is possibly the most highly regarded hero in the history of comics, both in the world of the DC Universe and in real life. At different times in the comics, he can identify as a Kansas farm boy or a god-like visitor from another planet. But there is one thing that has plagued him for decades. The living incarnation of Kryptonian culture known as the Eradicator.

Although there have been several DC Comics characters with the name Eradicator, the most prominent one is the version that first appears in the seminal storyline “The Death and Return of Superman” (more commonly known as “Reign of the Supermen”).

The Eradicator Superman’s Comic Book Origins

Hundreds of thousands of years ago, the Eradicator was a machine that bore a striking resemblance to Superman’s birthing matrix. It was originally created by an unnamed alien race to contain and protect their culture, but when one wound up on Krypton, it was captured and altered to protect and spread Kryptonian culture instead. It ultimately fell into the hands of an alien evangelist known only as The Cleric. He kept the Eradicator safe for 200,000 years until he encountered Superman, who was being held by Mongul on Warworld. As soon as the Cleric gave Superman the Eradicator, he rapidly aged and died because of the connection that he and the Eradicator shared was severed.

Superman returns to Earth with the Eradicator, but it attempts to morph Clark into a “true” Kryptonian in the storyline “The Krypton Man.” The Man of Steel eventually overcomes the machine’s influence and hurtles the Eradicator into the sun. While inside the sun, the Eradicator is able to construct a being of pure energy that returns to Superman’s Fortress of Solitude when Superman died at the hands of Doomsday, kicking off “The Reign of the Supermen.”

When Superman died, the Eradicator returned to Earth in an attempt to claim Superman’s role. He was one of four to do so. The others are Superboy, Steel, and Cyborg Superman. When the computer appeared on Earth, it took on the mantle (and appearance) of the Last Son of Krypton, even believing that it really was Superman. It took the place of Superman and fought crime in Metropolis, but was far more ruthless than Superman ever was. Eradicator Superman is cold, blunt, and emotionless. As it says to Lois Lane in Action Comics #687 by Roger Stern, Jackson Guice, and Denis Rodier, “Things have changed, I have changed. Kent is gone.” 

Eradicator Superman’s Comic Powers Explained

The Eradicator is phenomenally powerful, regardless of which version you are talking about. In its original form, the Eradicator kept the Cleric alive for millennia, built the Fortress of Solitude, transported Superman (and others, supposedly) over thousands of miles, and even synthesized kryptonite.

Once it changed into a Superman-like form, it gained powers similar to the hero’s: flight, invulnerability, super-strength, etc. In addition, the Eradicator can absorb and redirect energy shot at him. Also, after the events of Rebirth, the Eradicator can now absorb the “essence” of an item, specifically those that are Kryptonian in nature.

How the Eradicator Returned During DC Comics’ Rebirth

In the new continuity, the Eradicator was originally created by Superman’s nemesis, General Zod, as one of several machines designed to arrest and contain the life energy of Kryptonian criminals. This Eradicator was off-planet when Krypton exploded and saw Superman’s rocket escape Krypton moments before the explosion. It spent the next several decades searching for the last Kryptonian, with its new mission being to preserve Kryptonian culture by any means necessary. It was destroyed during a fight with Superman as it was attempting to assimilate Superman’s son, Jon. 

It next appeared in Justice League #40-43 in 2018. The Eradicator arrived on Daxam, a planet where the population descended from Kryptonian colonists, but without the weakness to Kryptonite. In his bid to remake Earth in Krypton’s image, the Eradicator enhances several Daxamites to Invade Earth. Ultimately, with the assistance of Madame Xanadu, they transport the Eradicator and the Daxamites to a remote planet without a yellow sun, stripping them of their powers and the Eradicator destroyed again. 

The Eradicator’s current whereabouts are unknown, but fans can probably rest assured that he will be back to “save and protect” Krypton’s legacy in the most destructive way possible.