10 Best Superman Origin Stories, Ranked

Superman has had his origin story retold many times, often with changes to update the hero for new fans, but some origins are better than others.

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Superman arrived in DC Comics in 1939 and has been published almost regularly for 80 years now. Much like Batman, Superman has kept up multiple titles over the years, with both Superman and Action Comics hitting over 1,000 issues each. This leaves a lot of room for reinterpreting the Man of Steel and updating him for new audiences.

Through the years, Superman’s origin story has changed and morphed, with additions and subtractions updating him for a new generation. From how and why he left his home planet to what happened after he arrived on Earth to his entire youth and development into becoming Superman, there are several different Superman origin stories, some higher regarded than others.

10 Superman: Year One

Superman: Year One was a lesser Superman origin story, one that followed up the groundbreaking success of Batman: Year One. Unlike the revised Batman story, the Superman story left many readers flat. It was not one of Frank Miller’s better stories and one of Superman’s weirdest comic book arcs. It was also an origin story that didn’t connect with readers.

In Superman: Year One, Miller and John Romita Jr. told the story of Superman figuring out what it means to be a hero, starting out in Smallville and moving on to the world in general. This included joining the military, falling in love with an Atlantean, and finally meeting Batman and Lex Luthor in Metropolis.

9 Action Comics #1 / Superman #1 (1938/1939)

Superman’s first appearance came in the pages of Action Comics #1 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. In this issue, the origin story of Superman was told on one page, with the news that his “distant planet” was destroyed and he ended up on Earth where he ended up in an orphanage and developed superpowers even as a baby.

While it was his basic origin that has remained intact since this debut, it was low on information and lacking in substance. Superman #1 added in some information, including the name of his home planet (Krypton) and that the Kents found him, but once again it was just a basic outline of his origin, and not up to the quality of later retellings.

8 Superman: American Alien

In 2016, filmmaker Max Landis took on a Superman origin story in a seven-issue miniseries titled Superman: American Alien. The books contained a batch of all-star artists and Landis retold Superman’s origin story by showing a young Clark Kent as he went through his youth and became a hero.

The book is a great look at Clark and why he felt he needed to take on the role of Superman, while also breaking down a small-town community that was searching for meaning. While it was a fun tale about a young alien trying to find his life’s purpose, this was mostly a Clark Kent origin story and had little to do with Superman, the hero.

7 Superman: Earth One

Superman: Earth One arrived in 2010 by J. Michael Straczynski and Shane Davis. This was an alternate reality Superman origin story, and the story focuses mostly on Clark Kent’s early days living in Metropolis as a young man.

This comic saw the U.S. fearing the hero and actually siding with one of Superman’s best comic villains, Zod, against the Man of Steel. It was likely a big influence on Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel movie, especially with humans fearing Superman’s power. It was an interesting look at Superman but had nothing to do with what makes Superman special.

6 Superman: New 52

There are many fans who hated Superman’s portrayal in the New 52. However, one thing most fans agree on is that Action Comics was the best Superman book released in the New 52. Grant Morrison took on the writing here, and that might explain the praise.

In this story, Morrison took Superman’s origin and focused on when he became a hero after arriving in Metropolis. Where this story improved on other origin stories was that Superman protected the working class over the mega-corporations. The books even took Clark Kent in that direction, making his journalism reporting focused on helping expose corporate crimes. It made Superman a hero of the people, which is what fans loved most.

5 Superman: Red Son

Sometimes, an Elseworlds DC Comics story becomes so popular that it overtakes canon stories in the minds of fans. That was the case with the 2003 series Superman: Red Son by Mark Millar, Dave Johnson, Andrew Robinson, Walden Wong, and Killian Plunkett.

This reimagined Superman as landing in the Soviet Union rather than Kansas as a baby. With Superman in Stalin’s Russia, the Soviet Union never collapsed and became a major world power. What was great about this Superman origin story was that, even if he didn’t stand for the “American way,” Superman was still a wholesome hero in the end. It is easily the best Superman Elseworlds story, and a great origin story regardless.

4 Superman Reborn

Superman died in the New 52, killed by Kryptonite poisoning. This was done for two reasons. One was a storytelling device that marked the end of the character in that specific part of DC history. The second reason was to allow Superman to experience a rebirth in the Convergence reboot. This was critically acclaimed and a welcome relief from people who disliked the New 52 Superman.

In this story, the pre-Flashpoint Superman returned, and he was married to Lois Lane and had a son named Jon. Fans who hated the New 52 appreciated how this origin story combined the New 52 with the pre-Crisis Superman, returning him to what old-school fans loved. The fact it did so much to fix Superman makes it one of the best new Superman origin stories, and the one in canon today.

3 Superman: For All Seasons

Superman: For All Seasons was not so much a new Superman origin story, but it was instead a look at his origin story from other people’s point of view. Created by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, this is a four-issue miniseries that takes the John Byrne Man of Steel origin and retells it from the outside looking in.

The first issue is from Pa Kent’s point of view, with the other three issues containing stories told by Superman’s main comic book villain, Lex Luthor, Lois Lane, and Lana Lang. It was an interesting look at Superman’s most popular origin story, told through the eyes of those closest to him. Thanks to its creative storytelling premise, many fans count it among the best Superman stories of all time.

2 Superman: Birthright

In 2003, Mark Waid and Leinil Francis Yu created a new Superman origin story titled Superman: Birthright. This was supposed to be an Elseworlds story, but fans loved it so much that it ended up replacing the Man of Steel origin story in canon.

While many still consider Man of Steel to be the ultimate Superman origin story, Superman: Birthright made some interesting changes that make it a close second, if not better overall than the John Byrne story. The most noticeable change was Pa Kent not wanting Superman to become a superhero and to remain hidden. This replaced Man of Steel in canon until the New 52 arrived.

1 Man Of Steel

Superman’s original origin story was mostly untouched for 50 years, but that changed when Crisis on Infinite Earths rebooted the DC Universe. After this, DC retooled most of its heroes and villains for a new generation. Most fans consider this the best Superman origin story of all time, as John Byrne made several changes that stuck.

Byrne brought Ma and Pa Kent back to life after they had died years before in DC Comics. Man of Steel also changed Lex Luthor, from a mad scientist into a genius business person. The origin story also didn’t give Superman his powers until his late teens, rather than as a baby, allowing fans to watch Superman become the hero he was meant to be as an adult. All other Superman origin stories had to live up to these books.

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