Man of Steel Pitted Against Homelander and Brightburn Fan-Art - CBR - Comic Book Resources

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As part of a The Boys-themed Line it is Drawn challenge at CBR, artist Nick Perks shared artwork depicting Superman taking on both Homelander and Brightburn.

Perks' image shows Kingdom Come Superman holding an unconscious Homelander in one hand and a defeated Brightburn in the other.

Above Superman's head, the text reads: "For some reason... I somehow felt responsible for these two." The art was a tongue-in-cheek reference to Brightburn and Homelander being variants of the "evil Superman" trope. It also acknowledged two major themes of guilt and accountability in 1996's Kingdom Come comic series, which featured a dejected Superman turning his back on the Earth he once sought to protect after Lois Lane's death.

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Often used in Elseworld stories by DC, the "evil Superman" trope explores the possibility of the Big Blue Boy Scout using his tremendous powers to nefarious ends. The Boys take on this idea is depicted through Homelander, who shares many of Superman's powers but none of his morals. Unlike Superman, Homelander is a narcissistic sociopath whose primary concerns are attention and power. Homelander was created and raised in a lab, leading the superhuman to wield his powers selfishly, due to the lack of humanity instilled in him since birth.

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Similarly to Homelander, Brightburn offered a horrific take on Superman's potential through the story of Brandon Breyer, an extraterrestrial adopted by a Kansas couple. Like Superman, Breyer begins to develop superhuman powers as he enters adolescence, leading his mother to reveal his alien origins to him. Breyer's development of powers takes a disturbing turn as he goes on a murderous rampage, fueled by his angst and sorrow at being not of this Earth.

The Kingdom Come Superman predated both of the above superhumans and offers a more remorseful take on the "evil Superman" trope. This version of Superman suffered the loss of Lois Lane and the staff of The Daily Planet, due to the Joker. Superhero Magog killed the Joker in response to Joker's toxic attack and is pardoned by the court. A dishearted Superman disappears for a decade into his Fortress of Solitude but later returns to restore the Justice League after a nuclear event irradiates the American midwest.

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Amazon Studios' The Boys stars Karl Urban as Billy Butcher, Jack Quaid as Hughie, Laz Alonso as Mother's Milk, Tomer Kapon as Frenchie, Karen Fukuhara as Kimiko, Erin Moriarty as Annie January, Chace Crawford as the Deep, Antony Starr as Homelander and Aya Cash as Stormfront. Seasons 1 and 2 are currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

KEEP READING: The Boys: 5 Ways Homelander In Amazon's The Boys Is Comics-Accurate (& 5 How He's Different)

Source: DeviantArt

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Allison Hambrick (35 Articles Published)

An avid comic book fan since the first time she read "Stan Lee's Soapbox," Allison Hambrick is an Atlanta-based journalist and screenwriter, with a degree in writing from SCAD. Through her writing, she hopes to inspire, to entertain, and to empower others to be the best versions of themselves, and her mission in life is to make Stan proud. Her interests outside the realm of writing include binge watching, playing video games, and drinking too much tea. She may or may not still be waiting for her Hogwarts letter to arrive in the mail.