Who's Who in the Superman Comics
Bizarro
Shortly after arriving in Metropolis, there was an inevitable meeting between the Metropolis elite; Superman and Lex Luthor. Because Luthor staged an attack on his yacht to lure Superman, Luthor was arrested and booked. Furious, Luthor turned to his bioengineers to create an exact copy of the alien hero. His top scientist in bioengineering was Doctor Teng. Teng was successful in recreating the basic body structure for a super-clone except for the crucial elements in Kryptonian DNA that is not present in human DNA. The result of his work was a cloned body whose 'flesh' crystallized white and gave the clone a ghostlike appearance. This 'Bizarro' as both Luthor and Superman coined, still had the basic moral character of the real Superman. Enough in fact that he flew around the city saving people only to depart confused as the people ran away from him screaming. He came into contact with Lois' sister Lucy Lane, a flight attendant at the time that came up with a mysterious blindness. Bizarro caught her as she was attempting a suicidal plunge from her apartment window. From her contact with the creature, and the chalky residue from the crystallized skin, Lucy began to regain her sight. Superman had a final confrontation with this Bizarro and the creature actually threw himself into the last barrage, allowing Superman to demolish the clone body raining the strange dust down on Lucy and Lois below. Lucy Lane regained her sight and Bizarro was no more (TMOS #5).
When Lex Luthor's cloned body was dying he had his current scientist, Sydney Happerson, resurrect the technology Dr. Teng had used to create Bizarro previously. The body once again deteriorated but at a somewhat slower rate and this Bizarro seemed more human in the speech patterns and emotions. Superman had many confrontations with Bizarro when he was trying to apprehend the creature. After a series of events that had an ailing Luthor determined to posess the Bizarro body for research on the cure for the clone plague running rampant through Metropolis. In the end, Bizarro actually put a stop to Happerson and Luthor's work and died in Lois' arms (SUP #87-88, AOS #510, ACT #697, MOS #32).
The Contessa revisited the Bizarro technology and sent hers to kidnap her child from Luthor. This duplicate ended up as imperfect as all those before and did not last long (Superman Forever).
The latest incarnation of Bizarro has been the most... well... bizarre. When Mr. Mxyzptlk was tricked into giving the Joker 99% his 5th Dimensional power, the Joker set upon crowning himself Emperor of the universe and remaking the whole world through his eyes. Bizarro was one of the Joker's minions keeping the peace in his so-called creation. Bizarro headed up the J.L.A. consisting of: Poison Ivy, Enigma, Scorch, Skism, Gorgeous Gilly, Gravedigger Lad, Bounty, and Ignition. This Bizarro is unlike the other, imperfect clones, he is more lifelike and magical if you will. Wearing a nametag around his neck proclaiming 'Bizarro #1' he's out to keep Superman imprisoned in Arkham Asylum. Through efforts depending mainly on Superman's will and the help of friends like Lois, Batman, Team Superman, and the J.L.A., they overcame the Joker and put an end to his terror returning reality to normalŠ or has everything returned to normal? Recently Bizarro #1 has been sighted in Metropolis. He sought out Jimmy Olsen in hopes that Olsen would reclaim the mantle of Gravedigger Lad. Jimmy uncertain of just who this Bizarro is and what he wants does not recall the events of the Joker's reign and doesn't recognize anything's amiss until Supergirl shows up to 'save' him. A fight between the two commences and is stopped by the arrival of Superman. Superman, according to Jimmy, was lethal in the way he spoke to Bizarro. The tone of Superman's voice when he spoke to Bizarro sent chills down his spine, he related that had Bizarro not flown off, he really thought Superman was going to kill him.
Shortly after leaving Superman, Supergirl, and Jimmy with many unanswered questions, Bizarro is ambushed by Ignition. Ignition voices his intentions of taking Bizarro before his master, training him, teaching him, and readying him for the great darkness that is to come. This "master" is revealed to be General Zod, who uses Bizarro #1 as a punching bag in getting ready to face Imperiex (Superman: Our Worlds At War: Secret Files and Origins #1).
Bizarro continues to appear throughout the DC Universe, sometimes popping up to team up with Batzarro (a Bizarro version of Batman).
First Appearance: TMOS #5 (Sept. 1986)
First Appearance (second Bizarro): SUP #87 (Mar. 1994)
First Appearance (Bizarro #1): SUP #160 (Sept. 2000)
Who's Who in the Superman Comics
Introduction
This is a listing of many of the notable characters and a few places that have appeared in the Superman comics from the 1986 revamp up until around 2008.
NOTE: A new, and more current version of the Who's Who is currently being worked on and can be accessed by clicking here.
Although Superman often appears in other DC Comics, this text's information is limited mainly to what has occurred in the regular Superman comics.
Many thanks to Scotty V, Derrick Lyle Coleman, Dean Vanek, Genevieve Clemens and Benjamin Grose who all helped out at one time or another with writing and updating these Who's Who descriptions.
The listings are displayed as follows: - Surname, Firstname - Text describing the character, place, object, etc...
Relevant issues of the Superman comics are listed as such:
- SUP = Superman
- MOS = Man of Steel
- AOS = Adventures of Superman
- ACT = Action Comics
- MOT = Man of Tomorrow
The Issue Number for each of these titles is written in this manner: “#000”. (e.g. SUP #123)
“First Appearance” refers to the issue since 1986 unless otherwise noted.
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