Superman Dynasties

Superman Dynasties is a superhero comic book series published by DC Comics under it's DC Dynasties line. Along with it's Batman and Wonder Woman series, it was one of the launch titles of the imprint. The series is a retelling of the Superman mythos, following Clark Kent on a journey from the last survivor of the long dead planet Krypton to one of Earth's greatest heroes.
==Characters==
===Main Characters===
* Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman – the last survivor of the planet Krypton sent to Earth shortly before the planet's destruction by his father Jor-El. On Earth, he was adopted by the Kent family and raised as a human, but he quickly discovered his heritage. In his civilian life he works as an investigative journalist for the Daily Planet while living a double life as the defender of Metropolis. So long as he is under Earth's Yellow Sun he is immensely powerful with very few weaknesses, having such abilities as flight, heat ray vision, freezing breathe, enhanced senses, and nigh-invulnerability. His main weakness is Kryptonite, a radioactive piece of debris launched off from the explosion of Krypton.
* Lois Lane – the Daily Planet's top reporter who is frequently partnered with Clark, her intellectual equal. She is a dauntless woman who is willing to put her own life on the line for the truth. She refers to Clark as "Smallville", a reference to his "hick" upbringing. She serves as Clark's primary love interest throughout the series.
* Matrix/Kara Danvers/Supergirl – Clark's adoptive cousin who was initially introduced with the usual origin of Supergirl, being Superman's cousin Kara Zor-El who survived Krypton's destruction. However, it was revealed that she was actually a shapeshifting android from Krypton who mimics Kryptonian biology and had Kara's memories downloaded into her. Later events reveal she was built as a servant of the villain General Zod and aided him in his attempted takeover of Krypton. She and Jimmy Olsen also develop a romance and begin dating.
* James "Jimmy" Olsen – a teenager working for the Daily Planet as a photographer who has a close working relationship with both Lois and Clark, as well as being a personal fan of Editor-And-Chief Perry White. He sees his superiors as role models, is immature for his age, and often serves as comic relief. He also forms the Dynasties version of the Newsboy Legion, made up of former teenage criminals that are placed under his wing and trained to be future reporters.
===Supporting Characters===
* Kon-El/Conner Kent/Superboy – an attempt at cloning Superman by LexCorp. He was made using the same technology that went into the failed clone Bizarro (which causes Bizarro to consider him a "brother") but was released before his accelerated aging was complete, leaving him as a teenage version of the Man of Steel with an attitude to match.
* John Henry Irons/Steel – a former scientist at LexCorp who quit after realizing the lows of his boss and built a suit inspired by Superman's to defend Metropolis just as he had, becoming a close ally and friend of his in the process. In-universe, he claims to be named after the folk hero John Henry.
**Natasha "Nat" Irons – John's teenage daughter who is a genius like him. She befriends Supergirl shortly after the latter's first appearance and attends the same high school as her.
* Krypto – an albino wolfdog who was experimented on by the villain Toyman, making his body essentially indestructible and giving him increased strength and speed. After saving him from inhumane conditions, Superman decides to adopt him and name him in honor of Krypton.
* Lana Lang – Clark's childhood best friend and teenage girlfriend who works as a model/philanthropist. As a teen, Clark confessed his alien nature to her and in present day she uses this information to help him as Superman. She is an on-and-off love interest of both Clark and Lex Luthor, though the latter is more one-sided.
* Jonathan & Martha Kent – Clark's adoptive parents who are farmers from the Kansas town of Smallville. Clark refers to them as "Ma and Pa" and credits Jonathan as being the person who inspired him to become Superman. Martha was also the person who sewed Clark's Superman costume. Later into the series' run, Jonathan suffers from a fatal heart attack and Martha is left alone, later remarrying Daily Planet owner Perry White.
* Prof. Emil Hamilton – the head scientist at the Metropolis branch of STAR Labs and a personal friend of Superman's. He is responsible for building, handling, and identifying any equipment/items Superman discovers. He is often seen taking medication for an unspecified mental illness implied to be schizophrenia, and failing to take it causes him to slowly have a meltdown.
* Gen. Samuel "Sam" Lane – the military father of Lois Lane. He is an anger-prone and serious-minded man who believes staunchly that absolute power corrupts absolutely, which brings him into conflict with Superman on many occasion. However, he is also a man of justice and is willing to work with Superman if he must.
**Lt. Peter "Pete" Ross – a childhood friend of Clark and Lana Lang who was known as the "nerdy kid" growing up, but became a high-ranking army official in his later years. Initially presented as a villain with the same views as Sam Lane, he would eventually redeem himself upon discovering Clark and Superman were one and the same.
* Legion of Super-Heroes – a team of superheroes from the far future inspired by Superman's legacy.
**Querl-Dox/Brainiac 5 – the descendant of the villain Brainiac who is as intelligent as his ancestor and logical to a fault like him too. Out of the Legionnaires, he is the one to get the most attention in the series, beginning as not being trusted by Clark before befriending him and even becoming a love interest of Supergirl's. He is not an android like his ancestor, claiming that Brainiac had bred with a member of the Coluan race in order to birth his great-grandfather. He is later voted to be the Legion's second leader, succeeding fellow Legionnaire Cosmic Boy.
** Garth Ranzz/Lightning Lad – a hot-tempered member of the Legion hailing from the planet Winath who was attacked by a "Lightning Beast" as a child, which granted him lightning-based abilities. He is presented as a rival to the first leader of the Legion, Cosmic Boy, who he often picks on in a half-joking way. He eventually begins dating the Legionnaire Saturn Girl.
** Irma Ardeen/Saturn Girl – a powerful telepath from the Saturn moon of Titan. She serves as the "middle-man" between the Legionnaires Lightning Lad and Cosmic Boy, the former of which she eventually begins dating.
** Rokk Krinn/Cosmic Boy – a calm, cool, and collected member of the Legion who serves as their initial leader. He is charming, sociable, and serves as a parallel to Superman himself. He is from the planet Braal and is able to manipulate the magnetic fields. During a story where Superman visits the future, Cosmic Boy is killed off and his leadership role is filled by Brainiac 5.
** Tinya Wazzo/Phantom Girl – an alien from the planet Bgztl which is a sector of the Phantom Zone, meaning she was likely decended from criminals. Despite this, she is presented as a good natured hero with a fondness for scaring her opponents. She has the ability to phase through walls.
** Reep Daggle/Chameleon Boy – the son of the Legion's benefactor and an immature goofball with too much energy. He is a member of the Durlan race and can change shape into almost anyone.
* Perry White – the Editor-And-Chief of the Daily Planet. He has a passion for his work which is often mistaken for anger and is a long-time opponent of Lex Luthor's. Later into the series' run, he marries Martha Kent and becomes Clark's step-father.
* Steve Lombard – a sports columnist at the Daily Planet with an inflated sense of ego who before his current job worked as a quarterback for the Metropolis Meteors. Along with Jimmy Olsen, he is the main source of comic relief, though his comedy is much more mean-spirited and at the expensive of himself and others.
* Catherine "Cat" Grant – a gossip columnist with an unrestrained libido who is attracted to Clark Kent and is in an on-and-off relationship with Steve Lombard. She is seen as an airhead by her colleagues, but has proven to have great potential as an investigative journalist and often serves as a rival to Lois Lane.
* Ronald "Ron" Troupe – one of the Daily Planet's most respected and controversial reporters who mainly covers political topics and issues. He is dedicated to the truth above everything, which sometimes gets him in trouble with his friends and superiors.
* William "Billy" Batson/Shazam – an orphaned 12-year-old boy bestowed powers of the Greek pantheon by a man only identified as The Wizard. Picked for his supposedly pure heart, he gains immense magical power by saying the word "shazam".
* Det. Margaret "Maggie" Sawyer – a police detective working at the Metropolis Police Department under it's "Special Crimes Unit", handling threats that are considered too extreme for the regular officer. She serves as Superman's primary police confidant and is a lesbian, dating Daily Planet reporter Toby Raynes.
*Det. Daniel "Dan" Turpin – Maggie's frequent partner and a higher up in the Special Crimes Unit. He is a former soldier and is often featured in New God-related stories.
* Bo "Bibbo" Bibbowski – the eccentric owner of the Ace O'Clubs bar who uses his bar's money to support his neighborhood. He is also Superman's self-proclaimed biggest fan.
* Queen Maxima – the ruler of the alien planet Almerac who is an anti-hero looking for her perfect mate to become her king. Initially, she was obsessed with Superman to the point of villainy, but she would later redeem herself and become a rocky ally and occasional love interest of Clark's.
* Izaya/Highfather – the leader of the New Gods of New Genesis and the archenemy of the villain Darkseid, who he is constantly at war with. He is the only person able to communicate with "The Source", which is the primordial origin of the universe. He is one of the few things in the universe that Darkseid considers a threat.
* Orion – the son of Darkseid and adoptive son of Highfather, traded to him in an attempt to make peace between New Genesis and Apokolips. He is also referred to as the Dog of War and, despite being adopted, is the heir of Highfather. He and Superman are allies more often than not, but their opposing ideals and ideologies often turn him into an enemy. He is also the wielder of the Astro-Force, which is the power of The Source manifest, and flies using an Astro-Harness which is powered by the force.
* Metron – the "God of Infinite Knowledge" and Highfather's advisor. He is completely emotionless and is self-proclaimed to have no side in war due to his knowledge thirst. He is always seen sitting in his levitating Mobius Chair, which answers any question he asks it.
* Scott Free/Mister Miracle – the son of Highfather and adoptive son of Darkseid who, like Orion, was traded to him in exchange for peace. He was horrifically tortured on Apokolips, both physically and mentally, but eventually managed to escape. Now living on Earth, he is the supposed world's greatest escape artist and is married to his Apokoliptian best friend Big Barda.
* Big Barda – the wife of Mister Miracle and a former member of Granny Goodness' Female Furies who was initially supposed to take her place as trainer of Darkseid's armies before escaping with her now husband. She is also the wielder of the Mega-Rod, a powerful piece of Apokoliptian technology.
* J'onn J'onnz/John Jones/Martian Manhunter – the last remaining member of the Martian race who is a shapeshifting humanoid that works as a private eye in his human disguise. Due to both of them being the last of their kind, he considers Superman a close friend of his.
===Villains===
* Alexander "Lex" Luthor – an infamous industrialist, super-genius, and the CEO of LexCorp who suffers from a severe case of narcissism. He has a hatred for Superman that surpasses even his staunchest opponents, both due to Superman challenging his ego and due to the belief that Superman could pose a threat to humanity in the long-run, stunting its evolution and growth due to reliance on him. He also harbors a general distrust of aliens, spurred on by a vision of Krypton's destruction by Brainiac near the beginning of the series.
**Mercedes "Mercy" Graves – Luthor's personal bodyguard and occasional lover. In the same vain as her portrayal in the Young Justice television series, she is a cyborg of Luthor's own design. Her cybernetic enhancements are prototypes and would eventually be perfected during the creation of the villain Metallo.
** Otis Flynn – the captain of LexCorp security who is often partnered with Mercy. He rarely speaks or plays a major role in stories, but he is seen often as he is one of Luthor's go-to henchman.
* Vril-Dox/Brainiac – one of the last pieces of Kryptonian technology and it's greatest. He is an AI in an android body who chose to destroy Krypton and steal a piece of it (the city of Kandor) after believing he had transcend the planet's inhabitants, venturing out into space and seeking new knowledge. Upon learning all he can from a planet, he will take a piece from it and then destroy it. His real name "Vril-Dox" is explained to be the Kryptonian word for someone with immense knowledge, or a "brainiac".
* General Dru-Zod – a Kryptonian war criminal who foresaw Krypton's eventual destruction and attempted to overthrow the Kryptonian High Council to prevent this. For this he was locked in the extradimensional prison The Phantom Zone, eventually being freed many years later. He wishes to both resurrect Krypton in some way and to kill Clark (who he refers to as "Kal-El"), due to his father being the deciding vote to initially put him in the Phantom Zone, believing his imprisonment was what cemented Krypton's fate. It is later revealed Zod's coup is what inspired Jor-El to do his research that proved Krypton's inevitable destruction.
**Ursa – Zod's lover and one of his accomplices in his take-over of Krypton. Despite being in a relationship with Zod, she is an out-spoken hater of men, revealed to be spurred on by frequent abuse at the hands of them. One of the war crimes she committed in the Kryptonian military was the torture and murder of male enemy soldiers.
** Non – Zod's primary scientist as well as his muscle. He is a man of few words and a former friend of Jor-El's who sided with Zod. Due a botched transportation to the Phantom Zone, his mind has been heavily altered, which is implied to be the result of his limited vocabulary and has given him auditory and visual hallucinations.
* Uxas/Darkseid – the New God ruler of the planet Apokolips and a man obsessed with conquering the entire known universe. Believing that hope and free will are pointless, he is determined to find the "Anti-Life Equation", which will he believes will prove his views are correct and thus destroy free will in the universe, allowing him to conquer it. He is also the true master of the criminal organization Intergang, who worship him in a cult-like fashion. He is immensely powerful, able to go toe-to-toe with Superman and able to fire Omega Beams from his eyes which instantly disintegrate anything they touch.
**DeSaad – Darkseid's advisor and master torturer who was responsible for raising him. He is deformed on half of his face, implied to be the result of Darkseid but he is fiercely loyal to his master regardless.
** Granny Goodness – the woman responsible for training Darkseid's armies and the leader of his elite soldiers, the Female Furies. Her catchphrase is "Granny loves you", often said after inflicting pain, emotional or otherwise, on another.
** Kalibak – Darkseid's youngest son and his heir. He is the second-in-command of his father's armies and wields a club that can fire off blasts of energy that can harm even Superman.
** Glorious "Gordon" Godfrey – one of Darkseid's primary Earth-based operative. In his human disguise of "Gordon Godfrey", he is a media mogul and the primary shareholder of the Daily Planet. He primarily focuses on anti-vigilante/anti-superhero works and is a master hypnotist with mind controlling abilities.
* Bruno Mannheim – the leader of the criminal cartel/cult Intergang and a worshiper of Darkseid. Along with Glorious Godfrey, he is Darkseid's vassal on Earth. He is works as both a crime lord, having a foot in almost every criminal industry there is, and a cult leader, preaching the word of his "god" to his followers, both under the belief he will be rewarded when Darkseid eventually conquers Earth.
* Winslow Schott/Toyman – a former LexCorp employee who had a hand in the creation of both Metallo and the Parasite. When the experiments were linked back to them, Luthor threw Schott under the bus and he was arrested in Lex's place, which sparked an undying hatred for Luthor within him. Initially hating his title of "Toyman", he would eventually come to embrace it and model his deadly inventions after childhood toys such as bouncing balls, flying disks, and remote control cars/helicopters.
* Jake Mannheim/Parasite – the illegitimate son of Bruno Mannheim who was seen as a failure by him. To make his father proud, he signed up for a LexCorp experiment to build a weapon against Superman. The process mutated him into a purple creature that survives by absorbing energy. After the experiment, the process and his addiction to siphoning power drove him mad. Despite their poor relationship, Bruno is shown as being saddened at his son's current state.
* Subject B-0/Bizarro – a failed clone of Superman by LexCorp who quickly degenerated both physically and mentally. He became albino and a punch from Superman "cracked" his skin, giving him the traditional Bizarro appearance. He despises Clark, who he considers to be an imposter, and due to his diminished intelligence is unable to form proper sentences. Unlike in most versions, Bizarro is depicted as having identical powers as Superman, as oppose to having reverses heat vision/freeze breathe.
* John Corben/Metallo – a soldier turned mercenary who was often hired by Lex Luthor before accidentally being crippled by Superman. Shortly after, he was transformed into a cyborg with a heart made of Kryptonite and swore vengeance. However, he despises Luthor due to his cyborg body not being able to feel any sensations. Metallo's current state is a recurring source of regret for Clark.
* Lobo – an intergalactic bounty hunter and mercenary from the planet Czarnia who is bad-mannered, bad-tempered, and is all around selfish. He is around as strong as Superman and is nigh-unkillable, as well as riding a "Czarnian Motor Pod", which is a spaceship that resembles a motorcycle. While he is usually a villain, he has some anti-heroic tendencies. He also replaces certain words (curse words especially) with the word "frag" and a recurring joke is that he is fond of Earth's dolphins.
* Zor-El/Grandmaster – the Dynasties version of the character Cyborg Superman. He is Clark's Kryptonian uncle and a mad scientist who was estranged from his brother Jor-El. During his first appearance, he is established to be an infamous cyborg world conqueror with a hatred for Supergirl, seeing her as a mockery of his deceased daughter Kara. During a crossover with Green Lantern Dynasties, it is revealed he was turned into a cyborg by the Manhunters and was off-world when Krypton was destroyed, which he feels immense guilt for. He is also revealed to be the Manhunter Grandmaster, hence his name.
* Mongul – the tyrannical ruler of the planetoid Warworld where the galaxy's most powerful warriors are kidnapped and forced to fight for the people's entertainment. He is immensely powerful and a genius, making him a deadly opponent to Superman. He also breeds and sells "Black Mercy", which is an alien plant that puts people in a fantasy world where their wildest dreams come true.
* Mister Mxyzptlk – an ancient being of mysterious origin who was accidentally freed from underneath the Earth during a mining expedition. His true form is incomprehensible, and thus he takes the form of popular children's cartoon character Mister Mxyzptlk. He has incredible reality warping abilities, but he is also "bound to the laws of his form", meaning he must act like Mxy as well as having his weakness of disappearing if he says his own name backwards.
* Dr. Albert "Al" Michaels/Atomic Skull – a researching working for STAR Labs and Emil Hamilton's lab assistant. While experimenting with Kryptonite, Al was exposed to what should have been a lethal dose of radiation from the rock. Instead, the radiation fused to his cells, transforming him into what amounts to a human nuclear weapon. No longer able to live a normal life, he turns to a life of crime, blaming Hamilton for his condition.
* Leslie Willis/Livewire – a social media influencer who became popular among both people who loved her for her "counter culture" attitude and people who hated her for her disrespect and ego. During a tour of STAR Labs, she wound up falling into a chemical stew along with expensive electrical equipment. The chemicals combined with the electricity turned her into living electrical energy, which she blamed Superman for.
* Alexander "Alex" Trent/Bloodsport – the founder and leader of the "Bloodsport" White Supremacist movement. Initially introduced in an homage to the famous Superman "Clan of the Fiery Cross", Alex is a soldier turned mass-murderer and terrorist whose organization steals high-tech equipment from both STAR Labs and LexCorp. After an encounter with Superman, Trent begins crafting bullets made of Kryptonite and uses him to try and kill Clark.
* "Jor-El"/The Eradicator – an artificial reconstruction of Superman's father Jor-El's consciousness who is initially a mentor to Superman before the government organization Checkmate deems Superman's Fortress of Solitude a threat against humanity. Seeing this as an attempt at wiping out the last remnants of Krypton, the AI went mad and constructed an android body for itself before going on a rampage to preserve the memory of Krypton.
* Dr. Arthur Flint/Ultra-Humanite – introduced in a crossover with The Flash Dynasties, he is a mad scientist who worked for STAR Labs before teaming up with Gorilla Grodd in a bid for world conquest. However, Grodd betrayed him and turned him into a mindless albino gorilla, though he would later regain his intelligent and begin fighting against Superman, who is able to harm thanks to a formula that increased his strength and durability.
* Siobhan McDougal/Silver Banshee – an archaeologist descended from an ancient Gaelic clan who discovered a totem which was an item of worship by her ancestors. Upon touching it, she was possessed by the ancient banshee inside of the totem and given its power. Transformed in body and mind, she was given the task to kill Superman in order to break the curse.
* Superman Revenge Squad – a team of supervillains that come together against Superman. They do not have an official name but were dubbed the "Revenge Squad" by Jimmy Olsen. They were initially formed by Toyman and consisted of himself, Parasite, Metallo, and Bizarro. They were later reformed by Toyman himself, Grandmaster, and finally Lex Luthor, though the last appeared in Justice League Dynasties.
==Issues==
Category:Comics
Category:DC Comics