One Superman villain just became powerful enough to change the DC Universe forever. The villain in question had already been resurrected in a new form that made them more dangerous than before; However, another power upgrade has made them into a universal threat.
The power upgrade came about in Superman #39 by Joshua Williamson and Dan Mora. The current storyline centers around Superboy-Prime, a variant Clark Kent from a world where the heroes of DC Comics are fictional. The elevated fanboy once went on a rampage, trying to destroy the New Earth that didn’t live up to his expectations. However, Superboy-Prime has sought redemption since then, culminating in his replacing the Man of Steel in his absence following DC KO.
This caught the attention of Manchester Black, a telepathic anti-hero who frequently clashed with Superman. Black had been killed by Lex Luthor, but recently pulled himself together as a psychic ghost. This had the strange side effect of giving him the same fourth wall awareness as Superboy-Prime.
Manchester Black asks Superboy-Prime to use his power to punch the universe and alter reality to bring him back from the dead. Prime refuses as Black is the exact sort of grim and gritty vigilante that fueled his fall from grace. This sets off a psychic battle, which ends with Black tricking the substitute Superman into resurrecting him.
However, Manchester Black’s plan worked far better than expected. Beyond getting a new physical form, he found his already impressive psychic powers had increased. He claims he can now alter reality on his own without having to manipulate Superboy-Prime.
Why Manchester Black is now a true threat to Superman
Since his first appearance, Manchester Black has been an interesting foe for the Man of Steel. Beyond possessing one of the few power sets Superman can’t easily counter, Black could challenge him philosophically. However, whatever good intentions Black had were forgotten after Superman single-handedly defeated his team in the now legendary story “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?” This gave Black the zealot attitude of Lex Luthor to go with his phenomenal psychic powers. Throwing in the ability to alter reality makes him a universal threat even Superman would have trouble facing.
It’s worth noting that this power boost also makes Manchester Black an ironic foil to Superboy-Prime. Both characters are anti-heroes whose ideas of how the world should work brought them into conflict with Superman. The difference is that Superboy-Prime is an idealist who sought perfection, while Manchester Black is a cynic who can’t believe Superman is as good as he seems.
Superman #30 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
Originally reported by Matt Morrison for SuperHeroHype.
