DC Unveils Superman's Most Radical Redesign Of All Time, And It's Not Close

Published Oct 22, 2026, 11:30 AM EDT

Nicolas Ayala is a Senior Writer for the Comics team at ScreenRant, with over five years of experience writing about Superhero media, action movies, and TV shows. 

Never has Superman suffered a more drastic transformation than the one DC just teased for his next appearance. Superman needs zero artificial enhancements to win virtually every battle and attain any power feat he sets his mind to, as his regular Kryptonian body already gives him limitless potential. Simply absorbing yellow-sun radiation is enough to replenish his energy reserves, repair tissue damage, and increase his strength to the level the battle requires. Superman's natural solar battery effect causes prolonged battles to feed his power output, as long as weaknesses like Kryptonite and magic aren't involved in the equation.

Still, despite possessing a self-sufficient power set, the Man of Steel often experiences drastic boosts of power. Recently, Superman gained the ability to tap into his golden state by rapidly overloading his cells with concentrated solar radiation, becoming invulnerable to Kryptonite and basically impossible to hurt, but only for a very limited period. Some time after his victory in the King Omega tournament in DC K.O., Superman also wielded the King Omega power to fix and protect the time-space continuum, holding such amount of power that not even the void at the very end of time could hurt his body.

Some of Superman's transformations aren't necessarily upgrades to his power, and some aren't even upgrades altogether.

Superman Transforms Into A Giant Eyeball

Superman Unlimited #19; Written By Dan Slott; Art By Lucas Meyer & Giuliano Peratelli

Clark Kent experiences a rare moment of peace following the events of DC K.O., whereas Jon Kent aka Tomorrow Man finds himself at a crossroads in his personal life as he suffers an identity crisis. Jon's enemies won't wait for him to settle his future, though. Toyman returns at the end of Superman Unlimited #18, and DC teases a strange obstacle in Tomorrow Man's path for Superman Unlimited #19, where Superman himself is mysteriously transformed into a living eyeball with tentacles. To make matters worse, both heroes are cornered by Metropolis Special Crimes Unit agents, who may see Superman as a threat.

The solicitation for Superman Unlimited #19 doesn't reveal who transforms the Man of Steel into a sentient eyeball or why he resembles a small, round Starro. However, considering that Toyman enters the fray in Superman Unlimited #18 and DC confirms Winslow Schott will be the main villain in Superman Unlimited #19, the most likely possibility is that forcing Superman to shapeshift is the first stage of Toyman's plan. After the heroes find a way to revert the transformation, Toyman will likely proceed to stage two, which is transforming the duo into living action figures.

Superman Goes Back To The Wild Days Of DC's Silver Age Every Once In A While

Superman has long evolved past the whimsical tone of DC's Golden Age and Silver Age. Still, the Man of Steel's modern stories continue to sprinkle those fantastical Silver Age elements throughout the DC multiverse to keep Superman's mythos balanced. While it isn't realistic to expect Superman to transform into an alien ant or a lion-headed beast or a merman nowadays, a fair share of absurd surprises like his sentient eyeball transformation subvert expectations in the modern Superman Unlimited. After the dark and gritty eras of the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s, the 2020s are rightfully finding value in Superman's fantastical early stories.

Darker icons like Batman also benefit from a touch of Silver Age absurdity in the modern day. Comic series like the lighthearted Batman: Wayne Family Adventures and Batman & Robin: Year One – Dynamic Duos inject some playfulness into otherwise serious characters, both in mainstream DC canon and in alternate timelines. In fact, both the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight team up to focus on this type of adventure in the Pre-Crisis Batman / Superman: World's Finest, where they leave all canon restraints aside to encounter experiences as wild as fusing together into Superbat.

Do you like Superman's lighthearted stories or do you prefer him to stay a serious character?

Superman Unlimited #19 is available November 18 from DC Comics