DC Permanently Kills Off A Major Superman Character

Published Sep 17, 2026, 10:00 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. 

A key Superman character dies at the hands of an unexpected villain, and Kal El can't do anything to avoid it. Despite his godlike power, Superman can't do anything against death, and he can't punch other people's diseases or old age. The painful dichotomy between unparalleled might and mortality is beautifully illustrated in the loss of Clark Kent's adoptive father, Jonathan Kent, who passes away from a sudden heart attack in multiple DC timelines. Superman also has to carry the legacy of Krypton and its population even though he was too young to understand it when it happened.

In fact, Superman's might is such that he has successfully defied death himself, yet he's powerless to directly reverse the deaths of anyone else. His resurrection following the events of The Death of Superman presents a bittersweet irony to his daily superhero crusade, as the Man of Steel can claw his way back from the grave, but he can't extend the same miraculous salvation to a single fallen human being. This tragedy raises the stakes of Superman's world-saving efforts, as every heroic adventure is permeated with an intense sense of urgency. After all, the world rests on his shoulders.

Even in universes or timeline resets where his loved ones are alive and well, Superman often finds himself unable to save everyone close to him.

Amanda Waller And Bane Kill Superman's Mother

Dark Knights Of Steel II #3; Written By Tom Taylor; Art By Otto Schmidt & Arif Prianto

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In the medieval Dark Knights of Steel timeline, Superman and Batman's royal family is struck with a strange sudden illness, leaving characters like Kara Zor-El and Lara Lor-Van bedridden indefinitely. In Dark Knights of Steel II, Lara begins to recover quickly once she gathers enough strength to open the curtains in her chamber and absorb sunlight. Unfortunately for Superman's mother, General Amanda Waller arrives to finish her off with the help of the King's Bane, revealing her true nature as the Queen's treacherous right-hand woman. With nothing but a pillow and Bane's strength, Waller assassinates Queen Lara within her own castle.

General Waller's murder of Lara Lor-Van is only made worse by the fact that her own daughter, Barbara Gordon a.k.a. Oracle, can see everything she's doing in real time.

Amanda Waller's characterization varies across DC lore. Sometimes, Waller is a questionable authority figure who gathers anti-heroes both for the greater good and to further her own selfish goals, and sometimes she's a full-fledged villain willing to eliminate some of DC's pure-hearted heroes just because they represent an obstacle for her. However, Waller has rarely been willing to get her hands dirty the way her Dark Knights of Steel II counterpart does when assassinating Lara Lor-Van. This version of Waller is plain cruel and apparently fearless of the repercussions entailed by Lara's ultra-powerful royal family.

Surprisingly, DC Has Been Kind To The Els Recently

Jor-El And Lara Lor-Van Refuse To Die

Their imminent death in Dark Knights of Steel II aside, Superman's parents are active in multiple timelines DC has recently spotlighted. In the Absolute Universe, Absolute Superman reimagines Jor-El and Lara-El as frontline warriors belonging to Krypton's oppressed Labor Guild. Instead of passively perishing in a laboratory, the Els fight tooth and nail to engineer advanced nanotech spacesuits to rescue their family and preserve their species. Parallel to it, the Elseworlds miniseries Superman: Father of Tomorrow explores an alternate timeline where Jor-El escapes Krypton alone, landing in Kansas to become Superman and revolutionize the world using his advanced intellect and Kryptonian technology.

This wave of positive, prominent representation comes precisely on the heels of James Gunn's Superman, which depicted Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van as utilitarian conquerors who intended Kal-El to rule Earth with an iron fist. No DC title released since Superman's release has followed suit. Instead, the Els continue to be portrayed as formidable heroes and pillars of hope for Superman and Krypton's legacy, even extending their reach to Earth in both Superman: Father of Tomorrow and Dark Knights of Steel II.

Do you prefer Superman's parents when they're alive or dead?

Dark Knights of Steel II #3 is now available from DC Comics