Superman's WEIRDEST Origin Reimagined Him as Bacteria
Superman is one of history’s most iconic superheroes – with even non-comic book fans able to picture his classic good looks and famous red, blue, and yellow costume. However, there are many versions of the Man of Steel – including one that started out as an intelligent form of bacteria!
Weird as this may sound, the story happened in a JLA story that began as a retelling of the classic science fiction story Fantastic Voyage and ended as a new version of Superman’s origin!
In JLA #42, the size-changing superhero the Atom discovered that the brain tumor of a young boy was is a city housing an entire community of intelligent bacteria. As the bacteria had advanced to an industrial civilization, their strip-mining of the boy’s brain and the by-products of their industry were destroying the child’s brain. Realizing they didn’t know what they were doing, and believing they deserved a chance to survive, the Atom recruited the rest of the Justice League and convinced them to shrink down to microscopic size and convince the bacteria to stop destroying their environment (and their world).
Unfortunately, once the Justice League shrinks down, their powers no longer work in the way they’re used to, and the prejudiced leaders of the bacteria civilization take them into custody and start torturing Superman. Luckily, one of the bacteria scientists, a council member named Jom-Ft, helps free the Justice League. Curiously, Jom-Ft has been warning the ruling council about the end of their world, but his warnings have fallen on deaf ears, remarkably like another scientist who tried unsuccessfully to save his planet from exploding.
Realizing that the doctors will soon start the laser surgery and obliterate the bacteria’s tumor world, Atom and the rest of the Justice League help evacuate the bacteria before returning to their original size. However, Superman stays behind to help the survivors adjust to their new lives, as he feels a kinship to the refugees. Sadly, the bacteria are unable to adapt and the boy’s immune system wipes out the survivors, leaving Superman with no other option than to return to his regular size.
However, hope springs eternal as Jom-Ft and his “pair” Li-Tam constructed a ship to save his infant “splice.” As his world ends, Jom-Ft sends his “little splice” to the liver where the iron-rich blood will give the bacteria special abilities that no bacteria has ever dreamed about. Although he and his wife perish, the final scene of the story shows the ship crash in the liver where a pair of liver people run up to the downed ship to welcome its occupant to their world.
Part parody and part love letter to Superman’s classic origin, “Half A Mind To Save A World” shows that heroes can be born in the most unlikely of places. Although DC has yet to return to follow the adventures of “Super Bacteria,” there’s every reason to believe that the Man of Steel’s story found a way to be retold… in the liver of a human child.