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What does “Black Superman” mean in DC Comics?
It describes a family of characters and stories, not a simple replacement for Clark Kent. Some figures are successors who carry on Superman’s mission; some are powerful heroes who invite comparison; and others bear the Superman identity in a separate continuity. DC’s historical retrospective traces these strands alongside the changing opportunities for Black characters and creators.
To distinguish the characters, ask three questions: Is the figure Superman, a successor, or a parallel? What is the character’s origin? And is the story mainly about individual heroism, legacy, or representation and authorship?
How did the idea develop?
1968: an early, imperfect attempt
DC’s retrospective begins with “Fear of a Black Superman,” an effort made by an entirely white staff. DC describes the result as clumsy. It is an early sign that the idea existed, but it also shows the limits of a story about representation made without Black creators shaping it.
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1977: Black Lightning and a publishing milestone
Writer Tony Isabella and artist Trevor von Eeden created Jefferson Pierce, the hero known as Black Lightning. His first solo series debuted in 1977; the Library of Congress identifies him as the first Black DC character to lead his own series. Black Lightning is not a Superman identity, but he is an important milestone in DC’s history of Black heroes. Von Eeden also became the first Black artist to draw Superman for DC, in Black Lightning #3–5 that year, according to DC’s account. The Library of Congress discusses the series in its overview of alternative voices in comics.
1993: Milestone, Icon and new perspectives
In March 1993, Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Michael Davis and Derek T. Dingle launched Milestone’s first books, including Icon and Blood Syndicate. Milestone gave Black creators a platform to tell stories shaped by their own perspectives. DC’s retrospective describes an industry that remained overwhelmingly white even as Black heroes became more visible; that is DC’s qualitative framing, not a statistical measure.
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Augustus Freeman, the alien hero called Icon, has powers nearly identical to Superman’s. But he is not simply “Superman, but Black”: his origin and experiences as a powerful Black man in America give the character a different story. The Library of Congress also includes Icon among the original Milestone titles significant to Black representation in comics.
1993 onward: Steel carries the mission forward
After Superman’s apparent death in the “Reign of the Supermen” era, engineer John Henry Irons builds armor and a kinetic hammer and takes up Superman’s crest. He chooses to continue Superman’s work, not to claim he is the original. Steel is a human successor and moral counterpart, not a Kryptonian Superman.
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2009 onward: Calvin Ellis, Superman of Earth-23
Calvin Ellis is explicitly Superman in an alternate world: the official DC profile identifies him as Kalel, Superman of Earth-23. In that continuity, he is secretly disguised as the President of the United States. His story joins the Superman identity to political leadership in a way that is specific to Earth-23.
2014 onward: Val-Zod on Earth 2
In DC’s description of its New 52 Earth 2 setting, Val-Zod is another Kryptonian refugee who takes up Superman’s crest after that world’s Superman falls. He is distinct from Calvin Ellis: the two belong to different alternate worlds and have different origins. DC’s retrospective supports this broad account, but it does not provide a complete issue-by-issue publication chronology or establish Val-Zod’s current continuity status.
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How are the main characters different?
| Character | Connection to Superman | What makes the character distinct |
|---|---|---|
| Black Lightning | A milestone in Black representation at DC; von Eeden drew Superman in Black Lightning #3–5. | Jefferson Pierce is a hero in his own right, not a Superman identity. |
| Icon | His powers are nearly identical to Superman’s. | A Milestone alien with a distinct origin and story about the social consequences of power and identity. |
| Steel | Takes up Superman’s crest and mission after Superman’s apparent death. | John Henry Irons is a human engineer in armor, not a Kryptonian or a claimant to being the original Superman. |
| Calvin Ellis | Explicitly Superman in an alternate world. | Earth-23’s Superman is also secretly that world’s U.S. President. |
| Val-Zod | A Kryptonian who takes up Superman’s crest and work. | He belongs to the Earth 2 story, separate from Calvin Ellis’s Earth-23 setting. |
Why do creators matter to this history?
The history is also about who gets to make and shape the stories. Milestone was founded by Black creators seeking a platform for their own work, and Icon made the differences between a character’s powers and his lived experience central to the comparison with Superman.
DC’s retrospective also marks a Superman-family authorship milestone: writer Priest became the first Black writer on a Superman comic with Superman: The Man of Steel Annual #3 in 1994. He later wrote Steel #34–52. Those credits place authorship alongside character creation as part of the history.
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What connects these stories to Superman?
DC’s official Superman profile calls him “The Man of Steel is the ultimate symbol of truth, justice and hope.” Steel inherits that mission as a human successor; Icon offers a powerful but distinct parallel; and Calvin Ellis and Val-Zod bear the Superman identity in their respective alternate worlds. These are different ways of interpreting a legacy, not interchangeable versions of one character.
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