Superman has always symbolized the best of humanity and how, through hope and kindness, a better tomorrow can be achieved. With his immeasurable power and optimism, Superman ensures that the world never loses hope, even far into the future. As a Kryptonian, Superman ages much slower than normal humans. This slowed aging allows him to live long enough to see humanity progress over decades and centuries. At the same time, Superman’s nature as the quintessential superhero of DC Comics lends itself to next-generation heroes taking up his mantle. These versions of Superman across DC’s numerous possible future timelines show why he’s called the Man of Tomorrow.
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Superman was the first hero in DC Comics, and his long lifespan ensures that either he or his successors will continue being the DC Universe’s foremost protectors for centuries to come. For as long as there’s a Superman, there’s still hope.
5) Superman 3000
4) Superman One Million
In the 853rd century, humanity has expanded across the solar system and beyond, with the Justice Legion Alpha as its primary defenders. The leader of this futuristic team is the latest member of the Superman Dynasty, Kal Kent, aka Superman. Known as the Man of Beyond Tomorrow, Kal’s Kryptonian physiology is drastically enhanced by the 853rd century’s Super-Sun. He’s known to be faster than a speeding tachyon, more powerful than the gravitational pull of a collapsing star, and able to leap from world to world in a single bound. Not only that, but one of Kal’s ancestors is a Queen Gzntplkzk of the Fifth Dimension, which led him to inherit potent telepathic abilities along with ten extra senses. When he’s not fighting crime across the universe or leading the Justice Legion, Kal uses 853rd-century time-travel technology to defend the timestream from villains like Solaris and Epoch. With these powers and acts of heroism, Kal continues the proud history of the Superman Dynasty.
3) Superman Beyond
One of the most popular depictions of the DC Universe’s future is in the Batman Beyond animated series. And just as the future still needs a Batman, it also needs a Superman. However, unlike Batman, who gave his mantle to Terry McGinnis, Clark Kent is still operating as Superman thanks to his decelerated aging. However, this older version of Superman has dealt with a lot of hardship. For years, Starro the Conqueror secretly mind-controlled him and tried to use him to destroy Justice League Unlimited. But even after being freed from Starro’s brainwashing, Superman struggles to maintain his connection to humanity. Superman became especially detached after the death of his wife, Lois, and the world continues to change around him. However, Superman still tries to retain his connection with humanity by taking on the new identity of firefighter Kal Kent. Now, whether as a superhero or a civilian, Superman saves lives.
2) Kingdom Come Superman
The critically acclaimed Elseworlds story Kingdom Come centers on a dark future where heroes from two generations battle for humanity’s fate. And one of the main players in this conflict is an older Superman. In the near future, Superman experiences a terrible loss when the Joker kills everyone at the Daily Planet, including Lois Lane. And when the Joker was being sent to jail, the anti-hero Magog killed him, to the roaring approval of the public. This tragic loss of his friends and his wife led Superman to retire for years. However, after a disaster indirectly caused by the next-generation anti-heroes destroyed Kansas, Superman decided to come out of retirement. He reformed the Justice League in order to keep these anti-heroes in check. This decision would ultimately lead to a superhuman civil war that killed dozens of heroes. Afterward, Superman learned to reconnect with his humanity and then settle down and start a family with Wonder Woman, ensuring a brighter future.
1) Superman Prime
The 853rd century may already have plenty of members of the Superman Dynasty flying around protecting the universe, but none of them compares to the raw power of the original Man of Tomorrow. For even one million months into the future, Clark Kent Superman is still very much alive. After the deaths of all his loved ones, Superman would leave Earth at the end of the 21st century and not return until the 700th century. After gaining incredible new abilities during his travels, he passed some of these increased powers on to his descendants. He then spent the next several centuries in his new Fortress of Solitude inside the sun. Unsurprisingly, spending all that time inside a yellow star eventually led to Superman taking on one of his most powerful forms in DC Comics history: Superman Prime. Emerging in the 853rd century, Superman Prime is practically a god, able to resurrect not just Lois, but all of Krypton.
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