In DC vs. Vampires: All-Out War #6, Vampire Superman goes on a rampage that is eerily similar to Marvel’s most graphic fatality.
In DC vs. Vampires: All-Out War, fans have been privy to one of DC’s bloodiest battles. Nightwing’s macabre vampire legion has taken over the world, but this spinoff has Deathstroke’s squad making some leeway in finding solutions to bring the empire down. Unfortunately, they lost the Weather Wizard, who was supposed to bring sunlight back to take down the bloodsuckers.
Still, they have Mary Marvel on their side, although she’s broken over having to kill Billy Batson, another hero who got turned. That might seem like a victory, but it’s invited Billy’s dark overlord, Superman (Baron Cinder), to come seeking revenge, as he considered Shazam to be a son. This finally leads to a squeamish battle in issue #6 (by Matthew Rosenberg, Alex Paknadel, Pasquale Qualano, Nicola Righi and Troy Peteri), and it’s one that homages Marvel’s goriest kill, but with an improved twist.
Superman Remixes Marvel’s Sentry Ripping Apart Ares
In Marvel’s Dark Reign, Norman Osborn led the Dark Avengers against New Asgard. The Siege storyline saw his God of War, Ares, flip on the squad, only for Sentry to come into play. As Norman’s puppet, Sentry held nothing back, which led to that horrific yet iconic sequence of him ripping Ares in half for being a traitor. It was guts galore, and one of the publisher’s scariest moments.
In All-Out War, Superman mimics this, but without the innards when he arrives to kill Mary. Midnighter rushes to him but the evil Kal-El quickly grabs and rips him in half, too. Admittedly, this didn’t have a huge effect on him as Midnighter would later heal and wake up, due to a regenerative factor that’s up there with Wolverine’s. Still, it’s not often fans see Superman unleashed like this, not unless he’s breaking bad and punching through villains. The Man of Steel does come back with a more brutal attack though, in the blink of an eye against another rebel.
Superman Upgrades one of Marvel’s Best Fatalities
Booster Gold then engages Kal-El, using his powers to implant a force field in his mind. Superman resists, though, and in a split second, he screams with his eyes turning red. Booster’s taken aback, only to then split into two in a manner akin to a Mortal Kombat fatality. This is a monstrous piece of action as no one could really tell what happened until it was too late.
Booster was talking up until the moment he fell apart, adding to the reader’s pain. This is admittedly a much scarier way of showing a god unleashed because it’s a quiet rage that incites more fear and intimidation. Ultimately, this reinforces how much of a powerhouse Superman can be, how much he holds back as a hero, and why Nightwing landed a major trump card by converting him into a mindless enforcer.
