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Darkseid, one of DC’s most powerful cosmic supervillains, once created a brutal clone of Superman who carved out a terrifying path of destruction.
On an alternate Earth, Darkseid once managed to create a near perfect clone of Superman to serve him. This clone became a loyal instrument of the cosmic supervillain, enforcing his designs upon Earth-2 and killing anyone who stood in his way.
Earth-2’s history during the New 52 was quite different from that of Earth Prime. For starters, there weren’t as many superheroes active in its early days. Those that were around were called the Wonders. There was no Justice League, but the Wonders managed to usher in world peace, creating a utopia on Earth that was not destined to last.
In an invasion of Earth-2 by the tyrannical ruler of Apokolips, most of the Wonders sacrificed themselves in battle against Darkseid. One of the Wonders lost was Superman, who appeared to be destroyed by a weapon that overrode his Kryptonian physiology, causing a massive explosion of solar energy. But this would not be the end of his story.
Darkseid had managed to collect the body of Superman, turning it over to his chief scientist and torturer, Desaad, who managed to revive Superman. The mad scientist then harvested the Man of Steel’s DNA, creating a clone who was loyal to Darkseid. The experiments left the real Superman powerless, but created a near perfect clone that was given the name Brutaal.
The clone was placed under Steppenwolf’s command, and was given a mask to hide his true identity. But when Steppenwolf subverted Darkseid’s will and claimed Earth for himself, Brutaal killed him, unmasking and proclaiming his loyalty to the despotic tyrant.
The effect was immediate. The world began to panic as they assumed their once greatest champion had turned on them. The clone had Superman’s memories, but apparently the moral codes had been bred out of him, because he was not above the indiscriminate slaughter of the people the Man of Steel had previously protected.
The only thing that made him pause was the return of Lois Lane as the Red Tornado, especially when he believed her to be dead. He then tried to recreate his happy family by having dinner with the Kents and Lois. But when Jonathan Kent stood up to him and Darkseid, the clone retaliated by murdering the man he remembered as his father. Going into a rage, Brutaal confronted the new Wonders, but was stopped by the new Superman, Val-Zod. And as the two battled, the truth of what Brutaal was finally came to light.
Brutaal’s outer skin began to crack, and it revealed a Bizarro-like being beneath. With the outer layer gone, even his speech pattern matched the backwards creature. He didn’t seem aware of what he was, but the clone was still regarded as extremely dangerous. Lois then used her powers to literally blow him away as he crumbled into dust, preserving Superman’s legacy and good name by exposing the imposter that had taken his place.
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