The old-school Superman doesn’t seem to hold his modern self in high regard. A zombie version of Earth-2’s Superman lets loose how he really feels.
It seems that Superman’s Golden Age self has some pretty controversial thoughts on his more modern equivalent in the DC Universe. A resurrected Kal-L expressed what he really thought of his younger doppelgänger when he was brought back as a member of the Black Lantern Corps.
Superman has been around since the earliest days of the DC Universe, and while there’s always been a Man of Steel to delight and entertain readers, the one that first graced the pages of Action Comics #1 isn’t exactly the same one fans are familiar with today. While both are definitively Clark Kent, the Superman that debuted in the Golden Age was later classified as the Earth-2 version. Unlike the Prime Earth, the Earth-2 Superman was allowed to grow older and live a full life. However, this version of Superman perished during the events of Infinite Crisis, ending his decades-long career.
While the older and younger Supermen had their differences, there was a mutual respect between the two. However, it seems that Kal-L of Earth-2 was holding back some of his real thoughts and feelings on his more modern self. In Blackest Night: Superman #1 by James Robinson and Eddy Barrows, Kal-L’s corpse is inducted into the Black Lantern Corps, reviving the once noble hero, but turning him into an unstoppable monster. The zombified Superman begins hunting the citizens of Smallville, something that catches the attention of Superman and Superboy. They discover the resurrected Earth-2 Superman, only to be attacked by their former ally. As Kal-L attacks the duo, he launches a string of bitter insults to Clark and Conner. The Black Lantern really incurs Superman’s ire when Kal-L begins talking about Clark’s failure as a hero, saying that he was much better at heroism even as a young man.
It should be noted it’s not actually the Golden Age Superman saying these hurtful things. As part of the process of creating Black Lanterns, the Corps’ power rings download the memories of the bodies they wish to induct and creates a mock persona to animate them. So despite what it appears, it’s not the real Kal-L who’s critiquing his younger self. However, because the ring is drawing from the Earth-2 Superman’s memories, there may be parts of him who actually feel these things.
Kal-L isn’t wrong that he and the Prime Earth Clark were different types of Superman. The Golden Age version was much more brash and outgoing, while the modern Superman was indeed more careful about how he exhibited his powers. The younger Clark reflected the nuances that came with more modern storytelling, but from another perspective (ie Kal-L’s) that makes for a less engaging read. While the ring was controlling this version of Superman, Kal-L was someone who was very much stuck in his ways, and it’s no doubt that any alteration to what he sees as an extension of himself is something he wouldn’t greet warmly. The two may have helped save the DCU together, but the Golden Age Superman clearly had some strong opinions regarding his modern self.