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Eradicator (comics)
Encyclopedia
The Eradicator is a fictional
comic book
superhero
(and sometimes supervillain
) character having a recurring role in Superman
stories published by DC Comics
. Originally created as a weapon
by an ancient alien race, he is over 200,000 years old and is considered an artifact
of Krypton
. The character was created by writer Roger Stern
, and first appeared in Action Comics Annual
#2 (1989).
. The Day of the Krypton Man story arc prominently featured the Eradicator in the pages of Superman
, Adventures of Superman, and Action Comics. The story arc ran for six issues cover-dated March and April 1990
, and was collected in Superman: Eradication! The Eradicator reappeared in Superman: The Man of Steel
#1 as a humanoid being composed of energy.
In June 1993
, the character, appearing as The Visored Superman or The Last Son of Krypton, was the featured character in Action Comics through the Reign of the Supermen story arc, beginning with Action Comics #687-689. The character was "resurrected" in Action Comics v.1 #693 and then featured regularly in Outsiders
, first appearing as a member of the team in issue 3. The character was featured in his own three-issue eponymous limited series
in 1996
.
race creates a number of containment devices in which to preserve their culture. They send them into space with contact teams, intent on meeting other civilizations. When a small group of these aliens arrive on the planet Krypton, they are met by the militant Kem-L, who kills them and corrupts one of the devices. Its new mission is to preserve his ideal of Kryptonian culture by eradicating all others — and thus the device becomes known as the "Eradicator."
In its original form, the Eradicator resembles a stylized small rocket. Its top section is a prolate spheroid
, which exudes a blue glow and is approximately three times the size of an egg. This is connected via four thin mount brackets to a glossy orange tail fin section of equal length. The ten equally spaced fins each have the shape of a pointed quarter ellipse, with the tapered end extending slightly beyond the rear of the squat main cylindrical body tube.
On Krypton, the Eradicator does all that it could over the years to protect Kryptonians, even from themselves. When a group of Kryptonian explorers leave Krypton in search of a new planet to colonize, the Eradicator alters their birthing matrices and makes them fatally allergic to lead, thus creating Daxamites. To further ensure that nobody left Krypton, the Eradicator alters Kryptonians so that they will instantly perish if they leave their world.
One of the surviving aliens, known as the Cleric, takes the Eradicator and leaves Krypton with a group of followers. Unfortunately, they die soon thereafter, as the Kryptonian genetic link to their home planet precludes their survival off-world. The Cleric keeps the Eradicator for 200,000 years, until he encounters Superman on Warworld
. With the device, the two exchange memories, and the Cleric has a vision of Superman in combat with Mongul
. The Cleric wishes to save Superman's life, and the Eradicator transports Superman to the Cleric's asteroid. The Cleric notices that the device has changed to protect Krypton's sole survivor, and he and Superman use it to heal their wounds, both physical and spiritual. When the Cleric gives the Eradicator to Superman, he rapidly ages and dies as the link to the Eradicator extending his life is severed.
into a malleable form, causing him extreme pain in the process. Superman throws the device into a crevasse in Antarctica, where it alters the ice to create the Fortress of Solitude
, and possesses two scientists to create a portal to the Phantom Zone
, whence it draws Kryptonian artifacts to the Fortress. When Superman recovers the Eradicator, he learns that one of his ancestors, Kem-L, created it to prevent aliens from influencing Kryptonian culture. The Eradicator tries to transform Earth into a new Krypton, and erases Superman's memory of the device when he tries to interfere.
Professor Hamilton
, who had previously examined the Eradicator, restores Superman's memory, and Superman then goes into the Phantom Zone to stop the device. He encounters a projection of Kem-L and learns that only the House of El can control the Eradicator, but he first had to undergo a Kryptonian rite of passage
. When Superman completes it, he commands the Eradicator to shut down, and it complies.
, but when the Eradicator endangers Jonathan and Martha Kent, Clark breaks the machine's programming, fights it, and throws it into the Sun.
The Eradicator later returns as an energy being. It tries to turn the Sun into a red dwarf
(the type of star
that Krypton once orbited), but Superman stops it with help from Professor Hamilton and using a mystical crystal that belonged to the villainous Mr. Z. They drew the Eradicator's essence into the crystal and dispersed it just before it shattered.
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The Eradicator returns again in Action Comics #687 (June 1993), part of the Reign of the Supermen story arc, as "the Last Son of Krypton." Having its residual energies regathered by the Fortress robots after Superman's demise, it creates a body for itself based on Superman's, by tapping into the solar energy reserves of Superman's corpse and by creating an energy matter flux through which it is able to grant itself a pseudo-organic form. This experience causes the Eradicator to briefly believe itself to be Superman himself. He even seems to have Superman's memories, revealing to Lois when she questions him about his identity, that he remembers their relationship, but because of his death and rebirth, cannot be with her as he is only Superman, not Clark anymore.
During this time, due to its enhanced senses, the Eradicator has to wear a special visor designed to cut down visible light, since its eyes are particularly sensitive to it; the Eradicator, unlike the real Superman, does not possess heat vision. Also, he cannot absorb yellow sunlight directly, instead tapping into Superman's reserves and using him as a conduit for solar radiation. As a humanoid
, the Eradicator proves to be a more brutal version of Superman, who shows no hesitation in killing a potential rapist and brutally breaking the hands of a safecracker. However, after a fight with Steel
, in which the armored man fights to stop the Eradicator from killing potential adversaries, the Eradicator begins to reconsider his more brutal approach, temporarily relocating to Coast City
before it is destroyed by Mongul
and the Cyborg Superman
. The Cyborg nearly kills the Eradicator in an attempt to frame him for the attack. Returning to the Fortress only to discover that Superman has revived thanks to the Eradicator's use of him as a conduit restoring his own solar energy and reviving his body, the Eradicator drains all the power out of the Fortress of Solitude, regenerating and changing the appearance of its humanoid body, its personality now altered to show a greater compassion for the human race. Returning to Coast City, the Eradicator joins forces with Superman, Steel, Superboy
, Supergirl
and Green Lantern
to fight Mongul and the Cyborg Superman and stop him from destroying Metropolis
. The Eradicator is seemingly killed in an attempt to shield Superman from a lethal blast of Kryptonite
-based fuel, fully recharging the Man of Steel's powers in the process as the Eradicator's mass somehow alters the kryptonite radiation to allow Superman to absorb power from the kryptonite.
Following Superman's return, the Eradicator's apparently dead body is examined at S.T.A.R. Labs
, and merged with Dr. David Connor. The merged Eradicator joins the Outsiders
, and occasionally teams up with Superman.
, the Eradicator program takes the form of Kem-L, and again attempted to brainwash Superman. The David Connor Eradicator realizes that the program is still active, and, when the Fortress Eradicator attempts to merge with the Brainiac-13 program to use the futuristic technology to recreate Krypton once again, merges with the remains of the Fortress to control it and take it from Earth.
The Fortress-Eradicator takes the form of a gigantic Kryptonian battlesuit, and gains a form of multiple personality disorder
based on his conflicting programming. In the run-up to the "Our Worlds at War
" crossover, the Eradicator returns to Earth as a "prophet" with a fierce religious mania, warning of the coming of Imperiex
. When it learns of the "Krypton" created by Brainiac 13, the shock to the original directive of Kryptonian purity stuns him enough for Superman to freeze him in an absolute zero
staging chamber. He briefly emerges and, infected with Joker venom
, attempts to reach the alternate Krypton; however, after a brief tussle with Krypto
(a representative of this "blasphemous" Krypton), the Eradicator is placed in a "null chamber" in Superman's new Fortress of Solitude; he is eventually released and brought back to sanity after Superman learns the true origins of the alternate Krypton.
Later, the Eradicator returns to his humanoid state of being. He wears a new outfit which, like the "Krypton Man" costume, is a combination of elements from Superman's costume and Kryptonian robes. He gains the ability to sense beings that should not be in the DC Universe
, such as Mr. Majestic
. The Eradicator is seriously injured by an OMAC, and is left in a coma
.
The Eradicator resurfaced, clad in his original costume, in the pages of Outsiders. He has acted as a representative of New Krypton.
During the events of the Reign of Doomsday
crossover, the other members of the Outsiders attempt to convince Geo-Force
to fire Eradicator from the team. Before they can reach a consensus, Doomsday arrives and attacks the team. After all of his teammates are defeated, Eradicator makes his last stand against the creature, only to be impaled through the stomach and seemingly killed. Doomsday then takes Eradicator's lifeless body and runs off to an unknown destination. The Eradicator, along with Supergirl
, Superboy and Steel, are brought to an alien spaceship. There, they discover that the Doomsday that beat the Eradicator was one of several clones of the original. With Superman's help, they flee to the ship's control deck, where they meet a Doomsday-like creature that calls itself Doomslayer. After learning that Doomslayer intends to crash the ship into Earth, killing everything, Eradicator attempts to force him to stop. However, Doomslayer absorbs his energies and rips his body apart, killing him. Eradicator is later revealed to have transferred his program into the body of Doomsday, who had been rendered comatose by Doomslayer. As Eradicator helps to battle the Doomsday clones that Doomslayer sent around the world, he notes that Doomsday's mind is beginning to awaken.
In the final battle, Eradicator and the heroes defeat the Doomsday clones and throw them back into the pit the Tower is located in, since the Tower wills teleport things that are close to it. Eradicator arrives and helps Superman fight Doomslayer, and as he tells Superman that it was an honor to fight alongside him, Eradicator throws him out of the Tower, allowing himself to be trapped and teleported away.
's diaries. The Eradicator Matrix is described as having been "designed to save Krypton by transforming a nearby husk of a planet into a habitable paradise"; Brainiac 13 uses it to transform a planet in the Phantom Zone into a replica of Krypton based on Jor-El's favorite period in Kryptonian history, and its inhabitants into Kryptonians.
In Action Comics #850, a flashback shows Jor-El muttering about "damned Eradicators" while preparing to send Kal-El into space.
to Earth; manipulate molecular structures to create the Fortress of Solitude, synthetic kryptonite
, and the virus which gave Jimmy Olsen
temporary stretching powers; retrieve Kryptonian technology through space and time (implied to be through the Phantom Zone
); manipulate vast quantities of energy; keep the Cleric alive for millennia; and influence the minds of Superman and Matrix.
The Eradicator's body is created from the genetic template of Superman's, when Superman dies at the hands of Doomsday, giving him physiology similar to a Kryptonian. As a result, the Eradicator possesses similar powers to that of Superman, such as incredible strength, speed, invulnerability, and flight. He also possesses ultra acute senses but to a limited degree. Being a program from Krypton, the Eradicator possesses extensive knowledge of Krypton and is extremely intelligent, as well as having the ability to compute and process information at incredible speed.
Eradicator has abilities to absorb, convert, and release various forms of energy greater than those of natural Kryptonians, typically projecting energy as powerful blasts from his hands or eyes. He was able to survive exposure to massive amounts of kryptonite
radiation. After the Eradicator and Mr. Majestic fought, Mr. Majestic altered the Eradicator's programming to make him more aware. The full extent of his programming alteration is unclear, although it has been shown that he can sense beings and gateways from alternate realities such as the Bleed.
produced a Superman radio series for BBC Radio 5
in the 1990's. When the "Death of Superman" story arc happened in the comics, Maggs presented a very faithful, though much pared down version of the tale, which featured Stuart Milligan
as Clark Kent/Superman, Lorelei King
as Lois Lane, and William Hootkins
as Lex Luthor. In the death-and-rebirth storyline, Milligan was double-cast as the Eradicator. The story arc was packaged for sale on cassette and CD as Superman: Doomsday and Beyond in the UK and as Superman Lives! in the USA.
Eradicator is a playable character along with the other Supermen in The Death and Return of Superman
video game for SNES
and Sega Genesis
.
The Eradicator was in Kevin Smith
's script for Superman Lives.
In the animated film Superman: Doomsday
, which was based on "The Death and Return of Superman
", the Eradicator does not appear, but elements of his character are incorporated into the cloned Superman, and a robot butler in the Fortress of Solitude fulfills some of the Eradicator's plot functions.
cartoon, Superman X (voiced by Yuri Lowenthal
, who also voiced Superman) is introduced with several similarities to the Eradicator in its humanoid form; is a physical replica of Superman, he is created as a living weapon, possesses powers similar to Superman's as well as additional energy-based powers and resistance to Kryptonite, has a ruthless and cold-blooded attitude which is tempered over time, and wears a costume with similarities to that worn by the Eradicator following The Death of Superman
Superman X also has aspects similar to Superboy (Kon-El), and Mon-El. His own name is Kell-El.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
(and sometimes supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
) character having a recurring role in Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
stories published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. Originally created as a weapon
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
by an ancient alien race, he is over 200,000 years old and is considered an artifact
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
of Krypton
Krypton (comics)
Krypton is a fictional planet in the DC Comics universe, and the native world of the super-heroes Superman and, in some tellings, Supergirl and Krypto the Superdog. Krypton has been portrayed consistently as having been destroyed just after Superman's flight from the planet, with exact details of...
. The character was created by writer Roger Stern
Roger Stern
Roger Stern is an American comic book author and novelist.-Early career:In the early 1970s, Stern and Bob Layton published the fanzine CPL , one of the first platforms for the work of John Byrne...
, and first appeared in Action Comics Annual
Action Comics
Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
#2 (1989).
Publication history
The Eradicator first appeared in Action Comics Annual #2 in 19891989 in comics
-Year overall:* "Inferno" company-wide Marvel Comics crossover continues, involving the mutant titles The Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, The New Mutants, and Excalibur, as well as the X-Terminators limited series and various other Marvel titles...
. The Day of the Krypton Man story arc prominently featured the Eradicator in the pages of Superman
Superman (vol. 2)
Superman was an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics superhero of the same name. The second volume of the previous ongoing Superman title, the series was published from cover dates January 1987 to April 2006, and ran for 228 issues...
, Adventures of Superman, and Action Comics. The story arc ran for six issues cover-dated March and April 1990
1990 in comics
-Year overall:Days of Future Present, the sequel to Days of Future Past, appeared in the annuals of Fantastic Four, New Mutants, X-Factor and X-Men.-January:* Dinosaurs for Hire is cancelled by Eternity Comics with issue #9....
, and was collected in Superman: Eradication! The Eradicator reappeared in Superman: The Man of Steel
Superman: The Man of Steel
Superman: The Man of Steel is the title of a monthly American comic book series that ran 136 issues from 1991 to 2003. published by DC Comics, featuring Superman. As a consequence of introducing this series alongside its already existing titles, DC Comics was able to publish a new Superman comic...
#1 as a humanoid being composed of energy.
In June 1993
1993 in comics
-January:* Doom Patrol #63: " The Empire of Chairs," Grant Morrison's final issue as Doom Patrol writer.-February:* Action Comics, with issue #686, suspends publication following "The Death of Superman."...
, the character, appearing as The Visored Superman or The Last Son of Krypton, was the featured character in Action Comics through the Reign of the Supermen story arc, beginning with Action Comics #687-689. The character was "resurrected" in Action Comics v.1 #693 and then featured regularly in Outsiders
Outsiders (comics)
The Outsiders are a fictional DC Comics superhero team. As its name suggests, the team consists of superheroes who allegedly do not fit the norms of the mainstream superhero community, namely the Justice League....
, first appearing as a member of the team in issue 3. The character was featured in his own three-issue eponymous limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
in 1996
1996 in comics
-Year overall:* Malcolm Jones III commits suicide at circa age 37.* Boody Rogers, creator of Sparky Watts, dies at c. age 92-January:* January 19: Bernard Baily, co-creator of The Spectre and Hourman, dies at age 79.* January 28:...
.
Fictional character biography
In the distant past, a dying alienExtraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
race creates a number of containment devices in which to preserve their culture. They send them into space with contact teams, intent on meeting other civilizations. When a small group of these aliens arrive on the planet Krypton, they are met by the militant Kem-L, who kills them and corrupts one of the devices. Its new mission is to preserve his ideal of Kryptonian culture by eradicating all others — and thus the device becomes known as the "Eradicator."
In its original form, the Eradicator resembles a stylized small rocket. Its top section is a prolate spheroid
Prolate spheroid
A prolate spheroid is a spheroid in which the polar axis is greater than the equatorial diameter. Prolate spheroids stand in contrast to oblate spheroids...
, which exudes a blue glow and is approximately three times the size of an egg. This is connected via four thin mount brackets to a glossy orange tail fin section of equal length. The ten equally spaced fins each have the shape of a pointed quarter ellipse, with the tapered end extending slightly beyond the rear of the squat main cylindrical body tube.
On Krypton, the Eradicator does all that it could over the years to protect Kryptonians, even from themselves. When a group of Kryptonian explorers leave Krypton in search of a new planet to colonize, the Eradicator alters their birthing matrices and makes them fatally allergic to lead, thus creating Daxamites. To further ensure that nobody left Krypton, the Eradicator alters Kryptonians so that they will instantly perish if they leave their world.
One of the surviving aliens, known as the Cleric, takes the Eradicator and leaves Krypton with a group of followers. Unfortunately, they die soon thereafter, as the Kryptonian genetic link to their home planet precludes their survival off-world. The Cleric keeps the Eradicator for 200,000 years, until he encounters Superman on Warworld
Warworld
Warworld is a fictional artificial planet published in several stories by DC Comics, most of which feature Superman. It first appeared in DC Comics Presents #27 , and was created by Len Wein and Jim Starlin.-History:...
. With the device, the two exchange memories, and the Cleric has a vision of Superman in combat with Mongul
Mongul
Mongul is the name of two fictional characters that appear in comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the character debuted in DC Comics Presents #27 and was created by writer Len Wein and artist Jim Starlin. The second version first appears in Showcase '95 #85 and was created by...
. The Cleric wishes to save Superman's life, and the Eradicator transports Superman to the Cleric's asteroid. The Cleric notices that the device has changed to protect Krypton's sole survivor, and he and Superman use it to heal their wounds, both physical and spiritual. When the Cleric gives the Eradicator to Superman, he rapidly ages and dies as the link to the Eradicator extending his life is severed.
The Eradicator's Fortress
After Superman returns to Earth with the Eradicator, the device causes a number of bizarre events, including altering Jimmy OlsenJimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character who appears mainly in DC Comics’ Superman stories. Olsen is a young photojournalist working for the Daily Planet. He is close friends with Lois Lane, Clark Kent/Superman and Perry White...
into a malleable form, causing him extreme pain in the process. Superman throws the device into a crevasse in Antarctica, where it alters the ice to create the Fortress of Solitude
Fortress of Solitude
The Fortress of Solitude is the occasional headquarters of Superman in DC Comics. Its predecessor, Superman's "Secret Citadel", first appeared in Superman #17, where it was said to be built into a mountain on the outskirts of Metropolis...
, and possesses two scientists to create a portal to the Phantom Zone
Phantom Zone
The Phantom Zone is a fictional prison dimension featured in the Superman comic books and related media published by DC Comics. It first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 , and was created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp...
, whence it draws Kryptonian artifacts to the Fortress. When Superman recovers the Eradicator, he learns that one of his ancestors, Kem-L, created it to prevent aliens from influencing Kryptonian culture. The Eradicator tries to transform Earth into a new Krypton, and erases Superman's memory of the device when he tries to interfere.
Professor Hamilton
Professor Hamilton
Professor Emil Hamilton is a fictional character in DC Comics' Superman titles. He is generally portrayed as a stereotypical absent-minded professor, with a gray beard and thick glasses and, at times, a "Mr. Wizard" type character...
, who had previously examined the Eradicator, restores Superman's memory, and Superman then goes into the Phantom Zone to stop the device. He encounters a projection of Kem-L and learns that only the House of El can control the Eradicator, but he first had to undergo a Kryptonian rite of passage
Rite of passage
A rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another. It is a universal phenomenon which can show anthropologists what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures....
. When Superman completes it, he commands the Eradicator to shut down, and it complies.
The Krypton Man
The Eradicator later alters Superman's psyche, turning him into the ideal Kryptonian and alienating his closest friends. Superman nearly kills the alien gladiator DraagaDraaga
Draaga is a fictional alien character in the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Adventures of Superman #454 during the 1989 Superman In Exile storyline.-Fictional character history:...
, but when the Eradicator endangers Jonathan and Martha Kent, Clark breaks the machine's programming, fights it, and throws it into the Sun.
The Eradicator later returns as an energy being. It tries to turn the Sun into a red dwarf
Red dwarf
According to the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, a red dwarf star is a small and relatively cool star, of the main sequence, either late K or M spectral type....
(the type of star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
that Krypton once orbited), but Superman stops it with help from Professor Hamilton and using a mystical crystal that belonged to the villainous Mr. Z. They drew the Eradicator's essence into the crystal and dispersed it just before it shattered.
Reign of the Supermen
During this time, due to its enhanced senses, the Eradicator has to wear a special visor designed to cut down visible light, since its eyes are particularly sensitive to it; the Eradicator, unlike the real Superman, does not possess heat vision. Also, he cannot absorb yellow sunlight directly, instead tapping into Superman's reserves and using him as a conduit for solar radiation. As a humanoid
Humanoid
A humanoid is something that has an appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it...
, the Eradicator proves to be a more brutal version of Superman, who shows no hesitation in killing a potential rapist and brutally breaking the hands of a safecracker. However, after a fight with Steel
John Henry Irons
Steel , also known as the Man of Steel, is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Universe. First appearing in The Adventures of Superman #500 , he is the third character known as Steel and was created by Louise Simonson and artist Jon Bogdanove...
, in which the armored man fights to stop the Eradicator from killing potential adversaries, the Eradicator begins to reconsider his more brutal approach, temporarily relocating to Coast City
Coast City
Coast City is a fictional city created by John Broome and Gil Kane that appears in stories published by DC Comics. It is depicted most often as the home of the Silver Age version of the superhero Green Lantern, Hal Jordan.-Fictional history:...
before it is destroyed by Mongul
Mongul
Mongul is the name of two fictional characters that appear in comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the character debuted in DC Comics Presents #27 and was created by writer Len Wein and artist Jim Starlin. The second version first appears in Showcase '95 #85 and was created by...
and the Cyborg Superman
Hank Henshaw
Hank Henshaw is a fictional supervillain featured in the DC Comics universe. While originally featured primarily as an enemy of Superman, recent years have repositioned him as one of the main enemies of the Green Lantern Corps...
. The Cyborg nearly kills the Eradicator in an attempt to frame him for the attack. Returning to the Fortress only to discover that Superman has revived thanks to the Eradicator's use of him as a conduit restoring his own solar energy and reviving his body, the Eradicator drains all the power out of the Fortress of Solitude, regenerating and changing the appearance of its humanoid body, its personality now altered to show a greater compassion for the human race. Returning to Coast City, the Eradicator joins forces with Superman, Steel, Superboy
Superboy (Kon-El)
Superboy is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. A modern update of the original Superboy, who is a younger version of Superman, the character first appeared in Adventures of Superman #500 , and was created by writer Karl Kesel and artist Tom Grummett.Originally...
, Supergirl
Matrix (comics)
Matrix is a fictional character and a superheroine, best known as the 1988-2002 Supergirl, published by DC Comics. She was created by John Byrne as part of his Superman revamp...
and Green Lantern
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan is a DC Comics superhero known as Green Lantern, the first human shown to join the Green Lantern Corps and a founding member of the Justice League of America. Jordan is the second DC Comics character to adopt the Green Lantern moniker...
to fight Mongul and the Cyborg Superman and stop him from destroying Metropolis
Metropolis (comics)
Metropolis is a fictional city that appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and is the home of Superman. Metropolis first appeared by name in Action Comics #16 ....
. The Eradicator is seemingly killed in an attempt to shield Superman from a lethal blast of Kryptonite
Kryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material from the Superman mythos —the ore form of a radioactive element from Superman's home planet of Krypton. It is famous for being the ultimate physical weakness of Superman, and the word kryptonite has since become synonymous with an Achilles' heel —the one weakness...
-based fuel, fully recharging the Man of Steel's powers in the process as the Eradicator's mass somehow alters the kryptonite radiation to allow Superman to absorb power from the kryptonite.
Following Superman's return, the Eradicator's apparently dead body is examined at S.T.A.R. Labs
S.T.A.R. Labs
S.T.A.R. Labs, is a fictional research facility, and comic book organization appearing in titles published by DC Comics. They first appeared in Superman vol. 1 #246 , and was created by Cary Bates and Rich Buckler.-Publication history:...
, and merged with Dr. David Connor. The merged Eradicator joins the Outsiders
Outsiders (comics)
The Outsiders are a fictional DC Comics superhero team. As its name suggests, the team consists of superheroes who allegedly do not fit the norms of the mainstream superhero community, namely the Justice League....
, and occasionally teams up with Superman.
Return
The original Eradicator program is revealed to still exist in the Fortress of Solitude's computers and, following the destruction of the Fortress in Superman's battle with DominusDominus (DC Comics)
Dominus is a fictional character and a DC Comics supervillain who first appeared in Action Comics #747. He appears primarily as an opponent of Superman.-Fictional character biography:...
, the Eradicator program takes the form of Kem-L, and again attempted to brainwash Superman. The David Connor Eradicator realizes that the program is still active, and, when the Fortress Eradicator attempts to merge with the Brainiac-13 program to use the futuristic technology to recreate Krypton once again, merges with the remains of the Fortress to control it and take it from Earth.
The Fortress-Eradicator takes the form of a gigantic Kryptonian battlesuit, and gains a form of multiple personality disorder
Dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis and describes a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities , each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment....
based on his conflicting programming. In the run-up to the "Our Worlds at War
Our Worlds at War
"Our Worlds at War" was a comic book crossover, published by DC Comics during the summer of 2001. OWAW was written by Jeph Loeb, Joe Casey, Mark Schultz, Joe Kelly, Phil Jimenez, and Peter David...
" crossover, the Eradicator returns to Earth as a "prophet" with a fierce religious mania, warning of the coming of Imperiex
Imperiex
Imperiex is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in Superman #153 , and was created by Jeph Loeb and Ian Churchill...
. When it learns of the "Krypton" created by Brainiac 13, the shock to the original directive of Kryptonian purity stuns him enough for Superman to freeze him in an absolute zero
Absolute zero
Absolute zero is the theoretical temperature at which entropy reaches its minimum value. The laws of thermodynamics state that absolute zero cannot be reached using only thermodynamic means....
staging chamber. He briefly emerges and, infected with Joker venom
Joker venom
Joker venom, also called Joker toxin or Smilex, is a fictional toxin, a favorite murder weapon used by The Joker in the Batman franchise of movies, comics, and cartoons...
, attempts to reach the alternate Krypton; however, after a brief tussle with Krypto
Krypto
Krypto, also known as Krypto the Superdog, is a fictional character. He is Superman's pet dog in the various Superman comic books published by DC Comics. Krypto's first appearance was in a Superboy story in Adventure Comics #210 in March 1955...
(a representative of this "blasphemous" Krypton), the Eradicator is placed in a "null chamber" in Superman's new Fortress of Solitude; he is eventually released and brought back to sanity after Superman learns the true origins of the alternate Krypton.
Later, the Eradicator returns to his humanoid state of being. He wears a new outfit which, like the "Krypton Man" costume, is a combination of elements from Superman's costume and Kryptonian robes. He gains the ability to sense beings that should not be in the DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
, such as Mr. Majestic
Mister Majestic
Mister Majestic is a fictional character, a Wildstorm Productions superhero created by H.K. Proger and Jim Lee. He first appears in a backup story within WildC.A.T.s #11. One of the most powerful heroes in the WildStorm universe, he bears a strong, deliberate resemblance to DC Comics's...
. The Eradicator is seriously injured by an OMAC, and is left in a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
.
The Eradicator resurfaced, clad in his original costume, in the pages of Outsiders. He has acted as a representative of New Krypton.
During the events of the Reign of Doomsday
Reign of Doomsday
"Reign of Doomsday" is a 2011 comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics that will run through the Superman family of books. The crossover involves Doomsday hunting down Steel, Superboy, Eradicator and Cyborg Superman, the four main characters introduced in the wake of the controversial...
crossover, the other members of the Outsiders attempt to convince Geo-Force
Geo-Force
Geo-Force is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Markov is Prince of Markovia and the half-brother of Terra. Geo-Force is one of the founding members of the superhero group the Outsiders. He first appeared in a special insert in The Brave and the...
to fire Eradicator from the team. Before they can reach a consensus, Doomsday arrives and attacks the team. After all of his teammates are defeated, Eradicator makes his last stand against the creature, only to be impaled through the stomach and seemingly killed. Doomsday then takes Eradicator's lifeless body and runs off to an unknown destination. The Eradicator, along with Supergirl
Supergirl (Kara Zor-El)
Kara Zor-El is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and related media, created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino. As Supergirl, Kara Zor-El serves as the biological cousin and female counterpart to DC Comic's iconic superhero Superman, created...
, Superboy and Steel, are brought to an alien spaceship. There, they discover that the Doomsday that beat the Eradicator was one of several clones of the original. With Superman's help, they flee to the ship's control deck, where they meet a Doomsday-like creature that calls itself Doomslayer. After learning that Doomslayer intends to crash the ship into Earth, killing everything, Eradicator attempts to force him to stop. However, Doomslayer absorbs his energies and rips his body apart, killing him. Eradicator is later revealed to have transferred his program into the body of Doomsday, who had been rendered comatose by Doomslayer. As Eradicator helps to battle the Doomsday clones that Doomslayer sent around the world, he notes that Doomsday's mind is beginning to awaken.
In the final battle, Eradicator and the heroes defeat the Doomsday clones and throw them back into the pit the Tower is located in, since the Tower wills teleport things that are close to it. Eradicator arrives and helps Superman fight Doomslayer, and as he tells Superman that it was an honor to fight alongside him, Eradicator throws him out of the Tower, allowing himself to be trapped and teleported away.
Other versions
In a 2001–2002 storyline, Superman visited a version of Krypton which resembles the Silver Age version of the planet. However, unlike the Silver Age incarnation of the planet, this version includes "Eradicator assassins", giant robots used by General Zod and the Science Council as part of "the Eradicator solution", and later by Jor-El against Kryptonian religious zealots. Superman eventually discovered that this version of Krypton had been created as a trap for him by the villainous Brainiac 13, using "the Eradicator Matrix", which he had stolen from the true Krypton along with Jor-ElJor-El
Jor-El is a fictional character, an extraterrestrial in the . He was created by the writer Jerry Siegel and the artist Joe Shuster, and he first appeared in a newspaper comic strip in 1939 as Superman's biological father....
's diaries. The Eradicator Matrix is described as having been "designed to save Krypton by transforming a nearby husk of a planet into a habitable paradise"; Brainiac 13 uses it to transform a planet in the Phantom Zone into a replica of Krypton based on Jor-El's favorite period in Kryptonian history, and its inhabitants into Kryptonians.
In Action Comics #850, a flashback shows Jor-El muttering about "damned Eradicators" while preparing to send Kal-El into space.
Powers and abilities
In its original technological form, the Eradicator is able to teleport Superman from WarworldWarworld
Warworld is a fictional artificial planet published in several stories by DC Comics, most of which feature Superman. It first appeared in DC Comics Presents #27 , and was created by Len Wein and Jim Starlin.-History:...
to Earth; manipulate molecular structures to create the Fortress of Solitude, synthetic kryptonite
Kryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material from the Superman mythos —the ore form of a radioactive element from Superman's home planet of Krypton. It is famous for being the ultimate physical weakness of Superman, and the word kryptonite has since become synonymous with an Achilles' heel —the one weakness...
, and the virus which gave Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character who appears mainly in DC Comics’ Superman stories. Olsen is a young photojournalist working for the Daily Planet. He is close friends with Lois Lane, Clark Kent/Superman and Perry White...
temporary stretching powers; retrieve Kryptonian technology through space and time (implied to be through the Phantom Zone
Phantom Zone
The Phantom Zone is a fictional prison dimension featured in the Superman comic books and related media published by DC Comics. It first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 , and was created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp...
); manipulate vast quantities of energy; keep the Cleric alive for millennia; and influence the minds of Superman and Matrix.
The Eradicator's body is created from the genetic template of Superman's, when Superman dies at the hands of Doomsday, giving him physiology similar to a Kryptonian. As a result, the Eradicator possesses similar powers to that of Superman, such as incredible strength, speed, invulnerability, and flight. He also possesses ultra acute senses but to a limited degree. Being a program from Krypton, the Eradicator possesses extensive knowledge of Krypton and is extremely intelligent, as well as having the ability to compute and process information at incredible speed.
Eradicator has abilities to absorb, convert, and release various forms of energy greater than those of natural Kryptonians, typically projecting energy as powerful blasts from his hands or eyes. He was able to survive exposure to massive amounts of kryptonite
Kryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material from the Superman mythos —the ore form of a radioactive element from Superman's home planet of Krypton. It is famous for being the ultimate physical weakness of Superman, and the word kryptonite has since become synonymous with an Achilles' heel —the one weakness...
radiation. After the Eradicator and Mr. Majestic fought, Mr. Majestic altered the Eradicator's programming to make him more aware. The full extent of his programming alteration is unclear, although it has been shown that he can sense beings and gateways from alternate realities such as the Bleed.
In other media
British wunderkind radio producer Dirk MaggsDirk Maggs
Dirk Maggs, a freelance writer and director working across all media, is principally known for his work in radio, where he evolved radio drama into "Audio Movies," a near-visual approach combining scripts, layered sound effects, cinematic music and cutting edge technology. He pioneered the use of...
produced a Superman radio series for BBC Radio 5
BBC Radio 5
BBC Radio 5 may refer to the following United Kingdom radio stations:* BBC Radio 5 , on air from 1990 to 1994.* BBC Radio 5 Live, the current station, which replaced BBC Radio 5 in 1994....
in the 1990's. When the "Death of Superman" story arc happened in the comics, Maggs presented a very faithful, though much pared down version of the tale, which featured Stuart Milligan
Stuart Milligan
Stuart Milligan is an American actor based primarily in Britain, best known for his recurring role as Adam Klaus in Jonathan Creek.He attended South High School in Denver, Colorado...
as Clark Kent/Superman, Lorelei King
Lorelei King
Lorelei King is a United States-born actress who has been based in the United Kingdom since 1981. She has narrated audiobooks, acted in radio plays for BBC Radio 4 and appeared on television.- Early life :...
as Lois Lane, and William Hootkins
William Hootkins
William Michael Hootkins was an American character actor, most famous for supporting roles in Hollywood blockbusters such as Star Wars, Batman and Raiders of the Lost Ark.-Early life:...
as Lex Luthor. In the death-and-rebirth storyline, Milligan was double-cast as the Eradicator. The story arc was packaged for sale on cassette and CD as Superman: Doomsday and Beyond in the UK and as Superman Lives! in the USA.
Eradicator is a playable character along with the other Supermen in The Death and Return of Superman
The Death and Return of Superman
The Death and Return of Superman is a beat 'em up video game based on the Death of Superman storyline. It features many characters from the comics, including Superman himself, Superboy, Steel, Cyborg, the Eradicator, and Doomsday...
video game for SNES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
and Sega Genesis
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
.
The Eradicator was in Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
's script for Superman Lives.
In the animated film Superman: Doomsday
Superman: Doomsday
Superman: Doomsday & Beyond is a licensed novel, published in 1993, set in the DC Comics universe, written by Louise Simonson, and with illustrations from Dan Jurgens and José Luis García-López. It is a young-adult version of The Death of Superman comics storyline from 1992...
, which was based on "The Death and Return of Superman
The Death of Superman
"The Death of Superman" is a 1992 comic book storyline that occurred in DC Comics' Superman titles. The completed multi-issue story arc was given the title The Death and Return of Superman....
", the Eradicator does not appear, but elements of his character are incorporated into the cloned Superman, and a robot butler in the Fortress of Solitude fulfills some of the Eradicator's plot functions.
Superman X
In season two of the Legion of Super HeroesLegion of Super Heroes (TV series)
Legion of Super Heroes is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation that debuted on September 23, 2006, based on characters appearing in the DC Comics comic book series. The series centers on the young Superman's adventures in the 31st century, fighting alongside a...
cartoon, Superman X (voiced by Yuri Lowenthal
Yuri Lowenthal
Yuri Lowenthal is a voice actor that has voiced several anime and video game characters. He also voiced Kamal for the alternate reality game I Love Bees....
, who also voiced Superman) is introduced with several similarities to the Eradicator in its humanoid form; is a physical replica of Superman, he is created as a living weapon, possesses powers similar to Superman's as well as additional energy-based powers and resistance to Kryptonite, has a ruthless and cold-blooded attitude which is tempered over time, and wears a costume with similarities to that worn by the Eradicator following The Death of Superman
The Death of Superman
"The Death of Superman" is a 1992 comic book storyline that occurred in DC Comics' Superman titles. The completed multi-issue story arc was given the title The Death and Return of Superman....
Superman X also has aspects similar to Superboy (Kon-El), and Mon-El. His own name is Kell-El.