Bizarro

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This article is about the comic book character. For other uses, see Bizarro (disambiguation).
Bizarro

Bizarro battles Superman on the cover of Action Comics #254 (July 1959). Art by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye.
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance Superboy #68 (1958)
Created by Otto Binder
George Papp
In story information
Alter ego Kent Clark
Team affiliations Injustice League
The Society
Htrae
Notable aliases Bizarro #1
Abilities Reverse versions of Kryptonian powers including freeze-vision, heat-breath, vacuum breath, spot-light vision, x-ray hearing

Bizarro is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Superboy #68 (October 1958), and was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp.

Contents

[edit] Publication history

The original Bizarro first appears in Superboy #68 (Oct. 1958) when Superboy is exposed to a "duplicate ray." This version makes multiple apperances in Action Comics; Superman; Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen; Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane; Adventure Comics; Secret Society of Super-Villains and DC Comics Presents from 1959 to 1984 prior to a reboot as a result of the Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline. In 1986, Bizarro was reintroduced in issue #5 of the limited series, The Man of Steel. Another version appears in the 2006 "Emperor Joker" storyline that ran through Superman #160-161, Adventures of Superman #582-583, Superman: Man of Steel #104-105, Action Comics #769-770 and Superman: Emperor Joker #1.

[edit] Pre-Crisis Bizarro

The original Bizarro is created during a laboratory accident. A scientist demonstrating his newly invented "duplicating ray" to Superboy, tests the device on a radium pellet and a jewel. However, the duplicated radium was non-radioactive and the jewel melted. The scientist then stumbles and knocks the machine, inadvertently creating an imperfect Superboy. Although the scientist insists the duplicate is not alive, the creature nonetheless escapes from the lab. Bizarro wants to be accepted, but his appearance and erratic behavior scares people, especially since he has little control over his super-strength. He is befriended by a blind girl, shortly before Superboy realizes the remains of the machine would act as Kryptonite to the doppleganger. During the confrontation, Bizarro flies straight towards Superboy, having realized that the shockwave from his destruction would cure the girl's blindness.

The later Bizarro is re-created by Lex Luthor, who uses the "duplicating ray" on the adult Superman and hopes to use the duplicate in an attack on Superman. Bizarro does not cooperate and instead tried to emulate Superman. Unfortunately, his attempts to match the original's heroics are clumsy and destructive. He kidnapped Lois for companionship. This is resolved when Lois creates a Bizarro-Lois of herself for Bizarro using the "duplication ray". Feeling rejected by the people of Earth, they move to the world of Htrae, which had ancient advanced technology which they use to populate the planet with other Bizarros created in the same manner.

[edit] Post-Crisis Bizarro

[edit] LexCorp Bizarros

Lex Luthor creates a clone to combat the Man of Steel. [1] The clone is proven to be imperfect, the imperfections in the duplicates eventually fatal. The mute creature makes several attempts to "be" Superman, including wearing a jacket and glasses over his still visible costume. The flawed duplicate is destroyed when he and Superman fly into each other.

Luthor later recreates Bizarro to offer insight into how to stop the "Clone Plague". The new Bizarro escapes, and kidnapped Lois Lane, taking her to "Bizarro World"; a warehouse set up like a surreal version of Metropolis. He subjects her to danger, so she manages to escape, and Bizarro is recaptured by Lexcorp, where it subsequently dies.

[edit] Emperor Joker

A later version of Bizarro is created by the Joker by the use of the powers of Mr. Mxyzptlk; [2]. The Joker creates a twisted version of Earth, a perfect cube with Joker's image on each facet. Created to be the greatest hero of Jokerworld and leader of that world's JLA (Joker's League of Anarchy), the backwards talking Bizarro is one of a number of characters Mxyzptlk saves from that world after Joker loses the stolen powers. The creature is subsequently captured by the Pokolistanian dictator General Zod, and tortured, apparently just for the pleasure of beating someone who resembles Superman.

After escaping from Pokolistan with Superman's help, Bizarro recreates his Jokerworld headquarters, the Graveyard of Solitude, and at erratic intervals emerges to "help" or hinder Superman; the decision as to which being seemingly random, and the same amount of trouble caused either way.

Bizarro is invited to join the Secret Society of Supervillains. Bizarro challenges Zoom to a race, due to Bizarro's complicated speech patterns, neither Zoom nor Cheetah are sure which end result of the race would convince Bizarro to join. The two race across the planet, Bizarro's erratic zig-zag path a point of contention with Zoom. While with the Society, Bizarro kills the Human Bomb, commenting that he likes the flashes of light that the Bomb's powers produce.

[edit] One year later

One year later, Bizarro is a captive of Lex Luthor and has been watching television in a small room for thirteen months. As a result, he is much smarter than before. Bizarro finds he can create other Bizarros under the power of a blue sun, and uses his new ability to populate the planet with new Bizarros. With Superman's help, he becomes the new Bizarro World's greatest hero.

[edit] Powers and abilities

Main article: Powers and abilities of Superman

Bizarro has similar powers to Superman, which include superstrength; super speed; invulnerability and flight. The most recent version of Bizarro also has several "reverse" powers such as freeze vision (as opposed to heat vision); flame breath (as opposed to frost breath); X-Ray vision that can only see through lead; microscopic vision that decreases the size of objects; "x-ray hearing" and "spotlight vision". [3] Under the light of a blue sun, Bizarro also gains amplified powers and "Bizarro vision", which creates a Bizarro duplicate of the target. [4]

Bizarro is weakened by blue Kryptonite, which affects him in the same manner as green Kryptonite affects Superman. Yellow sunlight has also been shown to weaken Bizarro.

Bizarro mimics Superman on the cover of Tales of the Bizarro World. Art by John Forte.
Bizarro mimics Superman on the cover of Tales of the Bizarro World. Art by John Forte.

[edit] Alternate versions of Bizarro

  • Bizarro Justice League - featured in Action Comics Escape from Bizarro World storyline, Bizarro members included: Bizarro Batman, wearing a smily-face on his chest, and possessing a bat-treehouse; Bizarro Hawkgirl, who screeches like an actual hawk; Bizarro Wonder Woman, who ties herself up with her lasso to make others lie; Yellow Lantern, a reluctant member of the Sinestro Corps; and Bizarro Flash, a greatly overweight Bizarro, who collapses after a few seconds of running. Other Bizarro's featured in the storyline were a Bizarro Lex Luthor, Doomsday, Joker, and Brainiac.
  • Match - a clone of Kon-El, the character was reintroduce by Geoff Johns as a deteriorated clone resembling Bizarro in both appearance and speech.
  • A. Bizarro - a Bizarro duplicate of an ordinary man who happened to look like Superman., the character was introduced in the self-titled miniseries by Steve Gerber and M.D. Bright.

[edit] Alternate universe depictions

  • Superman: Red Son - Lex Luthor creates a imperfect clone of Superman, as a champion for the United States. The creature sacrifices himself to save London from a nuclear missile, saying "Hello, everybody. Me very pleased to meet you," seconds before his death. He has red hair and lumpy skin, and his costume resembles that of the original Superman except that the monogram on his chest reads "US."
  • The Superman Monster - in the Frankenstein pastiche, Viktor Luthor's Creature originally resembles Bizarro, although he sloughs off the chalky skin later in the story.
  • JLA: The Nail - Lex Luthor discovered Kal-El's abandoned spaceship and taken DNA samples from it in creating clones; the Justice League encounters these Bizarro-like duplicates used as Luthor's henchmen.
  • All-Star Superman - Bizarro clones are the workforce used by P.R.O.J.E.C.T. under Leo Quintum. They reside in a universe with tremendous gravity called the Underverse, and they speak like the regular DC Universe Bizarro. Superman turns into an evil Bizarro-like being under the influence of Black Kryptonite, which is drawn from the Underverse. [6] The Bizarros are a form of infection that the planet spreads to Earth; they are immune to the Underverse's harsh environment and can survive in space. At first, the Bizarros appear as emaciated, grey humanoids with hollow eye sockets and pale, lumpy skin, but when they touch a person, that person becomes a version of a Bizarro. One Bizarro grabs Superman, and it takes on the appearance of the regular Bizarro.
  • Zibarro from All-Star Superman. On Bizarro World, only one out of billions has the mental abilities of a normal human being. This Bizarro introduces himself to Superman as Zibarro. Although Zibarro resembles Superman, he has no apparent powers. He helps Superman to escape from Bizarro world, unselfishly giving up his own chance to do so. However, Superman promises to return to rescue him.

[edit] In other media

Bizarro as featured in the Season 6 finale of Smallville. (2007)
Bizarro as featured in the Season 6 finale of Smallville. (2007)

Bizarro made a total of seven appearances in the Superboy TV series. A version of Bizarro appears in the first season of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman . In Smallville, Bizarro appears in Seasons 6 - 7. This version of Bizarro is weakened by sunlight and strengthened by green kryptonite, although is vulnerable to the blue variety. Bizarro appears in the animated series, Challenge of the SuperFriends, voiced by Bill Calloway; and later in The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians voiced by Danny Dark. Bizarro has several appearances in Superman: The Animated Series, voiced by Tim Daly; and in the Justice League Unlimited animated series, voiced by George Newbern. Bizarro also appears in the video games, Superman 64; Superman: The Man of Steel and Superman Returns.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Man of Steel #5 (1986)
  2. ^ Superman vol. 2, #160
  3. ^ Superman/Batman #19
  4. ^ Action Comics #855
  5. ^ Lord Havok and the Extremists #4
  6. ^ All Star Superman #4

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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