Warning! Spoilers ahead for Superman and the Authority #2!
Most readers would consider characters like Superman heroic for the immense restraint they demonstrate when fighting bloodthirsty villains. Typically in comics, killing is seen as a heinous act, reserved only for the morally gray and evil. Superman’s latest team, however, shows that heroes who have killed are not necessarily evil, and can still serve the greater good.
In Superman and the Authority #2 by Grant Morrison and Mikel Janín, an aging Superman has teamed up with former rival Manchester Black to build a team of metahumans capable of saving the Earth and creating the “finer world” Superman strives for. As the issue progresses, the duo begins recruiting more heroes into their roster, including Midnighter and Apollo. Before being recruited into Superman’s new team, however, Midnighter and Apollo are shown to be running their own mission, during which they kill a terrorist cell and take down their bioweapon.
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Superheroes typically aren’t depicted as killing people, and when they are it’s usually to either set up fallen hero character arcs or to serve some greater narrative purpose and make readers question their heroes’ morality. Midnighter and Apollo, however, have been quite comfortable with killing throughout a good chunk of their heroic careers. Despite this, they have remained as heroes, and ultimately do heroic things for the benefit of Earth, and sometimes, the universe. While Superman, like many of his mainstream compatriots, is often vehemently against killing and cultivates a circle of friends reflective of this stance, it appears that in the continuity of Superman and the Authority he may be willing to overlook such a thing for the benefit of mankind.
In the Earth of Superman and the Authority #2, Superman has aged rather gracefully, save for the fact that his powers have begun to fade. As Kal-El strives to keep his lasting promise to President Kennedy of building a finer world, Superman must now build a team of metahumans capable of replicating his powers, even if it means some team members work outside the boundaries of the law.
While Superman has always, to some degree, worked outside the confines of the law, killing has generally been the line in the sand he won’t cross. Now, perhaps as he’s mellowed with age or realized that his personal convictions may need to be set aside, he realizes that he needs heroes like Midnighter and Apollo, who are willing to kill to save lives. While these two may not have been Superman’s first pick back in the day when he was stricter with his rules, now they are a perfect fit for the aged Kryptonian’s new, rogue super team.
Killing is typically a villainous, or at least immoral, act in comic book culture, and one heroes tend to stay far away from. As Superman has aged and realized that he’ll need all the help he can get if he wants to save Earth, the Man of Steel has come to terms with the idea that heroes can kill, while still remaining (mostly) heroic.
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