Source: The Dark Knight Returns (1986), The Dark Knight Strikes Again (2001-2002), All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder #3-5 (2007) and Countdown: Arena #1-4 (2007-2008)
Type: Alternate future upgrades to Alternate Earth
In The Dark Knight Returns, set 20 years into 1986's future, the Cold War rages on, gangs have taken over the cities, and superheroes are a dying breed. As we've seen DC 2006, we know it went another way, so the Dark Knight continuity was relegated to one of the 52 Earths. The Superman of that Earth, by the time he and Batman were in their 50s, had become a tool of the government, taking down Third World regimes and doing its dirty work even as he hypocritically advised Bruce Wayne to keep a low profile. Things come to a head, as things must, and the Soviets retaliate against the U.S. for Superman's actions, shooting a nuclear missile at the West. Superman diverts it to an uninhabited island, but he is nearly killed in the process.
Spoiler: He reaches the sun and is healed. Meanwhile, Batman has retaken Gotham's streets and made it the safest and most well-fed city in America. The U.S. is embarrassed and sends its super-lackey to bring the Batman in. Batman wins, of course, thanks to some armor and a kryptonite arrow shot into the battle by one Oliver Queen.
But as soon as he does, he has a heart attack and collapses. It's a hoax in an echo of the Silver Age tradition, as Batman restarts his heart inside his grave and Superman hears his heartbeat and gives the camera a wink.
The world is revisited in The Dark Knight Strikes Again, and Superman and Batman butt heads again. His loved ones under threat by the despotic "president" Luthor, Superman tries to apprehend the Bat, but gets his ass kicked. Superman later agrees to lose a big public battle against a Brainiac monster to shake the people's faith in superheroes, which fails when Lara, his daughter by Wonder Woman, carefully hidden until this moment, defeats Brainiac.
Superman's loved ones are nevertheless atomized by the forces of evil, and he eventually decides that he is not one of us. The vacuum left by Luthor's defeat opens the door for the Super-family to perhaps take over. Haven't visited Earth-31 later than those events (that I know of), so who knows where that went. Its Superman did show up in Arena, but who cares. And as for his early career, you have to check out All-Star Batman and Robin (well, you don't HAVE to, but it's also been tagged as Earth-31).
Type: Alternate future upgrades to Alternate Earth
In The Dark Knight Returns, set 20 years into 1986's future, the Cold War rages on, gangs have taken over the cities, and superheroes are a dying breed. As we've seen DC 2006, we know it went another way, so the Dark Knight continuity was relegated to one of the 52 Earths. The Superman of that Earth, by the time he and Batman were in their 50s, had become a tool of the government, taking down Third World regimes and doing its dirty work even as he hypocritically advised Bruce Wayne to keep a low profile. Things come to a head, as things must, and the Soviets retaliate against the U.S. for Superman's actions, shooting a nuclear missile at the West. Superman diverts it to an uninhabited island, but he is nearly killed in the process.
Spoiler: He reaches the sun and is healed. Meanwhile, Batman has retaken Gotham's streets and made it the safest and most well-fed city in America. The U.S. is embarrassed and sends its super-lackey to bring the Batman in. Batman wins, of course, thanks to some armor and a kryptonite arrow shot into the battle by one Oliver Queen.
But as soon as he does, he has a heart attack and collapses. It's a hoax in an echo of the Silver Age tradition, as Batman restarts his heart inside his grave and Superman hears his heartbeat and gives the camera a wink.The world is revisited in The Dark Knight Strikes Again, and Superman and Batman butt heads again. His loved ones under threat by the despotic "president" Luthor, Superman tries to apprehend the Bat, but gets his ass kicked. Superman later agrees to lose a big public battle against a Brainiac monster to shake the people's faith in superheroes, which fails when Lara, his daughter by Wonder Woman, carefully hidden until this moment, defeats Brainiac.
Superman's loved ones are nevertheless atomized by the forces of evil, and he eventually decides that he is not one of us. The vacuum left by Luthor's defeat opens the door for the Super-family to perhaps take over. Haven't visited Earth-31 later than those events (that I know of), so who knows where that went. Its Superman did show up in Arena, but who cares. And as for his early career, you have to check out All-Star Batman and Robin (well, you don't HAVE to, but it's also been tagged as Earth-31).
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