Man of Steel: 7 Superman comic book controversies

In his 75 years of life, Superman has had plenty of opportunity to upset his fans. His new, pants-less costume has caused more of a stir than you might think since its Man of Steel/New 52 redesign.

In the run-up to the release of Zack Snyder's reboot, we at Digital Spy take a look back over the moments in his long career that really had cause to offend:

Death and Rebirth
1992's 'Death of Superman' launched a year-long saga that would prove one of the title's most commercially successful storylines of all time, but it isn't without its detractors. The 'Death' part came courtesy of Doomsday, a new, silent villain who only role was to repeatedly punch the Man of Steel in the face until he breathed no more. The ensuing story - which saw four rivals emerge to replace Superman - was frequently silly and illogical. Many fans felt betrayed by his hand-wave return, but worst of all, he was resurrected with a mullet.

Superman Red/Superman Blue
In 1998, DC Comics embarked on a project to revitalise Superman by transforming him into a blue energy being with vaguely defined powers. Later events saw him split into a second, red version. The pair argued over Lois Lane's affection until a chance collision combined them back into the original form. No straight explanation was ever given for the resolution, and so everyone simply did their best to forget it ever happened.

Identity Crisis and Superman the jerk
The Identity Crisis miniseries stands accused of destroying the fun in DC Comics forever with the rape and death of Sue Dibny. What was worse for some people is the implication that Superman knew all about his colleagues' programme of wiping the minds of enemies and friends (including Batman) when they got in their way and just let them get on with it. The story tarnished Kal-El's reputation as an incorruptible champion of justice.

Porn star Superman
John Byrne's otherwise acclaimed run on Action Comics was marred by this story, in which Superman and Jack Kirby's Big Barda - a strong female superhero far ahead of her time - were hypnotised by a villain called Sleez into performing in a porn film. Superman snapped out of his trance before they did the deed, but the very idea of the story itself was entirely at odds with the ideal of the Man of Tomorrow.

The Ghost of Superman Future
The one-shot Elseworlds title Superman: At Earth's End will exist in infamy forever as a tale of a future version of Superman with a Father Christmas-style beard who takes on an evil empire run by two clones of Hitler by shooting them with an oversized chaingun called the 'Expunger'. The '90s, Image Comics trend for big guns and stupid stories met Superman in this title, and the result was not pretty.

Superman and Wonder Woman get cozy
The New 52 saw the unwriting of Clark Kent and Lois Lane's marriage and later Superman's liaison with Wonder Woman (not for the first time). The new relationship received a lukewarm reception from fans, and seemed more an exercise in pushing the characters to the global media. More tellingly, Brian Azzarello's Wonder Woman - which has won higher acclaim than any of the titles mentioning the pairing - has made no allusion to the relationship whatsoever.

Orson Scott Card's Adventures of Superman
Not an action of the Man of Steel himself but worthy of inclusion among the greatest Superman controversies, controversial sci-fi veteran Orson Scott Card was announced to be working on DC's new digital-first series Adventures of Superman earlier this year. Fans reacted with anger at the hiring of the virulent anti-gay activist, saying that a man with such politics had no place writing a character meant to represent justice, hope and acceptance for all. In the face of the outrage, DC quietly put his story on indefinite hold.