Bizarro () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman, and first appeared in Superboy #68 (1958). Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Books (1956 – c. 1970), the character has often been portrayed as an antagonist to Superman, though on occasion he also takes on an antihero role while doing things in a backwards way.
In addition to appearing in the company's publications, he has also appeared in adapted media and tie-in products, such as animated and live-action television series, trading cards, toys, and video games.
Publication history Bizarro debuted in Superboy No. 68 (published in August; cover-dated October 1958), writer Otto Binder casting the character as a Frankenstein's monster pastiche that possessed all the powers of Superboy. Shunned for his unenviable appearance, the teen version of Bizarro only appeared in a single comic book story. An adult version appeared around the same time in the Superman daily newspaper comic strip written by Alvin Schwartz, debuting in Episode 105: "The Battle With Bizarro" (strips 6147–6242: August 25, 1958 to December 13, 1958). According to comics historian Mark Evanier, Schwartz long claimed that he originated the Bizarro concept prior to the character's appearance in Superboy. The newspaper version wore a "B" on his chest, as opposed to Superman's distinctive "S".
Schwartz stated:Conroy, Mike. 500 Comic Book Villains, Collins & Brown, 2004.
Binder introduced the adult version of the character into the Superman comic book, this time wearing an "S", in Action Comics #254 (July 1959). Bizarro proved popular, and eventually starred in a Bizarro World feature in Adventure Comics for 15 issues, running from issue #285–299 (June 1961 – August 1962),This material has been collected as Superman: Tales of the Bizarro World, DC Comics, 2000 (). as well as in a special all-Bizarro 80-Page Giant (Superman #202, December 1967/January 1968). The character made forty appearances in the Superman family of titlesAction Comics, Superman, Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane, Adventure Comics, Secret Society of Super Villains, and DC Comics Presentsfrom 1959 to 1984, prior to a reboot of the DC Universe, as a result of the limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths #1–12 (April 1985 – March 1986).
Bizarro was reintroduced into the DC Universe in a one-off appearance with characterization similar to his original Superboy appearance in Superman: The Man of Steel #5 (December 1986). He was later revived in the "Bizarro's World" serial that ran through the Superman titles in March and April 1994, and in Action Comics Annual #8 in 1996. In 1997, Bizarro appeared in Superman: The Animated Series, wearing a purple version of Superman's costume which has become Bizarro's usual outfit in the comics. An unrelated four-issue limited series titled A. Bizarro (July–October) was published in 1999.
Fictional character biography Pre-Crisis Bizarro General Zod's Bizarro Army General Dru-Zod had originally created bizarro duplicates of himself to dominate the planet Krypton. The Bizarros had no power because they were not under a yellow sun, but they were soldiers ready to kill and die without hesitation. This was the reason why Zod was banished to the Phantom Zone for 25 Krypton sun-cycles.Phantom Zone #1 (January 1982)
Bizarro-Superboy Some 12 years later, totally oblivious to these facts, a scientist on Earth is demonstrating his newly invented "duplicating ray" to Superboy, and an accident causes the ray to duplicate the superhero. The copy, quickly labeled "Bizarro", is a flawed imitation as it possesses chalky white skin and childlike erratic behavior. Shunned by the people of Smallville, Bizarro befriends a blind girl named Melissa, and loses all hope when he realizes that the girl did not shun or flee from him because she was blind. Superboy is eventually forced to "kill" Bizarro using the remains of the duplicating machine, which acts like blue kryptonite (as opposed to green kryptonite, Superboy's weakness). Bizarro deliberately destroys himself by colliding with the duplicating machine's fragment, with the ensuing explosion restoring Melissa's eyesight.Superboy #68 (November 1958)
Bizarro #1 Years afterward, Superman's arch-foe Lex Luthor recreates the "duplicating ray" and uses it on the hero, hoping to control the duplicate that became known as Bizarro #1. The Bizarro that is created, however, is confused, stating: "Me not human... me not creature... me not even animal! Me unhappy! Me don't belong in world of living people! Me don't know difference between right and wronggood and evil!" Luthor is arrested by Bizarro for re-creating him, but forgotten as Bizarro attempts to emulate Superman, creating havoc in the city of Metropolis and almost exposing Superman's secret identity as Clark Kent. When Bizarro falls in love with reporter Lois Lane, she uses the duplicating ray on herself to create a "Bizarro Lois", who is instantly attracted to Bizarro. In addition, he also used the duplicating ray on himself to create "New Bizarro" who later dies from exposure to green kryptonite. The Bizarros leave Earth together, determined to find a home where they can be themselves.Action Comics #254–255 (July–August 1959)
Superman encounters the couple once again, discovering that Bizarronow called Bizarro #1has used a version of the duplication ray to create an entire world of Bizarros, who now reside on a cube-shaped planet called Htrae (Earth spelled backwards).Action Comics #263–264 (April–May 1960) Bizarro #1 and Bizarro-Lois #1 also give birth to a child who, while super-powered, appears to be totally human. Considered a freak by Bizarro standards (out of resentment for the way that he was treated by Earth humans, Bizarro #1 made a law named the Bizarro Code that decrees that they must act the opposite of humans, causing no end of lunacy), the child is the catalyst for a brief war between Htrae and Earth.Superman #140 (October 1960) Blue kryptonite is also invented during this war, as well as the temporary existence of Bizarro-Supergirl. Bizarro also has a series of adventures on Htrae, aiding a normal Jimmy Olsen when he is accidentally trapped there,Adventure Comics #287 (June 1961) preventing an invasion of blue kryptonite statues,Adventure Comics #290 (November 1961) and stopping the Bizarro version of Titano.Adventure Comics #295 (April 1962)
Bizarro's influence is also felt on Earth: Jimmy Olsen is inadvertently turned into a Bizarro for a while,Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #80 (October 1964) and a new teen version of Bizarro travels to the 30th century and attempts to join the Legion of Super-Heroes. When he is rejected by the Legion, the Bizarro teen creates his own Bizarro version of the Legion, which Superboy eventually persuades him to disband.Adventure Comics #329 (February 1965)
When Bizarro encounters Superman once again, his powers are now the opposite of Superman's (such as freeze vision as opposed to heat vision and heat breath rather than freeze breath), and he attempts to kidnap Lois Lane.Superman #306 (December 1976); Superman #333 (March 1979) Bizarro also temporarily joins the Secret Society of Super Villains to battle the Justice League of America and Captain Comet.Secret Society of Super Villains Special #1 (January 1977)Secret Society of Super Villains #10 (October 1977)
Bizarro appears in the non-canonical story "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?", in Superman #423 (September 1986). Bizarro goes berserk and destroys the Bizarro World and all of its inhabitants, then travels to Metropolis and wreaks havoc before abruptly committing suicide. This and many other deaths turn out to be the machinations of Mister Mxyzptlk, who had become evil and begun a rampage of crime. Superman is unable to undo the deaths, but kills Mxyzptlk and uses gold kryptonite on himself to remove his super-powers permanently.
Bizarro's final pre-Crisis appearance was in DC Comics Presents #97 (September 1986), which was also the final issue of that series. After being empowered by a Phantom Zone sorcerer, Mxyzptlk destroys Zrfff and Bizarro World, killing all of its inhabitants. Bizarro's severed head crashes onto Clark Kent's desk and addresses Clark before dying. Bizarro does not appear in Crisis on Infinite Earths, apparently because of this story's events.
This story directly contradicts a World's Finest story where it is revealed that sometime in the future, Htrae is transformed into a more normal world (egg-shaped rather than cubical) by the radiation from an exploding celestial body. The Bizarros are changed into normal people without super-powers, but still retain vestiges of their Bizarro Code, such as hanging curtains outside windows.World's Finest Comics #181 (December 1968)
Post-Crisis Bizarro Project Changeling After the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, Lex Luthor orders his scientific team to create a clone of Superman that was part of "Project Changeling". Incorrectly starting from the assumption that Superman is a human with metahuman abilities (his alien origin had not yet been revealed), the process results in a flawed copy, which Luthor dismissively refers to as "...this bizarreOh, forget it", before ordering for the subject to be disposed of. The clone survives and, although mute and possessed of only limited intelligence and vague memories of Clark Kent's life, attempts to mimic Superman. He kidnaps Lois Lane and is finally destroyed when colliding with Superman in mid-air.Superman: The Man of Steel #5 (December 1986) Each time he exerted himself, the clone crumbled slightly. When Lois Lane's sister Lucy Lane, who had been blinded in a terrorist attack, is exposed to Bizarro's dust, she regains her sight. While Superman had not expected this effect, he speculated that Bizarro heard the sister explain her partial recovery and may have deliberately allowed himself to be killed to cure her.
Bizarro II A second Bizarro, able to speak and think better due to genetic engineering by Luthor, appears in a 5-issue substory in the clone plague story-arc titled "Bizarro's World" (beginning in Superman (vol. 2) #87). Before he died, this Bizarro seriously injured Luthor's scientist Sydney Happersen, kidnapped Lois, created a ramshackle dummy version of Metropolis in a warehouse (to parody Superman's frequently rescuing Lois, he deliberately exposed her to and "rescued" her from one lethal danger after another), abducted Lana Lang, proposed to Lois and apparently died in Luthor's labs.Superman (vol. 2) #88 During this period, Superman also had to cope with an unending increase in his powers due to exposure to "Purple Kryptonite" in the climax of "The Death of Superman" and "Reign of the Supermen" storylines.This material was collected as Superman: Bizarro's World, DC Comics, 1996 ()
Bizarro would later turn up alive in his final appearance seen Adventure Comics 80-Page Giant by Tom Peyer and Kevin O'Neill.Adventure Comics 80-Page Giant #1 (October 1998)
Match
Match is a clone of Conner Kent who was created by the Agenda, a government organization, to serve them. Initially appearing identical to Conner with pale hair and eyes, Match later degenerates into a form resembling Bizarro.Teen Titans (vol. 3) #42-46 (February–June 2007)
Project Cadmus/S-01 S-01 coined "Bizarre-O" is the first of Paul Westfield's attempts to clone a new Superman during the Fall of Metropolis storyline. Unlike Conner Kent, who was the thirteenth attempt and the only true success of Westfield's project, S-01 was considered a failure.