Superman is dealing with a new weakness, and the threat is none other than himself

Notice! Spoilers ahead for Superman #20!A new weakness has just been discovered in Supermanand that could spell trouble for the entire DC Universe. A shocking moment in the middle of a battle reveals that the Big Blue Boy Scout is fighting something very dangerous inside.

Things have been pretty intense lately for Superman. Not only did he almost lose his entire family in the epic story of “House of Brainiac”, he also almost lost his life thanks to Amanda Waller in Absolute power. To make matters worse, his powerful enemy, Doomsday, has returned from the depths of Hell and is pushing Superman to serious extremes.

Superman's Repressed Anger Is Changing Him For The Worse

Shocking death raises Clark's 'red levels'

In Superman #20 by Joshua Williamson, Dan Mora, Alejandro Sánchez and Ariana Maher, Clark speaks with the Time Trapper, revealed to be a future, evolved version of Doomsday. Time Trapper encourages Clark to kill him, while also warning Superman of the horrors to come in the near future. Before Superman can stop him, the future Doomsday departs, leaving Clark and Superwoman to deal with the current problem: The Doomsday that Superman knows is still ravaging downtown Metropolis and swallowing the entire city in hellfire.

Superman and Superwoman face Doomsday and his Doomhounds while Mercy Graves works to activate something called 'Project Deadbeat'. Clark and Lois work tirelessly to defeat Doomsday while the rest of the Super-Family evacuates Metropolis. Fortunately, Mercy arrives with armed Supercorp soldiers and her secret weapon, Parasite. Parasite is released on Doomsday and begins to feed on the monster's boundless energy. Unfortunately, before the Parasite can weaken Doomsday enough, the giant rips the reformed villain in half in front of Superman and the Supercorp heroes.

Furious over losing Parasite, Superman unleashes his rage on Doomsday, punching him until his fists bleed. As Clark defeats Doomsday, Lois comments “Not again” as Lena Luthor Notes Superman's 'Red Levels' Are Rising. Mercy begs Superman to stop while Lois does her best to calm Clark down. Superman's eyes turn red while red veins glow on his neck and face. Even his voice is affected to some extent before the Man of Steel finally returns to normal after realizing that Doomsday has been stopped and the day is saved.

Superman's rage is brewing and everyone knows it

Stress is causing the Man of Steel to lose control

Clark has had his fair share of stressful events, but the last year has really tested him. Superman gambled by working with Lex Luthor, who claimed he was turning over a new leaf. But as the two former enemies became working allies, threats from Lex's past emerged, such as the enigmatic Dr. Pharm and Mr. Graft. This mad scientist duo has done a lot of research on kryptonite and even synthesized the red variant to make Superman feel intense rage.

Pharm and Graft got exactly what they wanted, as exposure to synthetic red kryptonite caused Superman to go on a rampage that no one was safe from. Fortunately, Lex was able to neutralize the effects of the red kryptonite with the standard green variant. Superman's life was saved, but something changed within him internally. It wasn't long after Superman's last encounter with Pharm and Graft that Brainiac came to Metropolis and kidnapped all the metahumans in the city except Superman, whose intense rage began to return.

Superman was able to contain his anger and carry out his rescue mission, but his new attitude was noticed by Lobo, who noticed that Superman's anger was palpable. To make matters worse, Clark didn't even get a chance to celebrate his family's return after “House of Brainiac” thanks to Amanda Waller launching her attack on metahumans in Absolute power. AND Superman's fury grew stronger than ever when he discovered that Waller had turned his son, Jon.into a living weapon.

What do Superman's red levels mean for him and his future?

Clark's rage is putting everyone in danger

Given all the things Superman has been through, one expects him to be angry. But exposure to the red kryptonite synthesized by Pharm profoundly affected him to the point that he became a danger to himself and others. Judging by the fact that Supercorp is watching Superman's physical stats and Lois' remark about “Not again”, it is likely that Superman has been struggling with his anger, getting the best of him. Especially since there were a few weeks between Absolute power and the beginning of DC All In where anything could have happened.

Of course, the idea of ​​a Superman losing his temper is scary. But it doesn't just seem like an emotional problem for Clark, but a physical one as well. Although anger is at the center of everything, whenever Clark starts to get angry, his body actually changes. His eyes glow (and not just because of his heat vision), as does his skin, Not to mention something is going on with Superman's voice considering how red his word bubbles look.

So what happens when Clark's “red levels” get too high? The most obvious answer is that Superman becomes so angry that he can't free himself, putting everyone who looks at him the wrong way at risk. But since this whole problem goes back to the synthetic red kryptonite graft used, anything could be at play. Red Kryptonite is unpredictable and can lead to mutations, new powers, or even death. Essentially, Whenever Superman becomes very angry, he risks suffering the effects of the most dangerous kryptonite around.

What can save Superman from this new weakness?

Keep calm and Superman on?

Unfortunately, meditation and mindfulness won't stop the stress Superman experiences due to supervillain attacks and Clark can't afford to walk away from the superhero business. The only way Clark can overcome this weakness is by consulting top kryptonite experts. Normally, that would mean Lex Luthor, but he's still dealing with a bad bout of amnesia. Fortunately, there are many scientists in the DC Universe who know about kryptonite and can certainly help. Superman before his anger takes him to a dark place from which he cannot return.

Superman #20 is now available from DC Comics.