Looking for a Z-Lister with an origin that'd twist your head in a knot? Well, you're in luck, because The Panel Biter has just the man for you. Half Man of Steel, half Dark Knight, all kinds of crazy, this is Composite Superman.
No, this abomination isn't the result of a young boy's wish or a fanboy's creation, Composite Superman used to be a diver named Joseph Meach. As a publicity stunt, Meach prepared to dive off a building into a pool of water. He was rescued by Superman because the pool had sprang a leak. Superman gave the struggling diver a job at the Superman Museum (yeah, Superman had a museum) as a janitor. In this museum stood lifeless duplicates of The Legion of Superheroes, a 30th century group of heroes who Superman had met in his travels. Meach grew to envy Superman and loath working for the godlike hero. One night, a bolt of lightning came through a window, passed through the statues and struck Meach. Through an explanation that's been unexplained since the 60's, Meach discovered the lightning gave him the combined powers of The Legion. This included (deep breath): height control, division into three separate beings, control over electricity, control over fire, weight control, matter consumption, invisibility, body inflation, elasticity, shapeshifting, telepathy, enhanced intelligence, magnetic powers, x-ray vision, intangibility and elemental transformation. And with so many amazing powers, what'd Meach base his alter ego off of? Superman and Batman. Not too creative, that Joseph Meach. He took the name Composite Superman and proceeded to blackmail the mentioned heroes, sabotaging their heroic adventures to make himself look good. He established his own museum and almost forced our World's Finest heroes into retirement, but-through the laziest method in comic book history-it was revealed Meach's plethora of powers were only temporary. His superpowers vanished just before he could ruin Superman and Batman. Joseph Meach ultimately died protecting the heroes from another version of Composite Superman and was given his own statue for his sacrifice.
Jealousy can turn any person into a monster, it just so happens that circumstance chose a bitter man to be a monster. Composite Superman may appear to be the stereotypical "dark mirror" to two of DC's greatest heroes, but he more represents the downside to the heroes' legacies. Mocking their appearances, battling them with their successor's powers, threatening not only their lives, but the security of their identities. Yes, Composite Superman is a ridiculous super villain, but his execution challenged Superman and Batman in a way no other villain could. This amalgamation may be too much to handle, but he also proves that you can have too much of a good thing.
Speaking of having too much of a good thing, Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope you're as full as I am! Thanks for reading!
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