Superman: Red Son is a three-issue prestige format comic book miniseries published by DC Comics under its Elseworlds imprint in 2003. Written by Mark Millar with art by Dave Johnson, Andrew Robinson, Walden Wong, and Killian Plunkett, the story explores a provocative alternate history premise: what if the infant Kal-El's rocket had landed not in Kansas, but on a collective farm in Soviet Ukraine?
The narrative spans from the 1950s through the early 2000s, reimagining Superman as a champion of the Soviet Union who fights for Stalin, socialism, and the expansion of the Warsaw Pact rather than truth, justice, and the American way. The story cleverly weaves alternate versions of familiar DC heroes and villains into Cold War geopolitics, featuring a Russian Batman, an American Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman as a diplomat caught between superpowers. Real historical figures including Joseph Stalin and John F. Kennedy appear alongside these reimagined icons.
The miniseries received widespread critical acclaim for its intelligent political commentary and inventive world-building. It was nominated for the 2004 Eisner Award for Best Limited Series and has since become one of the most celebrated Elseworlds stories in DC's catalog. The comic's enduring popularity has led to multiple reprints and collected editions, cementing its status as a landmark work of superhero alternate history.
