Alternative versions of Superman establish a new continuity for DC, affecting not only Superman, but all of the DC Comics characters. The versions of Superman from this time period are traditionally divided into three main periods. The first version of Superman began being published by DC Comics in 1938 appearing in "Action Comics" #1. To explain discrepancies in the aging of Superman across several decades, his earliest stories were retroactively portrayed as having taken place on an alternative world called Earth-Two. These stories take place from 1938 until the late 1950s, although the exact dividing line is unclear and some stories happened identically to
The Death of Superman Superman fan Shaquille O'Neal. Eradicator received a limited series, Superboy remained a fixture of the DC Universe until he was killed in "Infinite Crisis" (2005–2006), and the Cyborg Superman became a recurring enemy of Superman and Green Lantern. Later comics featuring Doomsday included "" (1995), which explores his origin, and "Reign of Doomsday" (2011), which heavily references "The Death of Superman" and features him hunting down the Supermen. In 2011, DC relaunched its entire comics line in an initiative called The New 52, which revamped the DC Universe and erased certain events. The relaunch altered Superman considerably, characterizing him as