Darkseid has turned Superman into evil on multiple occasions, something that in theory we can get to see in the assembly of the Justice League by Zack Snyder.
Superman represents everything good in the DC Comics universe, as the great superhero always tries to do the right thing. However, even he can become an evil pawn. Since Darkseid, ruler of Apokolips has turned the Man of Steel into a force of evil on multiple occasions.
Superman was set to make a more dramatic evil turn in the Justice League, as Zack Snyder’s original cut featured Kal-El influenced by the Anti-Life Equation. The sinister twist would demonstrate how powerful Darkseid is, as even Earth’s last bastion of hope could be corrupted.
Although this is not the first time what has happened.
In The Legion of Super-Heroes “The Great Darkness Saga”, by Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen, Darkseid uses the DNA of a dead Superman to create an evil version as part of his Servants of Darkness. which include Guardian, Kalibak, Lydea Mallor and Orion. This version of Superman only exists in the 30th century and is defeated when Legionnaires use golden kryptonite to make him vulnerable. It is not the only time that Darkseid cloned Superman, as he created Brutaal on Earth 2 by James Robinson and Nicola Scott. This version held key memories of the original superhero, but fought alongside Darkseid to make Earth “New Apokolips.” This clone is an unpredictable assassin and after killing his own surrogate father, Johnathan Kent, Lois Lane (who is Red Tornado on Earth-2) shoots him down forever.
In the ‘Darkseid War’, Superman is infused with the negative energy of the New Gods. As Lex Luthor pushes him into a fire pit at Apokolips. The wells corrupt Superman at its core and when he returns to Earth, he fights with (his then-lover) Wonder Woman. Diana manages to calm him down with the ‘Lasso of Truth’, and the heroes can defeat Darkseid. But the Man of Steel would later die from the negative energy that defeated his being.
While Zack Snyder’s Justice League is unlikely to directly adapt any of these stories, with the evil Superman and the Anti-VIda Equation at his side, Darkseid is almost impossible to beat. Which is a good reason to join the Justice League.