Superman:
STATISTICS:
F: In/40
A: Mn/75
S: SH X/150
E: SH X/150
R: Ex/20
I: Am/50
P: In/40
Health: 415
Karma: 110
Resources: Un/100 as JLA member
Popularity: 100
BACKGROUND
Real Name: Kal-El, Clark Joseph Kent
Occupation: Reporter
Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with no criminal record
Identity: Secret
Other Known Aliases: none
Place of Birth: Krypton
Marital Status: Married
Known Relatives: Jor-El (father); Lara Lor-Van (mother, deceased); Zor-El (uncle, deceased); Alura In-Ze (aunt, deceased); Kara Zor-El (cousin); Jonathan Kent (adoptive father, deceased); Martha Kent (adoptive mother, deceased); Lois Lane (wife); Jon Kent (son); Sam Lane (father in-law); Lucy Lane (sister-in-law); Kon-El (partial clone)
Base of Operations: Metropolis, Fortress of Solitude, Justice League Watchtower · formerly Smallville, Hamilton County
Past Group Affiliations: Justice League of America
Present Group Affiliation:
KNOWN POWERS:
Invulnerabilities: like all Eternals, Superman has several invulnerabilities.
- Invulnerability: Am/50 resistance to all attacks
- Cold, Radiation, Toxins & Disease: CL 1000
- Life Support: CL 1000, Superman has no need to eat or breathe while exposed to an abundant source of cosmic energy like our sun.
Cosmic Energy Manipulation: Kryptonians can channel cosmic energy like any other Eternal. Superman has developed several power stunts.
- Microscopic Vision: Am/50
- Penetration Vision: In/40
Psionics: The Kryptonian Mind possesses several powers common amongst Eternals.
WEAKNESS:
- Superman is vulnerable to Krytonite an irradiated ore from his home planet of Krypton. He is powered by a particular wavelength of cosmic energy, which happens to be rather abundant in our sun. Kryptonite either destroys or interrupts this because its radiation is in a band, which is similar to sunlight, but causes a different process to occur.
- Green Kryptonite: causes his body's cells to deteriorate, similar to radiation poisoning in a human being. Exposure to Green Kryptonite causes Superman to lose all his powers at -1CS per round. He also loses 1 rank of Strength and Endurance (with its loss of Health) per round until death occurs at Shift-0 Endurance. Removal of the Green Kryptonite enables Superman's body to regain lost ranks at a rate of one per round.
- Red Sun Radiation: the planet Krypton Orbited a red giant, this kind of sun produces a specific frequency of radiation that negates the energy from a yellow sun. Exposure to radiation from a red star causes complete negation of Kryptonians powers. They return at a rate of 1CS per round following a round of exposure to yellow sun radiation.
TALENTS: Journalism; Leadership; Kryptonian Science
CONTACTS: Batman, Steel, Superboy, JLA, Wonder Woman
HISTORY
The planet Krypton was on the brink of destruction, married scientists Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van built a rocket they could use to save their unborn son Kal-El in his gestation chamber. Jor-El administered a serum that would prevent Kal dying due to the biological link with Krypton that the artifact called Eradicator had previously established in each of the inhabitants of that planet (the proximity to their planet was required for them to live; this was why Jor-El and Lara did not leave Krypton; the serum also supposedly would only work in fetuses). Jor-El wanted his son to reclaim the fullness in life denied him by the sterility of Kryptonian culture, a world where its inhabitants rarely had direct contact, and preferred to interact with each other virtually. Jor-El planned to send his son to a distant planet orbiting a yellow sun he had been studying for some time: Earth. Meanwhile, the view on a monitor of a Earthling working in a rural area startled Lara, who noticed he exposing his skin to the sun and stepping on unprocessed soil. Jor-El explained that exposure to the yellow sunlight would charge Kal-El cells into living solar batteries and gift him with incredible powers. Just before Krypton finally came to an end his parents sent him to Earth as they planned.
Upon landing, the child was discovered by Jonathan and Martha Kent in Smallville, Kansas. The kindly couple decided they would adopt and raise him, naming him Clark Kent.
Superman's origins were heavily revised in the Superman: Secret Origin mini-series written by Geoff Johns in 2009; this made the history established by Mark Waid in his 2003 mini-series Superman: Birthright non-canon following Infinite Crisis in 2006. It would remain the definitive origin until 2011 when Flashpoint established the DCnU and Grant Morrison's Action Comics updated the story.
After living a normal human life as Clark Kent for a year, Superman's powers suddenly came back. When he returned to action as the Man of Steel, there was much public speculation as to whether or not he was an impostor. However, his daring actions, broadcast across the globe, while driving the Auctioneer from Earth, convinced the world that he was the real deal.
The sorcerer Arion came to Metropolis to implore Superman to stop fighting for the benefit of mankind, saying that he was disrupting the proper course of human history by pushing back an inevitable devastating event, and in the process, causing that event to be much worse, resulting in the end of civilization. This revelation troubled the Man of Steel, and caused him to consider his place in the world.
Arion gave Superman two weeks to consider stop being a Superman, and prevent that disaster from occurring. In those two weeks, Superman helped Lightray and Fastbak to control a group of teenage New Gods during a field trip on Earth. The teenage gods had begun causing trouble in Metropolis, and Superman discovered that Arion was the one who set the teenage gods in a rampage in the first place.
After the two-week period ended, Superman informed Arion of his choice to continue being a Superman. However, Arion cast a mind-control spell on Superman, planning to use him as a weapon against other alien heroes. But Superman managed to resist the spell, and went after Arion, who began unleashing a massive disaster on the world. Phantom Stranger told Superman that Arion had unleashed the very disaster he was trying to prevent.
Superman and Phantom Stranger went to the future, where they saw the disaster had wiped out humanity. Phantom Stranger told Superman that if he were to accept Arion's suggestion, humanity would survive the disaster, but at the cost of a significant amount of wisdom. So, Phantom Stranger told Superman that he had to find another way. Superman and Phantom Stranger returned to the present, and Phantom Stranger gave Superman a magic shield to protect himself from Arion's attacks. Superman found Arion's lair in the Atlantic Ocean. After a lengthy fight, Superman defeated Arion and handed him to the authorities.
A young boy, seemingly from Krypton, landed in Metropolis in a ship. Although initially the government worked with Superman on studying him, they later moved the boy without informing the Man of Steel. Angered, Clark hijacked the truck transporting the child and took him. Lois and Clark decided to take the boy in as their son, naming him Christopher.
When General Zod and numerous other Kryptonian criminals broke free from the Phantom Zone, he sent Superman there.
Zod was defeated when Superman was able to break free of the Zone. Zod was stunned to find that his own biological son Lor-Zod rejected him, preferring Kal-El and his wife as his parents. Confronted with this betrayal, Kal-El decided to accept the boy as his own and along with his wife Lois are raising the boy on Earth as their own. Later, Chris sealed himself in the Phantom Zone to prevent Zod from conquering Earth.
Superman was reunited with some of the members of the Legion of Super-Heroes when they travelled back in time to bring Wally West back. Sometime later, Superman battled a Brainiac robot, until it proved to contain a message from Brainiac 5 of the Legion. The message read that Superman should go to the 31st century again. While Superman was there, he discovered that the sun had turned red, thus he lost his powers. Earth had also become a place that did not welcome aliens at all, due to the fact that a warped version of Superman's origin was spread (in which Superman was not from Krypton, but from Earth) and the origin's messengers, the Justice League of Earth, led by Earth-Man.
The Daily Planet is having a meeting, introducing the new members of the Daily Planet, including Cat Grant, Steve Lombard and Ron Troupe. Clark hears a mysterious noise with his super hearing and goes to investigate as Superman. He discovers the noise was a Brainiac drone, sent to try to locate Superman. Superman promptly defeats the drone and takes it back to the Fortress of Solitude.[268] With help from Supergirl, it is revealed that Superman has never truly fought Brainiac before, and all earlier encounters Superman has ever had with Brainiac has been with one of his probes. It is also revealed that Kara was on Krypton when Brainiac stole Kandor, and because of this, she is terrified of Brainiac.
After visiting the Kents, Superman goes flying all through the galaxy in an attempt to track down Brainiac. He discovers his probes on one planet, and witnesses Brainiac capture a city as he did with Kandor. Brainiac also fires a missile into that planet's sun, causing the sun to explode and destroy the planet. The explosion knocks Superman unconscious and he is brought upon Brainiac's ship.
When Superman awakens, he escapes and makes his way around Brainiac's ship. There, he discovers a room full of thousands of bottled cities, including Kandor. At this point, the true Brainiac reveals himself. It is revealed that Brainiac has been collecting information of all the planets he has been destroying and the next planet he decides to attack is Earth, including capturing Superman and Supergirl as the last remnants of Krypton. The Brainiac ship arrives over Metropolis and sends out probes to attack Metropolis, while everyone, including Supergirl, does their best to fend them off. Meanwhile Superman fights with Brainiac. After knocking him out, Superman hears a voice that sounds distinctly like his father; it turns out it is the voice of Zor-El, Supergirl's father, who is alive inside the bottled city of Kandor.
As Superman and Zor-El talk, Brainiac attacks Superman from behind. Supergirl is also caught at this point and brought upon Brainiac's ship just as Metropolis is encased in a bottle and a solar-aggressor missile is fired toward the sun. Superman is unconscious and held captive by the ship, being hooked up to all the bottled cities, hearing their cry for help. Superman escapes and attacks Brainiac, before taking the bottled Metropolis and Kandor, he then frees Supergirl and convinces her to stop the solar-aggressor from hitting the sun, which would cause it to go supernova. Superman then attacks Brainiac and knocks him out of the ship, forcing Brainiac to land on Earth.
Brainiac is overwhelmed by Earth bacteria and micro-organisms. As a result, he cannot control anything on Earth and is promptly defeated by Superman. However, Brainiac reveals that the cities cannot be sustained outside of the ship, and Superman flies off and returns Metropolis before flying to the Arctic and releasing Kandor to its normal size. Supergirl also manages to stop the Sun from being destroyed. However, Brainiac has one final trick left. After reading Superman's mind while he was kidnapped, he knows where Superman's parents live, and he promptly fires a missile that explodes on the Kent farm. Although no one is hurt by the explosion itself, Jonathan Kent suffers a fatal heart attack and dies, just as Clark arrives.
During Jonathan Kent's funeral, Clark looks over and sees Bruce Wayne and Alfred are standing under a tree nearby.
As Libra, the prophet of Darkseid, makes his bid to take over the Secret Society of Super-Villains, Luthor says that the only way Libra could get his respect is to take Superman out of commission. Shortly afterwards, Clayface, disguised as Jimmy Olsen, bombs the Daily Planet, severely injuring and killing several staff members and leaving Lois in critical condition.[273] As Lois is taken to the hospital, Clark manages to keep her heart beating with his heat vision. As Clark whispers that he would do anything to save his wife, he is suddenly confronted by Monitor Zillo Valla, who insists that Superman must depart Earth immediately if he is to save his wife's life.
Zillo stops time around Lois, allowing Superman to leave her side for a while, but warning him that while they should have all the time they need, after time returns to normal Lois' heart will beat only once without Superman's help. She promises a drop of Bleed, the extradimensional substance in which the Multiverse grows, to heal Lois should their mission succeed. Exiting reality, Superman finds himself aboard the Carrier Ultima Thule, instinctively discovering his capability to access 4-D vision to perceive the situation. Fighting off a corrupted Monitor nanotech probe - titanic by moral scale - and leaving it in the remains of Earth-51, he is introduced to his allies, fellow Supermen Captain Marvel of Earth-5, the "Quantum Superman" of Earth-4 Captain Allen Adam, guilt-ridden Overman of the Nazi-dominated Earth-10, and his antimatter twin Ultraman. Eventually finding themselves in Limbo, where Merryman takes them to the Library of Limbo, its sole book containing infinite pages. Together, Superman and Captain Marvel are able to lift the infinite weight, allowing them to learn of the story of the Overmonitor, the all-encompassing megabeing in which the Multiverse grew, into which it sent the Monitors; its initial incursion into reality left a mark on creation in the form of a silent, titanic sentinel in the shape of Superman himself. As they learn of the original Monitor, Dax Novu, and his attempt to chain the destroyer Mandrakk, feedback knocks both of them out of the story, returning Captain Marvel to Billy Batson. Before he has time to react, Superman learns that Zillo Valla has drained Overman of blood to sustain herself, and Ultraman, holding the Infinite Book, declares himself Mandrakk's prophet as the sky shatters.
As Limbo rises up to fight back against its attackers, Ultraman confronts Superman, threatening that if their matter/antimatter particles mix it will destroy them both, but Captain Marvel returns to break them up. As the drugs designed to dampen Captain Adam's quantum senses wear off, he realizes what must be done, combining the essences of Superman and Ultraman, the energy generated enough to 'broadcast' the resultant being to the higher dimension of Nil, home of the Monitors. Possessing the Superman Giant left by the Overmonitors' contact with reality, Superman discovers that the Monitors are a race of cosmic vampires feeding on the Bleed to sustain themselves, with Dax Novu having in the process become Mandrakk. After facing off against the Dark Monitor and casting it out of creation to the realm of the Overvoid, Superman is informed by the Monitors that he has been tricked; it is impossible to contain or bottle Bleed. Splintering back into Superman and Ultraman upon the return to material reality, Superman, Overman and Captain Marvel destroy the last of Mandrakk's ships. Returning to his Earth Superman has in fact managed to bring a distilled drop of The Bleed, and administered it through a kiss to Lois, restoring her to full health, as the Monitors, saying nothing could do it, were wrong: Superman can.
After saving Lois, Superman is transported to the 31st century by the Legion of Super-Heroes. As he arrives in the Legion clubhouse, the Legionnaires show him an image of Takron-Galtos with an S-shield burning in its surface, explaining that a riot caused every prisoner to be released. Cosmic Boy tells Superman that a similar incident happened in Smallville. Then, Phantom Girl shows him an image of the culprit, and Superman realizes that it is Superboy-Prime. Superman explains to the Legion about Prime's origins, saying that he is from a parallel universe.
To combat this new threat, Brainiac 5 suggests contacting the Legions from two parallel worlds. Mon-El supports the plan, but Superman believes that the only way to stop Prime is by redeeming him.
Some of the Legionnaires, including Lightning Lad, disagree with this idea. Lightning Lad suggests breaking the Legion code and killing Prime, but Cosmic Boy disagrees. The discussion between the two then becomes a fight, until Cosmic Boy says that the reason he became the leader of the Legion is because he wanted everyone but him to have a life outside the team.
Then, White Witch, Blok, Wildfire and Dawnstar appear right before everyone's eyes. Blok and Dawnstar explain that White Witch teleported them from Sorcerer's World, except for Rond Vidar, who is fighting Prime and the Legion of Super-Villains.
Mon-El suggests going to Sorcerer's World but Lightning Lad replies that they won't make it in time if they use their ship. Cosmic Boy asks White Witch if she can teleport them, and she says she can. Suddenly, White Witch feels the death of Vidar. Dawnstar then senses that the Legion of Super-Villains, along with Earth-Man and the Justice League, are headed for Earth. Brainiac takes a team to find an artifact in the Justice League's headquarters in Happy Harbor, Rhode Island, while Superman and the rest of the Legion faces off against the Legion of Super-Villains.
As the fight continues, Superman tries to reason with Prime, reminding him of his life in Earth-Prime before the First Crisis, but Prime burns a hole in his hand with his heat vision and continues attacking him. Suddenly, Brainiac 5 appears with the Post-Zero Hour Legion and the Earth-Prime Legion, turning the tide. M'Onel and Andromeda help Superman in the fight against Prime. However, Prime escapes them.
Superman wraps the injury in his hand with a piece of his cape. With Prime's temporary retreat from the battle, Superman fights Mordru. Suddenly, Superman sees an explosion coming from the clubhouse and goes to help. Then, he realizes that Brainiac 5 brought Kid Flash back to life. Suddenly, a portal opens behind Superman and a giant hand grabs him along with Lighting Lad, Cosmic Boy and Saturn Girl, taking them to the end of time.
There, they encounter the Time Trapper, who reveals that since the First Crisis, he wanted to destroy Superman, and although he attempted to erase any true memory of Superboy from the Legion, he still could not erase him. So he decided to replace him, and he has brought the three founders of the Legion to witness the end of the Superman dynasty. Suddenly, the Time Trapper blasts them with an energy burst.
Superman then witnesses Superboy's return to life and encourages the Legionnaires to fight the Time Trapper. After the four attack the Time Trapper, Superman rips his hood and the four heroes discover that the Trapper is in fact an aged Superboy-Prime.
Superman and the Time Trapper fight, and Superman tells him that he won't gain anything by holding onto hate. In the 31st century, Superboy blasts Prime in the chest, causing a burn to appear in the Time Trapper's chest. Lightning Lad and Cosmic Boy bring the three Legions to the end of time, and they all knock the Time Trapper out. Superman and the founding Legionnaires then return to the 31st century with the Time Trapper. As soon as he sees the Time Trapper, Prime becomes repulsed by what he will become, so he punches the Trapper, causing both to cease to exist. Superman and Superboy reunite and the two Legions return to their respective universes.
Before returning to his own time, as the reality-shattering impact of the current Crisis begins to affect the future, Superman is given a brief glimpse of the reality-altering Miracle Machine by Brainiac 5. When he returns to the present, Superman finds that Darkseid has taken over Earth. In a fit of desperate rage, Superman attacks Darkseid's bunker, finding Batman's charred corpse within. After being mocked by Darkseid, Superman nearly kills him, but hesitates when he realizes that Darkseid is possessing Dan Turpin, allowing the Anti-Life slaves to surround him. Superman then witnesses Darkseid fire the Radion bullet that earlier killed Orion through time, and also Darkseid's defeat when Barry Allen and Wally West led the Black Racer to him. As reality breaks down around him and the universe slowly dies, Superman, with the help of the rest of the remaining superheroes and humanity, completes construction of a copy of the Miracle Machine.
Darkseid's essence attempts to claim the Miracle Machine in a last ditch effort to defeat Superman. However, Superman sings a note at a frequency that counters Darkseid's own vibrational frequency, shattering his essence. At this point, Mandrakk, now in the form of Monitor Rox Ogama, arrives alongside a now vampiric Ultraman to consume Superman, the last and greatest Protector of Life, at his weakest, explaining that Darkseid's fall, return and ultimate demise have worn the fabric of creation enough for him to invade it. He taunts Superman with reminders of his father Jor-El's own inability to save his world, saying he has nothing to start the Miracle Machine with, so Superman should come to Mandrakk and embrace the death of everything. Superman replies that he's had better offers, and uses the remaining solar energy in his body to power the Miracle Machine, making a single wish. Then, exiled Monitor Nix Uotan arrives, bringing the forces of the Zoo Crew of Earth-26, the Super Young Team become Forever People of the 5th World, and the angels of the Pax Dei, while Captain Marvel brings the collective Supermen of the Multiverse. The Supermen vaporize Ultraman, while the rest battle Mandrakk's shadow demons, weakening Mandrakk enough for the Green Lanterns to break through and kill Mandrakk with a spike created from their rings. As the heroes present repair the Multiverse and restore Earth to its proper position, ending the Final Crisis, Nix Uotan reveals to his love Weeja Dell in the last moments of Nil's existence that Superman's wish was for a happy ending.
The entire city of Kandor now resides near the Fortress of Solitude in the North Pole, populated by 100,000 Kryptonians. Although distracted by the recent death of his adoptive father, Jonathan Kent, Superman attempts to aid the Kryptonians in their assimilation with the rest of the Earth -- something very few Kryptonians seem interested in, including the city's leaders, Zor-El and Alura, Supergirl's parents. After the first televised meeting between the President of the United States and a delegation from Kandor is interrupted by a rampaging Doomsday, Zor-El and Alura form a task force determined to preemptively end any future threat to Kandor by capturing Superman's worst villains and trapping them in the Phantom Zone. However, several human police officers are killed when they refuse to hand over the Parasite, enraging Superman.
At the same time, Lex Luthor, who has been recruited by General Sam Lane to halt the Kryptonian “invasion,” gains control of Brainiac and unleashes his robot army from within the depths of the alien's spaceship, currently being held in Kandor. During the fight, Metallo and Reactron, who are working for Luthor and General Lane, are brought into Kandor as Trojan horses containing Kryptonite. Reactron manages to kill Supergirl's father, Zor-El. Alura's anger causes her to denounce humanity. Members of the Justice League and Justice Society arrive in Kandor, led by the Guardian, demanding the city turn over those who murdered the police officers, and a large-scale battle erupts, with Superman in the middle. It only ends when Kryptonian scientists manage to use Brainiac's technology to lift Kandor off the Earth and grow an entirely new planet underneath it, called “New Krypton,” on the other side of the solar system, directly opposite the Earth, and therefore hidden by the sun. Alura tells Superman that he is not welcome on New Krypton, although Supergirl takes up residence there with her mother. In the end, Alura frees General Zod from the Phantom Zone to help her lead their people.
Superman accepts his aunt Alura In-Ze's offer to begin a new life on New Krypton in exchange for renouncing his life on Earth, and places a Labor Guild member named Tyr-Van as his guide. Because of his superior mastery over their special abilities, he is drafted into the Kryptonian Military Guild as a Commander working directly underneath General Zod. Kal is placed in charge of the Red Shard tactical response unit, and Asha Del-Nar is appointed as his XO. Placed under his command are Jeq-Vay, Kir-Ta, Non and Sem-Re.
Following his successful handling of a hostage situation involving the Labor Guild demanding equality led by Tam-Or, he is forced to duel his fellow officer Commander Gor over a tactical humiliation and wins through superior technique. The Green Lantern Corps is sent to New Krypton on a fact-finding mission; Hal Jordan, John Stewart and Sodam Yat assist the Red Shard in taking down Kryptonian serial killer Greyline who has escaped from the Phantom Zone. Kal and Asha are charged with treason for refusing to put the man to death and ceding him to the Lanterns' authority. Dyn-Xe of the Artists Guild is appointed their defense counsel, and they are sentenced to death. Zod convinces the Religious Guild to grant him a pardon when he realizes that Kal is more than willing to die for his ideals if it will make the army stronger. Zod is shot through the chest during an assassination attempt.
The shooter is identified as a patriotic soldier named Ral-Dar, although he escapes custody and travels to Earth; this forces Kal to become Superman again so he can pursue him with Supergirl during Codename: Patriot.[289] Superman and Mon-El meet Guardian and the Science Police to explain Ral-Dar's plot and the attempted assassination of Zod. Lois explains to Clark that Chris Kent has returned to Earth.[290] Superman and the Guardian brief the Science Police about Ral-Dar.[291] Superman pursues Ral-Dar all the way to Markovia, where the U.S. President is meeting with the Markovian president. Superman stops Ral-Dar, only to be confronted by General Lane with members of Squad K and his own troops, with kryptonite-infused weapons and Kryptonian battle-suits. Lane orders them to open fire, and the hail of bullets kills Ral-Dar. Superman demands answers, but is called away by Alura. Superman takes Ral-Dar's body and returns to New Krypton.
Kal-El is temporarily promoted to General with Zod out of commission, and the council discusses going to war based on revelations that Ral-Dar's weapon was Earth-made. There is a massive military conflict involving a Thanagarian attack during a Kryptonian operation to take one of Jupiter's moons for their terra-forming. General El mediates the conflict by opening diplomatic channels with wing-master Vetalla Dae, personally leading the Red Shard on a mission to save her ship. Jemm, Son of Saturn is outraged at their rearrangement of the solar system, and is barely convinced not to declare war on Krypton.
Adam Strange is found in the home of a murdered councilor. Strange explains that he arrived via Zeta Beam to protest New Krypton's charter with Thanagar on behalf of Rann, but he agrees to help General El solve the murder to prove his innocence. Tam-Or is their main suspect, although Kal and Strange believe him to be framed. Zod recovers and returns to active duty; Gor charges them with aiding and abetting a fugitive, and attempts to execute them as traitors on the spot. They escape death using another Zeta Beam, although Tam-Or is killed in the shooting. Zod demotes Gor and allows Strange to leave, initiating a deeper internal investigation.
Commander El discovers that the murders were caused by Wri-Qin, part of a cabal attempting to weaken Krypton internally on behalf of General Lane and Superwoman; they were led to believe that this would end the inevitable war sooner, and ultimately preserve Kryptonian lives. They had been promised power in the new order, and Qin had begun eliminating the other conspirators to secure more of it for himself. Kal's efforts to institute governmental change from within Kryptonian society finally have a positive effect, with Tyr-Van elected to become the first Labor Guild council representative.
Clark temporarily leaves New Krypton to spend Thanksgiving with Martha, Conner and Krypto in Smallville. While Clark, Conner and Martha talk at the table, Krypto hears something outside. Superman and Superboy go to investigate, telling Krypto to stay in the farm and protect Martha. The two heroes go to the graveyard and find Kal-L, who has been transformed into a Black Lantern, taking Jonathan Kent's coffin out of the grave. Kal-L attacks them, but Superman and Superboy fight back.
As Superman and Superboy fight Kal-L, Martha is held hostage by Earth-Two Lois Lane, who is also a Black Lantern. Superman tells Superboy to save Martha while he fights Kal-L. Superman tries to reason with Kal-L, but he refuses to listen. Suddenly, Psycho-Pirate, also a Black Lantern, appears and brainwashes Superboy, telling him to attack Superman.
Superman is forced to fight Conner while defending himself from Kal-L. Superman tries to reason with Conner, but he simply keeps fighting. However, just when Kal-L is about to kill Superman, Superboy breaks free of Psycho-Pirate's control and attacks Kal-L with his tactile-telekinesis. Then, Krypto meets up with Superman and Superboy, after having defeated Earth-Two Lois. Superman and Krypto fight Kal-L while Superboy takes Psycho-Pirate's mask and uses it to disintegrate Kal-L. Although Kal-L is destroyed, the mask is destroyed as well. Superman believes that what happened in Smallville is happening across the world, so he, Superboy and Krypto decide to investigate.
Things, however, take a turn for the worse for Superman and Superboy when Nekron, the leader of the Black Lantern Corps, arrives at Earth. Nekron reveals himself as the one behind all resurrections across the universe, including Superman's return to life after his death at the hands of Doomsday. Then, Nekron transforms Superman into a Black Lantern, inducting him into his Corps.
Hal Jordan finds the White Entity of Life and merges with it, gaining the necessary power to defeat Nekron. Hal resurrects Superman and inducts him into the new White Lantern Corps. With their combined power, the White Lanterns resurrect Black Hand, Nekron's link to the world of the living. Having lost his herald, Nekron is banished from the world of the living and the Blackest Night ends. The White Entity then disappears and Superman is returned to normal.
Brainiac's invasion on Kandor begins, forcing civilians to fight for their home. Kal-El rescues a boy called Lan-Drom from Brainiac's robots, before being informed Zod has activated the global defense cannons to fire on Brainiac's ship. Unfortunately, the blast does not even scratch the ship, but several Kryptonians are killed as collateral damage. Outraged, Kal-El calls out Zod on his recklessness and lack of preparation, motivating him to quit the Military Guild and become Superman again. Superman deduces how the shield around Brainiac's ship works and is able to bypass it, infiltrating the ship. Once inside, Superman attempts to confront Brainiac directly, only to be hit by a Kryptonite laser fired by none other than Luthor, who is working with Brainiac.
The laser's impact knocks Superman unconscious and he is carried away by Brainiac's robots. Upon awakening, the Man of Steel finds himself strapped to a torture machine before Lex and Brainiac. Superman demands to know what exactly Luthor gains by working with Brainiac, but the villains are resolute in maintaining their objectives secret. Even when he is tortured, Superman frees himself. Luthor attempts to get Superman to stand down by aiming a gun at one of the bottled city under Brainiac's capture; a situation quickly solved when Mon-El snatches the city away before Luthor pulls the trigger. Together, Superman and Mon-El take on Brainiac's robot army.
Superman keeps Brainiac from recapturing one of the cities, but becomes separated from Mon-El. Fortunately, Superman stumbles upon the Legion of Super-Heroes, who has come to New Krypton's aid. The Legionnaires explain the bottled cities must be returned to their rightful places so that the future the Legion comes from is preserved. Suddenly, Brainiac bottles and shrinks Kandor again. Superman attempts to intervene, but is then blasted by one of Brainiac's red sunlight weapons, causing him to fall to New Krypton's surface. Fortunately, Superman is saved by Legionnaire Quislet, who had taken control of one of Brainiac's robots. With his powers replenish, Superman rejoins the battle and enters Brainiac's ship once more.
Upon entering the ship, Superman comes across Zod and his soldiers battling Brainiac' army. While Zod fights Brainiac by himself, Superman searches for the captured Kandor. The Man of Steel finds Kandor and asks Supergirl and Brainiac 5 to return Kandor to New Krypton and restore it to its original size while he faces Brainiac. Brainiac 5 warns Superman he will die if he fights Brainiac, but Superman assures him he will survive the day. Supergirl and Brainiac 5 succeed in restoring Kandor to its original size, while Superman confronts Brainiac. But in all of a sudden, one of Brainiac's stolen cities is enlarged while inside Brainiac's ship.
The damage causes the ship to go on a collision course towards Kandor. Superman asks Mon-El and the Legionnaires to save the bottled cities while he, Superboy and Supergirl stop the ship from crashing. The heroes are successful, but Superman is left mortally wounded, much like Brainiac 5 said. With a blood transfusion from Superboy and a dose of synthesized, concentrated yellow sunlight from the 31st century, Brainiac 5 saves Superman's life. When Zod attempts to kill Brainiac, Superman intervenes, arguing that Brainiac should stand trial for his crimes; but in that moment, Brainiac 5 grabs Braniac and teleports away. Shortly afterwards, Superman and Supergirl discover Lex was never present at Kandor; instead it was one of his robots.
Shortly after Brainiac's invasion has been stopped, Superman receives news that General Zod had declared war on Earth. Outraged, Superman attempts to stop him but is held down by Ursa and Non. Zod reveals from the very beginning he planned to invade Earth and allowed Superman to join the Military Guild so that his soldiers would be properly trained in the use of their powers, therefore facilitating an invasion. Also, Zod never let go of his vendetta against the House of El. Superman argues that a war will mean the end of both Earth and New Krypton, but Zod has already started the attack.
Superman frees himself from Ursa and Non's hands and flies into space to fight them and Zod. Their fight is brief, however, as they all tragically bear witness New Krypton's complete destroyed. Superman searches in the debris of New Krypton, managing to find a sad Supergirl. She silently reveals Alura died in the explosion. An enraged Supergirl then grabs the Kryptonian flag and flies to war, followed by a worried Superman.
Superman and Supergirl engage in a brief fight, but they are able to talk things over. Supergirl blames herself for New Krypton's destruction, as she brought Reactron to Kandor by Alura's order. Superman comforts her and they resolve to end the war. The cousins intercept the Kryptonian army fighting the human forces stationed on Mars. As Superman and Supergirl attempt to stop the battle, Zod sends a second wave of Kryptonians to attack Earth. Meanwhile, Luthor and General Lane uses reverse-engineered Kryptonian technology to turn the sun red. With their powers gone, Superman, Supergirl and thousands of Kryptonians begin to suffocate in space.
To save the Kryptonians, Thara Ak-Var fully unleashes the power of the Flamebird and turns the sun back to yellow, sacrificing her life in the process. Superman and Supergirl recover their powers just in time to survive, but thousands of Kryptonians have already suffocated to death, including Lieutenant Nar. More determined than ever, Superman flies to Metropolis to personally confront Zod and his forces.
As Superman and Zod clash, Superman refuses to allow Zod to destroy humanity while Zod has resolved to turn Earth into a new Krypton and also plans to kill Lois Lane, just to make Superman suffer. Just as Zod is about to kill Superman with a Kryptonite knife, Superboy uses a Phantom Zone projector to trap Zod's soldiers in the Phantom Zone while Krypto pulls Superman away from Zod. Angrily, Zod stabs Krypto with the knife, forcing Superboy to take the dog away from the battle. Superman takes the projector, intending to trap both Zod and himself within the Zone in order to make sure Zod can never escape. However, Nightwing chooses to return to the Phantom Zone and keep Zod trapped. Saying goodbye to Superman, Nightwing throws his adoptive father back to Earth so that he can continue protecting it. In the aftermath, Superman and Lois reflect sadly on how New Krypton's appearance resulted in such a pointless war, Superman expressing his uncertainty about whether any Kryptonians are left in hiding on Earth, while Lois promises to write the truth about her father's actions despite the media portraying him as a hero for his 'defensive action,' hoping that someday humanity will be ready for interaction with other alien races.
Following the Hundred Minute War, Superman feels he has lost touch with humanity. In an effort to get back to his roots as a hero and help people with their problems, he decides to walk across the entire country on foot starting in Philadelphia. Passing through Detroit, he uses alien technology to solve the employment crisis and reopen factories. Batman tracks him down and asks him to stop, believing that he's in the middle of an emotional breakdown, but Superman insists it's something he needs to do. He meets with further criticism in Ohio when a super-villain fight ravages a small town, raising the question of whether he holds responsibility.
People in Chicago ask him to leave a public park because his presence might be a danger to children, and he begins having prophetic apocalyptic dreams about sacrifice. Rescuing a young boy from an abusive father, he tries to reinforce that powers are not required to be a hero. His morals are challenged again in Iowa, when Lois Lane tries to shut down a factory that the local community depends upon; despite their environmentally unsafe practices, Superman concludes that a Daily Planet expose would destroy people's lives and asks her not to publish the article.
Representatives of the Superman Squad are sent from the future to help him deal with his depression, believing that seeing his many descendants in action throughout space-time will remove his doubt and restore his faith in his own legacy. In her new rebooted incarnation following the changes made to history in Odyssey, Superman meets Wonder Woman for the first time and inspires the warrior towards more heroic actions. The Flash stops to have lunch with him in Colorado and discuss the idea of moral absolutes and heroic legacy, leaving Superman with a brighter outlook toward his own future. Batman helps him further come to terms with his grief in Utah, while they reminisce about an encounter with Vandal Savage they once shared before developing alter-egos.
Livewire attacks Las Vegas, and Superman regulates the mental illness caused by her electrical powers using Strange Visitor's costume. Following a meeting with his childhood idol Iron Munro, Superman does his best to get Livewire off lightly on her sentence; he explains to Jimmy Olsen that America is the land of second chances, even for super-villains. Clark decides that Superman is unnecessary, and believes he can do more good without causing harm if he begins operating in secret again the way he did as a young man. In the middle of Clark writing an article officially condemning himself, an Oregon man obsessed with Superman takes him on a tour of the city to show him his value as a symbol by asking people on the streets.
The villain of the story is revealed to be Lisa Jennings, a woman who became the physical embodiment of Superman's depression and self-doubt through exposure to a Kryptonian Sunstone, also receiving his powers. Superman disarms her using his hope, having beaten depression and decided to embrace his legacy. Giving signal watches to his closest allies, he forms the Supermen of America with Iron Munro, Livewire, Steel, Superboy, Super-Chief and Supergirl. This team that embodies the values of "Truth, Justice and the American way" will eventually preserve them into the future as the Superman Squad.
Quickly speeding towards Metropolis, Superman arrives and attempts to find Doomsday, until he is dragged into outer space by Lex, who has acquired godlike power and wants to destroy Superman once and for all. He forces Superman to relieve each and every one of his personal tragedies, believing that as an alien, Superman cannot truly feel emotion. Superman forces Lex to witness Jonathan Kent's death and Lex realizes Superman is Clark Kent. Enraged that Superman got to experience happiness with a normal life while he only felt misery, Lex attempts to kill Superman, until he realizes his new power cannot be used to kill Superman, who tricks Luthor into relinquishing his new power. As Lex becomes human again, he angrily reveals he was the one behind Doomsday's recent attacks. Superman can only watch as Lex loses memory of who he is and falls into the Phantom Zone, ending their conflict forever.
Taking Luthor's ship, Superman makes it to the ship where his friends are captured. He reunites with Kara, Conner, Steel and the Cyborg Superman. The group comes to the realization that they were not attack by one, but by multiple Doomsdays created by Luthor, starting the "Reign of the Doomsdays."
Cyborg Superman wants to fight the Doomsdays, but Superman, knowing that they would not survive a confrontation with them, rips his node off. The heroes then fly across the ship in an attempt to escape the Doomsdays. They also take the original Doomsday with them. Reaching an observation area, the heroes begin rearranging the internal structure to reach Earth. However, they encounter a new foe, the Doomslayer. The Eradicator, against Superman's suggestion, tries to fight the Doomslayer, but the Doomslayer destroys him.
Superman and his allies are shocked by the Eradicator's murder, and the Doomslayer expresses remorse for what he did. He explains that his mission is to erase Doomsdays and all knowledge of them from the universe, and attacks the original Doomsday with his laser vision. However, Superman defends him, saying that while Doomsday may be a mass murderer, the fact that the Doomslayer achieved sentience proves that Doomsday has the potential for redemption. The Doomslayer refuses to listen and continues his plan to crash the ship into Earth and destroy it, considering it "ground zero" for Doomsday's infection.
Superman and his allies escape from the ship and attempt to slow its fall. The Doomslayer reverses the ship's engines to merely destroy North America instead of the entire planet, by aiming for Metropolis. Superman orders Superboy, Supergirl and Steel to return to Metropolis and help in the relief effort when the ship leaves. He manages to angle the station to land in the bay, creating a tidal wave. Steel's gravitron source, Supergirl's super breath, and Superboy's tactile-telekinesis dissipate the tidal wave, while Superman returns to Metropolis. Suddenly, the Doomslayer attacks the city with the four Doomsday clones.
The Superman Family is helped by the Eradicator, who takes control of Doomsday's body.
The Doomsday clones spread across the world, wreaking havoc. Supergirl fights attacks Cyborg Doomsday in a nuclear lab, Steel fights Superboy Doomsday in Moscow, and Superboy fights Steel Doomsday in Haiti.
In S.T.A.R. Labs, Superman, Lois and Dr. Kimiyo Hoshi use the original Doomsday's body to try and find a way to stop the Doomsday clones. Suddenly, Doomsday awakens, but the Eradicator speaks through him. The Eradicator says that, as a being of pure information, he leaped into the technology Luthor used to clone Doomsday so that he could control the original Doomsday. Also, the Eradicator says that he can help Superman against the Doomsdays.
The Eradicator, controlling Doomsday's body, helps Earth's heroes fighting the Doomsday while Superman an accelerator to reach the Doomslayer's tower before its defenses detect him. Meanwhile, Earth's heroes begin fighting the Doomsdays. Reaching the Doomslayer's tower, Superman flies through a tunnel that leads to the ship's core. To stop him from foiling his plan, the Doomslayers powers up the ship's informational engines.
As Superman reaches the ship's core, Superman finds information about the Doomsday Supergirl threw into a tunnel. The Doomsday spent years trapped inside the tunnel, conscious and fueled by rage. Suddenly, the Doomslayer blasts Superman with the ship's informational engines.
The blast from the ship's informational engines does not destroy Superman, instead it converts him into data and transfers him into the ship's informational engines, where he meets the ship's artificial intelligence. The AI reveals that the ship is actually a sentient creature from another universe that got injured during a journey. When it was healing itself, Luthor attacked it and modified it to suit his needs. When Supergirl threw the Doomsday clone through the creature's tunnels, it was infused with the creature's knowledge, becoming the Doomslayer. Superman tells the creature that it can help, so the creature shows its internal schematics, teaching Superman how to repair it. When Superman learns everything he needs, the creature returns him to solid form.
The Eradicator, meanwhile, defeats Superboy Doomsday in Moscow, and Zatanna teleports him to the ship and the heroes to Kansas, where they help Supergirl defeat Cyborg Doomsday. With the clones defeated, the heroes throw them way down into the pit the tower is located in, because the tower will also teleport things that are close to it.
Reaching the tower's bridge, Superman manages to activate a sequence that will teleport the tower to its home before it reaches Earth's core. Suddenly, the Doomslayer attacks him, but the Eradicator appears to help Superman. The Eradicator, telling Superman that it was an honor fighting alongside him, throws Superman out of the tower, seconds before it teleports away. With the battle over, Superman and Supergirl return to Metropolis.
Later, Clark and Lois eat dinner in a restaurant. There, Clark admits to Lois the Eradicator's sacrifice and that Luthor found out about his double life. He also says maybe he should reveal his secret identity, but Lois says that it is not necessary, because the people will always trust Superman no matter what happens. Lois tells Clark that it was Jonathan and Martha Kent, not his coming from Krypton, that made him Superman. Clark and Lois then return home.
At some point after the Reign of the Doomdsays, Clark and Lois traveled to Gotham City. Unfortunately, the villain Brainiac stole Gotham City and put it under the custody of Telos, controller of the Blood Moon. The city was surrounded by a dome that trapped everyone inside and caused all superhumans to lose their powers, including Clark. Three months after the dome's imprisonment Clark impregnated Lois with his child, and during the next nine months Clark fought crime in Gotham as a masked vigilante with Lois' help until the dome around Gotham disappeared and Clark regained his powers, enabling him to be Superman again. Superman explores the land beyond the city's outskirts and discovers the city has been taken to another planet. Suddenly, he is attacked by Captain Thunder, Cyborg and Abin Sur, inhabitants from a parallel universe. Superman's attempts to make peace are foiled when Jimmy, wanting to help Superman, attacks the alternate heroes with an aircraft.
With Jimmy's help, Superman takes his opponents down until he hears Lois is in trouble. He flies back to their apartment, finding it empty; but Abin Sur had been swayed by Superman's arguments and explains Lois was kidnapped by Superman's own alternate counterpart. Superman quickly incapacitates his alternate self and rescues Lois in time to deliver their son, who they decide to name Jonathan Samuel Kent. Unfortunately, Deimos seizes control of the Blood Moon and forces the inhabitants to accept his dominance. Superman later makes an alliance with other superheroes on the Blood Moon and they all confront Deimos, who has already gathered his own superhuman army to fight the heroes.
After a superhuman brawl, Telos, having been convinced to protect the heroes he once imprisoned, captures Deimos' lackeys, but Deimos overwhelms his enemies with his magic power before being killed by a version of Hal Jordan still merged with the entity Parallax. With Deimos dead, the power he once controlled is released into the universe and starts breaking reality apart. Booster Gold and his allies release the only person who can stabilize the multiverse: Brainiac. Coming to regret his evil deeds, Brainiac attempts to save reality but he cannot do that unless a group of heroes travels to the past and prevents the First Crisis from happening in the first place. Supergirl, the Flash and Hal accept that mission, and Superman and his family come along to help them.
The actions of Superman and his friends are unknown, but their efforts in averting the First Crisis are successful and ensure the rebirth of the infinite multiverse, after which he, Lois and Jonathan ultimately found themselves on Prime Earth 9 years in the past, where Lois and Clark raised their child in anonymity.
Even so, Superman never stopped working to protect the world, even if he had to maintain a low profile. He even witnesses the Justice League's first battle with Darkseid. To further his activities, he constructed his own Fortress of Solitude. Eventually, he came across the villainous psychic Blanque, and for the first time Superman was forced out in the open to fight him. After defeating Blanque, Superman imprisoned him inside his Fortress.
Later, Superman saves Excalibur, a space shuttle that carried Hank Henshaw, the man who became the Cyborg Superman in his old world. Concerned for his safety, Superman takes Henshaw to the Fortress to give him medical attention, but Blanque manipulates Henshaw to release him from his prison. Superman manages to release Henshaw from Blanque's control and re-imprison Blanque. While returning home, Clark and Lois discuss the possibility of telling Jon about his nascent powers and that his father is a superhero.
Upon finding out Lois and Jon are being threatened by Intergang agents, Superman flies off to save them, only to discover they have already beaten their attackers. Superman and Lois come clean to Jon, but cannot say much before Superman finds out Henshaw is under attack. He flies to the island where Henshaw is being held and finds him under attack by the alien conqueror Hyathis. After a short fight, Hyathis vanishes and Superman returns to his family and teaches Jon how to fly.
Superman later meets his younger Prime Earth counterpart, who is dying from radiation poisoning. Their encounter does not last long, as they are attacked by Denny Swan, an ex-con who had acquired solar powers after being in contact with the younger Superman's solar radiation and now wanted to be the world's only Superman. After taking his family to his Fortress to keep them safe. Superman helps his alternate self in taking Swan out of Earth's orbit to defeat him. Although the day is won, the younger Clark dies and Superman mourns his death alongside the new world's heroes.
Sometime later, Clark receives a warning from the mysterious Mr. Oz that he, his family and the fallen Superman are not who they think they are. Superman visits his younger self's memorial at Metropolis, where he meets Lana Lang. Both are grieving the younger Superman's death, but Superman tells her about his own death and resurrection, so perhaps they can bring him back using the Regeneration Matrix. Superman takes Lana and his alternate self's body to the Fortress of Solitude, but unfortunately, the Regeneration Matrix does not exist in Prime Earth, meaning the younger Superman cannot be resurrected. Accepting the younger Clark is gone, Superman brings his alternate self's remains to Smallville so Lana can bury them next to his parents and makes the decision to be the Prime Earth's new Superman.
Superman makes his first public appearance confronting Lex Luthor, who had assumed the "Superman" identity as his own way to honor the fallen hero. Their fight doesn't last long until Doomsday shows up in Metropolis, forcing Superman and Luthor to work together in taking the beast down. During that time, Superman encounters a completely human Clark Kent, who claims to be real Clark Kent and the younger Superman merely assumed his identity in an attempt to protect him from assailants. As the human Clark proved harmless, Superman decides to leave him to his own devices.
Things take a turn for the worse, however, when the human Clark professes his love for Lois, who rejects him. Angry, the human Clark burns down the Smith Farm, kidnaps Jon and reveals his real identity: Mr. Mxyzptlk. All this time, Mxyzptlk had brainwashed himself into thinking he was Clark Kent to escape from Mr. Oz and now wants revenge because Superman didn't even try to save him. Mxyzptlk also reveals that both the New Earth and Prime Earth Supermen are actually two halves of the true, complete Superman; who was split into two separate people during the Flashpoint incident. The two Supermen save Jon and become a single, complete version of Superman of Prime Earth; fixing their conflicting histories and bringing the world back to normal.