Thanks, DC: I Am Never, Ever Getting Over Superman's Tragic New Origin Story

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Action Comics #1076!As if Superman's original backstory wasn't sad enough, a new wrinkle to his origin makes it even more heart-wrenching. As his fans all know, the Man of Steel grew up never knowing his people or his birth parents on Krypton.

But after noting disturbances in the Phantom Zone caused by the monstrous entity known as Aethyr, Clark Kent traveled back in time to the heyday of Krypton. It gave him a chance to see what his society and his blood family was like. But it also led to Superman making a choice that makes his origin story that much sadder in my opinion.

Superman Failed to Save His Planet and His Family

Krypton Was Simply Doomed and Clark Couldn't Change That

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In Action Comics #1076 by Mark Waid, Clayton Henry, Michael Shelfer, Matt Herms, and Dave Sharpe, Superman is stuck in Krypton's past in the last few days before the planet is ultimately destroyed. The only way to get off-planet and back to his future is by repairing his solar batteries. Thankfully, he's got two of Krypton's best scientists, his father and uncle, working on them. But Superman's time is running out as the planet is suffering from quakes that are getting worse.

The "Phantoms" storyline begins in Action Comics #1070!

Clark’s uncle, Zor-El, has a photonic converter that can amplify the sun’s rays and recharge Clark’s bands, but it’s been taken by Ro-Zan’s science council. Superman leaves to retrieve the converter, but makes a small attempt to convince Zor-El that Jor-El is right about the danger Krypton faces (though he’s vehemently rebuffed). Clark makes his way to the science council’s storage facility and finds the converter right as he’s found out by the council’s guards. Superman’s powers slowly start to return as he makes his escape.

Superman takes one final look at Krypton and flies back to Jor-El and Lara’s home...

Superman is discovered by Ro-Zan and makes one last desperate attempt to plead his case in the hopes that the science council will listen to Jor-El. Clark’s words fall on deaf ears and Superman is forced to flee from Ro-Zan’s guards. With his powers restored, Superman takes one final look at Krypton and flies back to Jor-El and Lara’s home, where he sees them playing with Superman’s infant self. Unable to tell them of what the future holds, Superman leaves them to their fate, shedding tears for his family as he departs Krypton.

The Past Came For Superman and Made Him Learn Some Hard Truths About Krypton

Krypton's Advanced Society Was Actually Quite Backward

I was initially skeptical about the "Superman Superstars" initiative, but I have to admit, it's given us some good stories this year. But the most ambitious story in Action Comics this year is undoubtedly the story "Phantoms", which has been told weekly since DC All In began. The story started with several Phantom Zone escapees making their way to Metropolis, but unlike previous Kryptonians, they were fused and begging for death. The event forced Superman to venture into the Phantom Zone, where he discovered the once-ethereal void had grown physical landscapes and its prisoners had gained corporeal forms.

...Clark’s reunion was bittersweet, as it showed him how backwards his society actually was.

At the root of this chaos was Aethyr, a powerful being who discovered the Phantom Zone years before and took pity on its prisoners’ ghost-like state. Aethyr changed the void for the Kryptonians’ benefit, only to turn on them when he discovered their violent nature. Aethyr also created a punishment known as the Eye of the Zone, a pit that sends those unfortunate to find themselves in it thrown backwards through time. Superman’s first confrontation with Aethyr ended with him thrown into the Eye, only to wind up on Krypton right before its destruction.

Aethyr can first be seen planning to help the Phantom Zone prisoners escape in Batman/Superman: World's Finest #19 (2023)!

With no powers and only days to go before his home planet’s death, Superman was forced to seek out the two people he knew could help him, his birth parents, Jor-El and Lara. However, Clark’s reunion was bittersweet, as it showed him how backwards his society actually was. While Jor-El was a progressive scientist who developed the Phantom Zone projector as a lifeline for Krypton, the ruling science council was led by the regressive Ro-Zan, who stymied scientific progress that didn’t fit his agenda.

Superman Not Saving His Family is a Harsh, But Real Moment

It Was Great, But it Makes His Origin Even More of a Gut Punch

I’ve been reading Superman comics for the better part of my life and I always appreciate moments when Clark reflects on the loss of Krypton. Obviously it doesn’t mean as much to him as it does to, say, Supergirl. But Superman’s origin is a great, poignant story that’s about the sacrifices parents make for their children. And what I love about this moment in “Phantoms” is that with Clark at the most crucial point in Krypton’s history, Superman has to be the one to make a sacrifice instead of his parents.

It’s a harsh twist that really hits anyone who cares about the Man of Steel.

Superman faces a very harsh truth in this story, namely that the Kryptonians were susceptible to propaganda and backwards-thinking. Few of them wanted to hear about Jor-El’s concerns that Krypton was doomed, and that’s not even getting into the trove of technology Ro-Zan kept locked away in the science council’s base. There was virtually no support for Jor-El in the final days of Krypton and the only person who could help, Superman, was honor-bound not to interfere with the timeline.

Superman didn’t really know Jor-El and Lara, but he loved them, I can tell that. And I know that Clark wanted nothing more than to tell his parents that they were right and to try and get them to safety. But to do that would have altered the timeline in ways that can’t even be imagined. So, despite knowing the awful events about to unfold, Superman chose not to save his family and to let things play out as they were meant to. It’s a harsh twist that really hits anyone who cares about the Man of Steel.

Superman Choosing Not to Change Things is a Heavy, But Brave Choice

Clark Always Makes the Right Decision

So now we know that in the days before Krypton blew up, a fully-grown Superman was there, with knowledge that could have at least saved Jor-El and Lara. But Clark made the decision to keep things as they are. It's a hard one and one I don't know if I'd be able to do if I was in his place. But it's because of moments like this that show why he's such a great hero. Superman is always going to make the correct choice, even when it gives him a chance to change his tragic origin story.

Action Comics #1076 is available now from DC Comics.