Warning: Spoilers for Absolute Superman #3
Every DC fan has some degree of familiarity withSuperman’s backstory. With Krypton on the verge of destruction, his parents put an infant Kal-El in a rocket and sent him to Earth in order to save his life. However, I’ve come to realize that Superman’s parents made a mistake in sending Superman away from Krypton by himself, and there was another option that would have been better in the long run.
InAbsolute Superman#3 by Jason Aaron, Rafa Sandoval, Ulises Arreola, and Becca Carey,Superman’s parentstry to find a way to get their family to safety when Krypton’s fate starts to look more and more bleak. Kal-El, upon learning about the planet’s fate, accuses his parents of shooting him off-world alone when the time comes.
His mother, Lara, reassures him that he’s wrong and says,“We’d never shoot you into space by yourself.“This line is a subtle jab at Superman’s original backstory, in which his parents do exactly that. TheAbsolute Universe, on the other hand, takes an approach to theescape from Kryptonthat I definitely prefer.
Absolute Superman Reveals How His Parents Should Have Handled Krypton’s Destruction
In the Absolute Universe, Superman’s Parents Try to Save All Kryptonians
In the Absolute Universe, Jor-El’s job as a working-class “Man of Steel” causes him to uncover the deterioration of Krypton. He and Lara realize that the planet’s end is drawing near, so they formulate a plan to save their son before it’s too late. Lara designs suits powered bysunstone dustbased on one she designed as a child. Kal, upon overhearing their plotting, jumps to the conclusion that their efforts are singularly fixated on his survival while they will stay on Krypton and perish with it. Surprisingly, this isn’t the case, asLara and Jor will be joining Superman in a major change to DC history.
Superman’s New Origin Reinvents the Hero’s Past, Turning Him Into Krypton’s So-Called “Runt”
As part of DC’s radical re-imagining of Superman lore, Kal-El’s childhood on the planet Krypton establishes him as an underdog among his own people.
Superman’s parents aren’t the only ones who intend to join him in escaping thedestruction of Krypton.According to Lara, she and Jor plan on saving as many Kryptonians as they possibly can in their ship.Rather than focusing on saving their own child, Lara and Jor are also helping their neighbors to the best of their ability. I never saw this reveal coming, and it does a great job of placing the House of El in firm moral opposition to Krypton’s Science League. While the upper-class elites are keeping their resources to themselves and leaving the working-class to die, Superman’s parents are trying to protect everyone.
Superman’s Parents Made the Wrong Choice by Only Saving Him in DC’s Main Continuity
Rather Than Helping Other Kryptonians, Superman’s Parents Only Rescue Their Son
The Absolute Universe’s take on Lara and Jor has caused me to rethink the decision made by the Lara and Jor inDC’s main continuity. I can concede that it’s reasonable for their son to be their priority, though I can’t wrap my head around why they didn’t tag along so they could raise him themselves.Sending Superman to space alone results in him growing up without any Kryptonians around him and thus feeling like an outsider on Earth.The sacrifice his parents made for him is undoubtedly a noble one, but I’m starting to wonder if it was the best choice for Superman.
The destruction of Krypton, with Superman being sent to Earth, has been a vital part of Superman lore sinceAction Comics#1 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.
Even if Superman’s parents couldn’t leave Krypton with him,another issue I now have with this traditional origin is the fact that they don’t save any other Kryptonians either. InAbsolute Superman#3, when explaining how she’ll help her neighbors flee the planet, Lara says,“I only wish the ship was big enough for the whole planet.“In the prime universe, however, Lara and Jor exclusively save a member of their immediate family. With limited resources, it would have been difficult for them to rescue more people, yet I still can’t shake the feeling that they made a selfish call by focusing solely on Superman’s well-being.
Superman’s Father Did Try to Save More Kryptonians, But His Plan Backfired
Will Absolute Superman’s Parents Finally Succeed Where Jor-El Failed?
To his credit, the original Jor-El did at least consider aiding his fellow Kryptonians.InAction Comics#1074 by Mark Waid, Clayton Henry, and Michael Shelfer, Superman travels to the past and discovers that Jor had hoped to save his people by trapping them in thePhantom Zone. In the dimensional void, they wouldn’t get caught in the explosion of Krypton and therefore could survive it. Unfortunately, this plan never saw the light of day, since the Science Council confiscated his Phantom Zone projector. From there, Jor resorted to building a rocket for Superman.
Lara is determined to salvage as many Kryptonians, but her and Jor’s plan could potentially fail, just like it did in the classic story.
Jor’s gambit falling through shows that, despite his wishes, he didn’t have much of a choice in the end. With that in mind, I’m curious about how this new version ofSuperman’s originwill play out. The Absolute Universe’s Lara is determined to salvage as many Kryptonians as possible, but her and Jor’s plan could potentially fail, just like it did in the classic story. After all, Absolute Superman appears to be alone in the present-day, suggesting his parents aren’t around. All I can do is hope Lara and Jor’s mission succeeds this time - for their sake, and forSuperman’s.
Absolute Superman#3is available now from DC Comics.
Superman
The icon who launched the entire world of superheroes, the last son of Krypton escaped his dying world to crash land on Earth and be raised as Clark Kent. The world knows him better as Superman, the Man of Steel, the leader of the Justice League, and the most well-known hero in the DC Comics Universe. Blessed with the powers of a demigod, Kal-El of Krypton fights enemies both small and cosmic in his endless pursuit of truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.
