The Fate of Kal-L of Krypton (spoilers for Infinite Crisis #7!)

[LibrarianThorne]

This issue seems to be the biggest bone of contention out of Infinite Crisis #7, and this board is logically the best place to ask: What did the Superman fans think of the Death of Superman?

Myself, I thought that he died rather lamely, but before Superboy-Prime pounded him to death, he was amazing. He took out Doomsday, Professor Zoom, and who knows how many others, and without his aid Kal-El wouldn't have been able to stop SBP. Also, his last few lines, including the "it's never over..." lead me to believe that we haven't seen the last of the first superhero, and if that's the case, I eagerly anticipate his return.

[Bruce Wayne Jr.]

I'm holding out hope that Kal-L will return with a new costume and a new name.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

While I thought the beating he took from Superboy was a rather disappointing finale for him, the final moment before he died and his reunion with Lois in the stars did get me a bit choked up.

The thing is, both the Golden Age and Silver Age Superman already had a wonderful send-off courtesy of Alan Moore in Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? I know there's supposed to be a split between the Earth-1 and Earth-2 versions, but they're both the same character to me. One is just older than the other. And Alan Moore gave them both a fitting ending.

[Doom]

I actually thought given what Kal L said and how they didn't talk about what happened after wards to his body, that he could very well be alive/ feinging death.

I mean he saw the ammount of trouble his return had caused, perhaps he just decided to let everyone think he was dead then later leave and try and see if the multiverse had been recreated. (Which IC seemed to hint at.) And if so, perhaps journey through dimensions until he finds his home.

[NotSuper]

I'd like to see Kal-L return (as Superman, not with a different name) and join the JSA, replacing Power Girl. Power Girl could then move on to being a mentor to Supergirl or forming a new Infinity Inc. (or both).

[Slumber Hulk]

I like the idea of him returning under a new name. He's passed the Superman baton on to the new Superman and wouldn't want to jeapordize the power of there being only one superman.

He would fit well in the JSA. Did superman ever have any other aliases?

[NotSuper]

I like the idea of him returning under a new name. He's passed the Superman baton on to the new Superman and wouldn't want to jeapordize the power of there being only one superman.
I don't think a new name would work. I think DC learned its lesson with changing Green Lantern (Alan Scott) to Sentinel--not a good move. Besides, there are different Flashes, Green Lanterns, Atoms, and so on.

No, he needs to keep his costume and name.

[Buried Alien]

If INFINITE CRISIS # 7 was meant to be his "real" death, DC did not give the First Superhero enough of a sendoff. Kal-L's death was not quite as dramatic or as heroic as Flash's (Barry Allen), the original Supergirl's, Superboy's (Conner), or, for that matter, Hal Jordan's "death" when he stopped the Sun-Eater in THE FINAL NIGHT. DC can give Kal-L better than that.

...which is why I hope that his death isn't one of those rare permanent ones in comics...at least not until DC devises a better sendoff for him. A Superman's death deserves nothing less than a two page spread.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[NotSuper]

If INFINITE CRISIS # 7 was meant to be his "real" death, DC did not give the First Superhero enough of a sendoff. Kal-L's death was not quite as dramatic or as heroic as Flash's (Barry Allen), the original Supergirl's, Superboy's (Conner), or, for that matter, Hal Jordan's "death" when he stopped the Sun-Eater in THE FINAL NIGHT. DC can give Kal-L better than that.

...which is why I hope that his death isn't one of those rare permanent ones in comics...at least not until DC devises a better sendoff for him. A Superman's death deserves nothing less than a two page spread.
This is one of the reasons that the series should've been longer. The final issue tried to compress too much events and it showed. I still enjoyed it but having the series last three extra issues wouldn't have hurt.

[Buried Alien]

This is one of the reasons that the series should've been longer. The final issue tried to compress too much events and it showed. I still enjoyed it but having the series last three extra issues wouldn't have hurt.

When Hal Jordan "died" in THE FINAL NIGHT, DC dedicated a special issue just for his funeral.

If Hal could merit that kind of treatment (especially since he came back alive and well a few years later), then Kal-L definitely deserves more than a few panels on a single page. At some point, there should be more spotlight on the mourning of Kal-L's passing.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[marshal99]

Why ?

The minute he reappeared in the pages of IC , Kal L signed his own death warrant as there is no room for him , i expected him to die and he did , no real suprise there. Why would there be a dedicated funeral for him when he has done nothing for over 20 years.
Most fans here wouldn't even know Kal L if they had never read COIE. They probably haven't been born yet when he was exiled into limbo.

[Buried Alien]

Why would there be a dedicated funeral for him when he has done nothing for over 20 years.

Most fans here wouldn't even know Kal L if they had never read COIE. They probably haven't been born yet when he was exiled into limbo.

Because people twenty and younger are not the only people in the world, and might not even be the predominant comics-reading group anymore.

Moreover, there are people of all ages who have a sense of and appreciate heritage and history, and want to honor it.

The United States didn't forget George Washington just because he died long ago; DC Comics fans shouldn't simply discard Kal-L's memory either.


Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Mike Smith]

The ending actually made me upset. First, was the bloodbath really necessary?

I like Kal-L, he's the cornerstone of DC, and you have him being beaten like a rug by a whiny, contrived villain in SBP. The scene with Lois and his "I'll be with you always" spiel was touching but wasn't enough recompense for me. If that's it for Kal, as in he's dead and staying dead, it'll linger as a low DC moment in the back of my mind.

[marshal99]

As long as Power Girl is around , the memory of Kal L will always remain since she remembers. Kal L will not be forgotten.

Outside of earth 2 heroes like the oldtime JSA members , nobody else would know who is Kal L.
Kal-El only knew a bit when they fought and he got some of Kal L memories as shown in the 3 parter of the superman comics a few months back.

[NotSuper]

Maybe DC could just have Ion gain god-like power again and restore Kal-L back to life. Of course, in doing so, he'd lose that excess power and return to normal. It's not a very complex way of bringing Kal-L back, but it would work. After all, Ion did bring back Kilowog a while back when he had god-like powers.

Or maybe Kal-L isn't actually dead. I remember a while back when Mon-El appeared to have "died" but he was actually just in a death-like coma that couldn't be detected by normal instruments.

[Captain Smith]

Let's see:

Hal
Kal-el
Green Arrow
Jason Todd
WW - turned to clay by the Antimonitor

-------- nah, he's not dead, dead - he's only DC dead. Back when you need him.

[SuperManny]

I don't think a new name would work. I think DC learned its lesson with changing Green Lantern (Alan Scott) to Sentinel--not a good move. Besides, there are different Flashes, Green Lanterns, Atoms, and so on.


What lesson was learned? Just because they switched Alan Scott's name back to "Green Lantern" doesn't mean that "Sentinel" didn't work out. As a matter of fact, the editors successfully kept his name as such (the name worked, writers used it and readers associated with it) up until they decided that more than one Green Lantern is okay.

Similar scenario, especially since now they're okay with more than one Kryptonian.

[LibrarianThorne]

Honestly, if the rumored return of SBP happens in 52, I could definitely see Kal-L making a comeback to stop him. That would be a sendoff for the original hero, he comes back from heaven to stop the greatest threat to the universe, then leaves the heroes of Earth to carry on his legacy.

[NotSuper]

What lesson was learned? Just because they switched Alan Scott's name back to "Green Lantern" doesn't mean that "Sentinel" didn't work out. As a matter of fact, the editors successfully kept his name as such (the name worked, writers used it and readers associated with it) up until they decided that more than one Green Lantern is okay.
I know that many offline comic fans (I'm not saying all) never really caught on to it. They just kept calling him "Green Lantern" or the "Original Green Lantern." When a character is the original bearer of a name, it's much harder to get people to accept a new one. If Hal or Kyle had been the original Green Lantern, I question how their name changes ("Parallax" and "Ion," respectively) would have gone over.

When it all came down to it, fans identified him MORE as "Green Lantern" than they did as "Sentinel." I question the idea behind changing it in the first place (though I'm sure it seemed like a good idea at the time) as it's doubtful any fans would confuse the two--Alan Scott certainly doesn't look like any member of the Corps. I'm certainly not putting down the people that came up with the name, but I don't think it ever worked the way DC wanted it to.

As it is, there would be much unrest among some fans if Kal-L was brought back and called "Power Man" (I don't even want to imagine the male version of Power Girl's costume) or something equally odd. It's best (and more profitable for DC) to just have him remain Superman.

Of course, all this is assuming that he DOES come back. There's a good chance that he won't (at least for a while).

[NotSuper]

Honestly, if the rumored return of SBP happens in 52, I could definitely see Kal-L making a comeback to stop him. That would be a sendoff for the original hero, he comes back from heaven to stop the greatest threat to the universe, then leaves the heroes of Earth to carry on his legacy.
He couldn't be seen by the public, though. The Earth has clearly been "Superman free" for the year. Maybe this could be fixed by having it take place on Oa or another world. It's certainly a good idea.

[Lightbend]

Honestly, if the rumored return of SBP happens in 52, I could definitely see Kal-L making a comeback to stop him. That would be a sendoff for the original hero, he comes back from heaven to stop the greatest threat to the universe, then leaves the heroes of Earth to carry on his legacy.

Hm...Supernova, perhaps?

[davids]

Superman Prime remember him. The one who traveled the galaxy the universe, fought Gods and demons and stormed the gates of heaven to get his Lois back? perhaps That was not Ka-el but Ka-L?:cool:

[Bruce Wayne Jr.]

Hm...Supernova, perhaps?

That's exactly what I was hinting at with my first post.

I don't see why this isn't a more popular theory.

[mechngnr]

Superman Prime remember him. The one who traveled the galaxy the universe, fought Gods and demons and stormed the gates of heaven to get his Lois back? perhaps That was not Ka-el but Ka-L?:cool:

Yeah I was just about to say that. He's chillin' in the sun getting ready for a star spanning vacation.

[Gernot]

DC wants the CURRENT Superman to have been the great big hero. Would they let ANOTHER Superman be Superman Prime in the future?

I've got a feeling that E-2 Superman may, in fact, BE dead, and until DC gets a new President, fans are gonna "thrill" to the adventures of just one Superman.

When DC gets a President who knows/understands/loves the Multiverse, we'll get the REAL E-2 Superman back.

Mark my words. ;)

[OverMaster]

What lesson was learned? Just because they switched Alan Scott's name back to "Green Lantern" doesn't mean that "Sentinel" didn't work out. As a matter of fact, the editors successfully kept his name as such (the name worked, writers used it and readers associated with it) up until they decided that more than one Green Lantern is okay.

Similar scenario, especially since now they're okay with more than one Kryptonian.

I like 'Sentinel' as a name, but when most comic readers think of 'Sentinel', they think of 'Giant Mutant Hunting Robot'.

[Yoda]

Superman Prime remember him. The one who traveled the galaxy the universe, fought Gods and demons and stormed the gates of heaven to get his Lois back? perhaps That was not Ka-el but Ka-L?:cool:

They resurrected him the wrong Lois then. Because that Lois was recreated from a DNA sample of the current DCU Lois Lane.

[davids]

No mention of lois from earth one or two just lois? So it could have been.:evilsmile

[shyguy]

I just think it's funny that for all their purported importance, the Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman got some of the worst deaths in comic book history.

Thankfully, it's easy enough for some writer down the line to bring back Superman and Wonder Woman to give them a proper sendoff. Not so sure about Batman.

[SuperManny]

No mention of lois from earth one or two just lois? So it could have been.:evilsmile

There was an issue of Superman I believe, where Superman 1M asks the current Lois Lane for a sample of her DNA or a strand of her hair. I don't remember much specifics.

I could be making it up though....hm, deserves a search! :D

[PatrickG]

They resurrected him the wrong Lois then. Because that Lois was recreated from a DNA sample of the current DCU Lois Lane.

Not a problem.

Hourman at that point was capable of recreating Krypton from a single piece of Kryptonite. He also had "Hypertime Vision" and was virtually omnipotent. His only real limitation was that he needed objects to focus his vision-powers.

He just *A* Lois' DNA for the trick to work, not THE Lois.

Give him a sample of Superman's DNA and he could produce thirty two flavors of Superman who are made of actual ice cream (and come from universes where everyone is an anthropomorphic food product).

[Babylon23]

I don't know if Kal-L is dead or not. What I do know is that the last thing I want to see is him return with a new name. Kal-L is THE Superman, the guy that started it all back in '38. He deserves better than to be forced to return with a different identity.

[Bruce Wayne Jr.]

I don't know if Kal-L is dead or not. What I do know is that the last thing I want to see is him return with a new name. Kal-L is THE Superman, the guy that started it all back in '38. He deserves better than to be forced to return with a different identity.

I figure if it did happen, it would be out of respect for the modern Superman. More along the lines of Kal-L wanting to pick up the slack for his absent counterpart, but not necessarily stealing his thunder.

[phantom1592]

I figure if it did happen, it would be out of respect for the modern Superman. More along the lines of Kal-L wanting to pick up the slack for his absent counterpart, but not necessarily stealing his thunder.


That's him in the Red Captain Marvel Suit :D

[Evan Lanctot]

I actually thought given what Kal L said and how they didn't talk about what happened after wards to his body, that he could very well be alive/ feinging death.

It was implied that he, Lois, and Conner were all buried together(as Power Girl and Wonder Girl stood at their graves).

He IS dead.....the last panel showed him and Lois together again(implied in Heaven, as their youthful selves, as Catholic dogma dictates we all are after passing).

[Apathy Boy]

Guess I'm in the minority who thought Kal-L's character arc and death was well-handled. Kal-L made a mistake, learned from it and corrected it like a true hero. He kicked ass along the way. He inspired his successor. He played a major role in bringing down the baddie. He reunited with his long-lost love.

Having said that, the ending of CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS was a much better send-off for the World's First Superhero.

[NotSuper]

I remember Mon-El once being "killed" and buried, too. It wouldn't be hard to bring Kal-L back if DC needed to, as who can really tell if an Earth-2 Kryptonian is truly dead?

[Buried Alien]

I remember Mon-El once being "killed" and buried, too. It wouldn't be hard to bring Kal-L back if DC needed to, as who can really tell if an Earth-2 Kryptonian is truly dead?

Or a Post-COIE DCU Kryptonian for that matter. We seem to forget that the Modern Age Superman seemed equally "dead" after his first fight against Doomsday as well, and got better not too long afterward. :)

Perhaps Kal-L is just recharging his solar batteries for the next Crisis.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[phantom1592]

Or a Post-COIE DCU Kryptonian for that matter. We seem to forget that the Modern Age Superman seemed equally "dead" after his first fight against Doomsday as well, and got better not too long afterward. :)

Perhaps Kal-L is just recharging his solar batteries for the next Crisis.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)


I thought the same thing. Just stick him in a solar chamber back at the fortress. It worked for kal-el, Why not at least TRY for Kal-L?

[Buried Alien]

It was implied that he, Lois, and Conner were all buried together(as Power Girl and Wonder Girl stood at their graves).

I wonder what would be the name on Kal-L's grave marker. "Kal-L?" "Superman?" It can't be "Clark Kent" for obvious reasons.

If Earth-Two's Lois is buried there as "Lois Lane Kent," however, there are complications.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)