So what *is* Superman's definitive origin story now?

[Buried Alien]

The basic story never changes (baby Kal-El is rocketed to Earth from the dying planet Krypton by his parents, and arrives in the Midwest to be raised by the Kents, etc.), but the details have changed through several continuity shifts. As of now, what *is* the canon origin story of Superman? Is it the Silver Age version? The John Byrne MAN OF STEEL version? The Mark Waid BIRTHRIGHT version?

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Sean Whitmore]

Perhaps it's a bit of a cop-out answer, but we really haven't seen enough of the New Earth back story to really say. There are elements of each version that have been (or will be) outright contradicted, such as the Superboy of the Silver Age, the slow power growth from Byrne's era, and the vegetarianism from "Birthright".

My take on it is simple. With everything up in the air like this, I assume that anything which hasn't been explicitly revealed happened the way it happened in my favorite version of the origin.

So Clark gew up on the farm hiding his powers (in between Smallville-type adventures with the Legion and Mon-El), played football as a senior, then left Kansas to travel the world, eventually meeting Lois while saving an experimental aircraft and then creating the identity of Superman. :)


SEAN

[Slaughter]

I think even Superman get confused sometimes...

[Ian J.N.]

The basic story never changes (baby Kal-El is rocketed to Earth from the dying planet Krypton by his parents, and arrives in the Midwest to be raised by the Kents, etc.), but the details have changed through several continuity shifts. As of now, what *is* the canon origin story of Superman? Is it the Silver Age version? The John Byrne MAN OF STEEL version? The Mark Waid BIRTHRIGHT version?

No to all three according to Action 850 (which is a great story, by the way).

Yeah, I think DC needs to be a bit more explicit on the Infinite Crisis continuity changes--Superman especially. This past issue of Superman threw me for a loop with that talk of "the real" Kandor. I assumed that was the real Kandor. Why assume it's the non-Kryptonian version when post-Crisis continuity no longer applies? Krypto isn't the Kryptonian approximation, but Kandor is?

That bit muddied an otherwise great story. I wasn't sure if Busiek was setting up the real deal Kandor or implying that there was a second, more mythical, Kryptonian city by that name. I have no problem with retcons, but for clarity's sake they should really be made explicit. Storyteller and audience need to operate from the same context.

What I'd like to see: An illustrated prose piece (in an annual or SF&O perhaps) where the Phantom Stranger explains the major continuity points that have been changed and provides an interesting, somewhat metatextual, literary analysis on the post-IC Superman. Hey, it doesn't take a miniseries.

[Joe Acro]

Given what we've learned so far, it's probably closer to the Silver Age version. He apparently had adventures as Superboy, or an appoximation. He had Krypto as a kid, a Krypto from the original Krypton. Mon-El's original origin is back in play, as is Brainiac's.

There may be details incorporated from other origins that we haven't learned yet, but I'm thinking it's definitely Silver Age-heavy.

[Buried Alien]

I wasn't a fan of Waid's BIRTHRIGHT telling of Superman's origin, but I'm surprised that it's been abandoned so soon. BIRTHRIGHT was less than a year old, I think, when INFINITE CRISIS wiped the slate clean again. Almost makes you wonder what the point of BIRTHRIGHT was.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[J. Robb]

I wasn't a fan of Waid's BIRTHRIGHT telling of Superman's origin, but I'm surprised that it's been abandoned so soon. BIRTHRIGHT was less than a year old, I think, when INFINITE CRISIS wiped the slate clean again. Almost makes you wonder what the point of BIRTHRIGHT was.

The reason "Birthright" failed is because most readers aren't interested in a new origin story. It's the same reason the Loeb/Kelly "Return to Krypton" story was unpopular, and eventually rescinded. Mucking with the past creates confusion and ends up hurting the stories in the present.

Unfortunately, DC hasn't learned their lesson yet. Every new creator on Superman wants to re-write the character and his history, and they're being allowed to.

[Sean Whitmore]

This past issue of Superman threw me for a loop with that talk of "the real" Kandor. I assumed that was the real Kandor. Why assume it's the non-Kryptonian version when post-Crisis continuity no longer applies?

There was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it bit in the Action Comics Annual that dealt with this.

And I don't know where you got the idea post-Crisis continuity doesn't apply to anything. Kents are still alive, no Superboy, etc.


SEAN

[NotSuper]

New Earth is a new continuity. It has some elements from the post-Crisis and pre-Crisis continuities, but it's not the same. The New Earth Superman has a rather vague origin now, but there are some things we know. I'll try to make a list.

1: Krypton is similar to the Donner version - This means crystals, white and dark robes, and all that.

2: Only one Zod - There is only one Zod in continuity (not counting the ones in the multiverse), the Kryptonian version recently introduced. All the others are now gone from continuity.

3: "Superboy" and the Legion - Kal had adventures as a teen and met the Legion. We're not sure if he wore a costume, though. He also met Mon-El.

4: Earlier powers - Kal developed all his powers (including flight) at a much younger age. He seems to have discovered his alien heritage earlier too.

5: Mild-mannered Clark - The current Clark is more mild-mannered than the post-Crisis version, and yet, he's not the same as the pre-Crisis version either. This Clark seems to be more alienated and non-confrontational. He's still a good reporter, though.

6: No football - Clark didn't play high school football, probably because his powers developed MUCH earlier and it would be unfair.

7: Luthor in Smallville - Lex was indeed in Smallville and a friend of Clark, but he didn't lose his hair there.

8: Younger Kents - The Kents are younger than their post-Crisis counterparts.

9: A Smarter Superman - Superman has recently developed a kind of super-intelligence. It's hinted that Superman was very intelligent even before this, though.

10: Two Kandors - Instead of one bottled city, there's two. One is made up of non-Kryptonian aliens and the other is a Kryptonian lunar colony that disappeared.

11: Phantom Zoners - Krypton sent their prisoners to the Phantom Zone.

12: Krypto is from Krypton - Krypto is now from the New Earth Krypton and not the faux Krypton from RTK. Also, Kal first met him as a boy.

13: Many Fortresses - Superman now has several Fortresses around the world.

14: Born on Krypton - Superman was born on Krypton, not Earth, making him an immigrant once again.

Hope this list helps.

[Sean Whitmore]

2: Only one Zod - There is only one Zod in continuity (not counting the ones in the multiverse), the Kryptonian version recently introduced. All the others are now gone from continuity.

6: No football - Clark didn't play high school football, probably because his powers developed MUCH earlier and it would be unfair.

7: Luthor in Smallville - Lex was indeed in Smallville and a friend of Clark, but he didn't lose his hair there.

Not sure how you can assume any of these for sure. You're probably right about the football, but we don't know that he never played. And it's been hinted that the Pocket Universe Zod will be the basis of a future story. As for Lex in Smallville, has that been mentioned since Birthright?

9: A Smarter Superman - Superman has recently developed a kind of super-intelligence. It's hinted that Superman was very intelligent even before this, though.

13: Many Fortresses - Superman now has several Fortresses around the world.

As for these, we saw them happen in the present day. They have less to do with New Earth than they do with just new stories.


SEAN

[Joe Rice]

[Mon-el]

As for Lex in Smallville, has that been mentioned since Birthright?

SEAN

Not that I read Countdown or anything, but it was in the Backup in the Villian Origin's for Lex Luthor in one of the Countdown's.

So it fits.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

My take on it is simple. With everything up in the air like this, I assume that anything which hasn't been explicitly revealed happened the way it happened in my favorite version of the origin.

Exactly.

In my version of Clark's origin, he's a mixture of a gangly teenager mixed with the best of Smallville, old school Superboy, LSH, Moore's Supreme and Donner's Christopher Reeves stuff.

[Ian J.N.]

And I don't know where you got the idea post-Crisis continuity doesn't apply to anything. Kents are still alive, no Superboy, etc.

I got it from here:

And for those fans who have been trying to fit current continuity in with stories that happened prior to "Infinite Crisis" Kurt [Busiek] has this to say...

"Like the post-Crisis era, the new era that follows INFINITE CRISIS is a new era. As such, it isn't trying to fit snugly into the facts of the previous era. To use the 'house of cards' metaphor again, it isn't a matter of taking out a bunch of cards and slipping in another bunch, but preserving the same basic structure. In the wake of a continuity-revamping crisis, what you have is a new house. A brand new structure, not the old one with cards missing. It may have features that look like the old house, and features that don't, but that doesn't mean it's the old house with a facelift. It's a new house. It's full of some things familiar, some things unfamiliar, some things changed, some things new. And now we get to explore it and see what's there. You don't need to know everything that's in there going in. You didn't the first time you picked up a comic, after all. You can explore and learn and discover. It does mean that, yes, all that stuff you knew about the old era is now outdated information -- still true of the old era, and a valuable part of it in the "Man of Steel" trade paperbacks and all those back issues on my reference shelf -- but not something that necessarily fits into the new one."

So, while the DC Universe Post-IC might look like a continuation of the Post-Crisis era, it's not. It's a totally new continuity where things look similar but are different.

[NotSuper]

Yep. Post-Crisis is a thing of the past. This is New Earth. It has elements of the pre and post-Crisis eras, but it's not either of them--not completely.

As for Luthor in Smallville: The Origin of Lex Luthor

And as for one Zod, this was confirmed by Superman's editor. I can probably find it and link to it if anyone is interested.