#death of superman arc

[madametamma]

MORE THEORIES FOR SEASON 3

Here's my other predictions so far

Now usually "Reign of the Supermen follows" "Death of Superman" But what if we change the order a little bit.

Super boy shows up early in the season, created to outshine Superman and replace him. He's trying to be cool, he's pretty cocky. Clark is a little weirded out over being cloned at first but once he actually gets a chance to talk to the kid, he gets over that really quickly.

The press is trying to ramp up a rivalry between the clone and the Kryptonians. Who's better/cooler and why, but Superman let's Superboy know that he's not going to compete with him. He just wants to do good and wishes Superboy luck in helping to make the city a better place.

THEN we get Doomsday. everyone is trying to help out to beat this thing. Supergirl, Superman, steel, everybody. Super boy is overwhelmed and terrified because this is so much different than stopping crooks with normal guns. His creators tell him to do it because they see him as expendable and replaceable but Clark genuinely wants to make sure everyone's safe, Superboy included.

Superman manages to push Doomsday back to the Phantom zone and him and the monster get trapped with the only one around to see it is Superboy and his creators who've been watching from a body cam. They push Superboy to release a statement that he saw Superman die.

Superboy doesn't feel right about lying but his creators tell him that there's no way Superman is going to get out of the Phantom zone anyway and that this is his chance to be the #1 hero.

This kicks off a string of other heroes trying to replace Superman, or claiming to be the real Superman since no body was found. Most are just ridiculous knock offs and Lois Lane has been on a roll exposing them all (One good thing is that her career is on the rise to the point where people consider her the official word on whether or not someone's legit, the downside is every other aspect of her life is falling apart since Clark's been gone)

One who calls himself 'Cyborg superman' rises above the others might be the best contender for "Real resurrected superman". He looks just like Clark and seems to have all his powers albeit with cybernetic modifications. He claims his memories have been jumbled since the fight but knows a little bit of who he is. (It's actually Henshaw trying to cozy up to Lois just enough to make her release a statement that he's the real deal.

Lois is driving herself nuts trying to find out whether he's real or not. Stuff about him doesn't seem like the real Clark even with the excuse that he doesn't remember everything, but also she's sleep deprived from grief and second guesses if maybe she's just not on her A game.

Superboy knows the truth and after an inner conflict of what is the right thing to do, decides to go to Ms Lane with the truth. Kara and Jimmy race to find a way to free Clark from the PZ and the cyborg Superman turns on Lois, demanding she release a statement of his legitimacy or else. Superboy tries to protect her as best as he can until Clark can be freed, leading into the final battle of Superman vs Hank

[madametamma]

THEORY FOR SEASON 3! LET'S GOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now that Brainiac is gone, Kara is slowly regaining all of the memories he took from her. At first it's scary because she doesn't want to vividly remember the things she did to those planets when he put her in Eradicator mode, but there are other memories that are coming back too.

A childhood from before she met Brainiac. She was raised by her real family, by real Kryptonians in The Phantom Zone. The escape pod that her father originally planned for her as a baby failed and she went with them. Growing up there was harsh. It was a difficult environment for everyone. No one had powers and the population of Krypton slowly began to die off with only the people of Argo city/ Kandor city left standing.

Until one day an opening from the Phantom zone opened up, just big enough for one escape pod to get out. Zor El tries one more time with his now 6 year old daughter. He sets the coordinates for Earth to be with her cousin, but once she gets out, turns out the hole out of the phantom zone was a trap set by Brainiac. He needed at least one natural Kryptonian to come out so he could capture them for his plan to conquer the universe and he got Kara.

When Kara tells her friends about this, they start to research what they can do to find a way into the PZ to save others.

They find a portal in, but what comes out isn't the lost Kryptonians. It's another monster that was stuck in there; Doomsday!

Superman fights him seemingly to the death, but really what happens is they both get shoved into the PZ. Everyone only thinks they're dead, leading to the Death and Reign of the Superman arc that season 2 has been setting up.

The rest of the season deals with Lois, Jimmy and Kara dealing with the mystery of "Did Superman really die? Are one of these Supermen who are coming in claiming to be him REALLY him? Who are they really?"

All the while we keep cutting back to Clark in the PZ meeting up with the rest of the surviving Kryptonian race. Maybe even finding his family. Trying to find a way back to Earth with the rest of the Kryptonians while his powers are slowly fading away little by little the longer he stays there.

The season ends with Clark making it back in time to fight Cyborg Superman. The only way for him to take the rest of Kryptonians back is if they were shrunk down into the size of a bottle and for Clark to carry them out, (Although they're not sure they can be unshrunk once they get back to Earth, they still take the deal because it's better than living in the PZ).

Also Clark proposes to Lois. Episode one we see him try to make coal into diamonds. He never quite finds the right time to ask her for half the season and the other half he's in the PZ where the other Kryptonians offer romantic advice. He finally officially asks at the season finale wrap up.

That sounds less like Brainiac destroyed Krypton and more like he sent it into the Phantom Zone. This show has played pretty loose with the lore, so far. It would be pretty wild if Krypton came back.

[thesulkycroissant]

Lately, I've been thinking about the portion of the Death of Superman arc where Clark’s parents have to just watch the world mourn for Superman and treat him like an oddity / not a real person, while they're simultaneously not able to openly mourn because as far as everyone else knows, Clark Kent is just MIA. Just the sheer torment of that. Keep thinking about Martha watching the television while they treat Superman's death like a spectacle and crying, "He's our son!"

Anyway, I'm writing a fic about Martha and Bruce talking right now, and I think they would really bond over their feeling that Clark needs and deserves to be protected, too.

[tiffycat]

Tried again drawing big blue + maws clark

[queernarchy]

watching episode 3 season 4 of superman and lois feels like watching season 7 of game of thrones aka recognizing huge cracks in storytelling as the first harbinger of absolute doom for the show but that most people cannot see and are therefore still psyched about, leaving those who CAN see it cassandras as they try to explain a narrative decline that nobody believes

[hmslusitania]

the more comics I read the more absolutely baffling and weird the choices they made for the Young Justice show become, but I just think. As long as they were going creative with it. Kon and Kaldur should’ve spent most of season one making out

[bisupergirl]

SUPERGIRL (2005) #47

[desperatecheesecubes]

See the mental unwellness in me is telling me that I should combine all the reading guides for the Young Justice crew together to get the true full YJ reading order, but I feel like that would just immediately become overwhelming. But I might do it anyway lmao.

[navree]

if i had a nickel for every time a famous and influential batman story arc had both superman and jason todd playing a pivotal role, i'd have four nickels, which really isn't a lot but it is weird that it's happened four separate times over three decades

[msfcatlover]

Sometimes reading comics is fun because damn, there is some WILD shit in there!

Other times it’s just a headache. Because damn, there is some wild shit in there. Often all at once. Way too fast. Why would you cram all this into a single story arc? Why.

[dragongirlbunny]

bad post op

[lesbianwyllravengard]

i still have yet to play bg3 so i still dont go here yet but Wyll seems literally like one of the most compelling characters of all time and im not even joking. I havent even played the GAME but his character arc haunts me /pos. people are literally just racist to say that he isn't compelling

LITERALLY. He's utterly fascinating. He is a folk hero, a legend, the fantasy equivalent of superman. He's a warlock who is secretly pacted to a devil. He hates devils. He's an incredible liar. He's incredibly sincere. He's silly. He unironically enjoys puns and clowns. He over-exaggerates his Blade personality because it amuses him. He sometimes doesn't know where The Blade ends and Wyll begins. His hero-ness is a performance; not to hide ill intent, but to hide a broken man, to hide weaknesses and fears. It's who he is. It's always been a distant thing, a mask. It's who he thinks he must be. He loves freely and openly and will let anyone know it. He's only ever wanted to know he's loved. He still thinks his father's inability to trust or believe in him was all his fault. He still thinks that every bit of suffering he's ever experienced was all his fault. He thinks admitting to suffering would be disrespectful to the lives he's saved. He thinks he has to suffer or else his sacrifices were worthless. He thinks it couldn't be a sacrifice if he didn't suffer for it. He would take any suffering if it meant lessening someone else's. He is the first person to stand up for someone's life and safety, the first person to defend someone's worth and autonomy. He is the last person to do so for himself. He is of the least importance to himself.

He needs to be needed, because if he's not needed then what good is his power and the soul he sacrificed for the pact to get it? And if he can't be needed then he throws himself into the fray without hesitation because his purpose has always been to sacrifice himself so others may live. His life has always been one of sacrifice. His life has been recompense since the second he was born and his mother passed as a result. He saves lives to make up for it. It will never be enough to him. It will always be everything to those he saves. He just wants to be seen for who he truly is. He thinks if no one can see him for who he is then maybe it isn't who he is, and maybe he's fooled them all, fooled himself into thinking he can be a better person, be the hero they need. He wants to be known by someone. He's terrified of someone looking deeper. He sees others for who they are. He's a monster hunter who does not hunt the typical definition of "monster", who knows that monsters are not the ones with fangs and horns in his group of friends but the men who look harmless yet cause endless death and suffering to others. Not even the threat of his life was enough to get him to harm an innocent.

He wants to be chosen. He cannot fathom that someone would choose him. He chooses others over himself every time. He has so much love for others. He thinks he must constantly earn love. He is shocked when someone simply loves him. He thinks he cannot love and lead at the same time. His only role model was a father who could never put his son before his city. He is capable of immense anger. He is capable of immense kindness. He purposefully chooses the latter; he works hard to not let his anger consume him. He's still angry over things that happened a near decade ago. He thinks feeling hurt is the same as being angry and so he can't be hurt. He's always hurting. He takes pride in his achievements and he does not underestimate himself. He's not religious. He devotes himself to his cause with the dedication of the most pious believer. He stands by his friends in any battle, against any struggle. He stands against them if they choose to threaten lives. He holds on to those he cares about with bloody knuckles and teeth bared because loss has always been the hardest pain for him to bear. He has lost everything. He gives every part of himself to others. He cannot lose anyone else. He thinks he can do anything because he refuses to believe any alternative. Because he could not survive any alternative. He thinks his intent is as important as his actions, and so he must always intend to do the right thing.

He does not tolerate his boundaries being pushed or his father being disrespected. He tolerates any judgment because he thinks he deserves it. He defends his status as the Blade of Frontiers. He thinks the fear caused by his devil form is a fault of his own that he must work to fix. He hates the patriars and their farce diplomacy, their lethal hypocrisy. He thinks his father is infallible. He does not hold himself to the same regard as he holds everyone else. He thinks its okay if it only hurts him. Anything is okay as long as it only hurts him. He has to keep fighting to prove he can be a hero. He is so, so tired. He cannot for one second admit to wanting for anything, because once he starts he might not be able to stop wanting. He cannot accept that he deserves to not suffer, too, because if he does he might not be strong enough to continue suffering so others might suffer less. He might not want to suffer. He thinks he cannot regret any decision he's made, he cannot regret his pact, because it would be a dishonour to the good he's done with it. He thinks that saying he regrets his pact would be saying he regrets every life he's saved with it and he would never regret saving lives so he cannot regret his pact. He's accepted that his freedom will always be the cost of saving lives. He desperately wants to be free. His life has never been his own, to him. He thinks every choice he's ever made was his own, alone.

He is very complex. He simplifies himself to be easily accepted by others. People fall for it easily. He just needs one person to look closer. He's afraid of what they'll find if they do. He doesn't keep his cards close to his chest, he meticulously chooses which cards to hold at all. Which parts of himself are worth losing if need be. How much of himself he has to keep close in order to keep being himself. He has seen the worst that the world has to offer. He chooses every day to be kind, to see the best in things, in others. He chooses to care. He holds onto his pain because it's proof that he cares. There are several pathways that don't connect quite right in his brain which you'll notice after a few conversations with him. He is wise beyond his years. He is my favourite guy ever

[thesulkycroissant]

In the Death of Superman arc, arguably one of the best comic arcs I've ever read, after Clark dies fighting Doomsday, Clark's dad has a heart attack, goes to the veil, sees Clark there, and is like, "??? No. You don't get to be dead yet." and Clark is like, "Oh, Pa, I'm only human :(" and Jonathan says, "No!!! You actually aren't remember!!! And anyway that doesn't matter bc I am literally insisting, you HAVE to." And by the sheer strength of Jonathan's will and Clark's being a good son, Clark does in fact come back through the veil.

I think the comics have made a decent argument that both nature and nurture play into Clark being who he is as far as being a good person, but I will tell you, with my whole heart I believe Jonathan Kent was the one who taught him that he could do the impossible.

[mae-kent]

a little explanation of mae kent’s powers & biology

mae kent, the second main supergirl (1988-1996) is a humanoid being made of ‘protoplasm’, a fictional substance created by an alternate universe lex luthor. she was then mentally and physically designed by him based on the alternate universe’s late lana lang. after his death, she regained her memories of her time in his lab.

she is able to shapeshift and turn invisible due to her ability to modify her own molecular structure. she is capable of mimicking a human perfectly, with internal organs included, as she passes as a healthy human to the eyes of a trained doctor. she struggles to increase her mass, however, and it causes her great pain.

she has telekinetic powers, and maintains a telekinetic field around herself that protects her from extreme temperatures and projectiles, as well as most attacks. she is able to use ‘psychokinetic blasts’. presumably her telekinesis/psychokinesis is what gives her her enhanced strength and flight ability. she is vulnerable to fatigue.

she was psychically connected to clark kent / superman in 1989. a 1993 promo card claims she still has this connection to him, but the link itself is never mentioned again within the comics. she is vulnerable to mind control and telepathic attack, as is shown here, and in panic in the sky with brainiac, and in the new titans arc with raven.

in action comics #706 it’s shown that she can alter the molecular structure of other materials outside of her own body as well. this is never mentioned again, but perhaps is a combination of her unique biology and telekinesis powers.

[stealingyourbones]

Why does DC hate Jason Todd so much??? He's literally Babey!!! 🥺

You probably aren’t me expecting to respond to this factually but fuck it here we go. Because he was a little rat fuck who replaced their favorite Robin character for a shitty carbon copy.

I wasn’t in the comic scene, or alive, when that happened in comics, but Jason originally was a carbon copy of Dick. He grew up in a circus, was in an acrobatic troupe called the Flying Todd’s, and his parents died by the hands of Two-Face.

The next Crisis had his backstory changed but the fans still viewed him as the bad Walmart version of Robin.

(For the readers:)He was a shitty replacement for Dick Grayson that had been Robin for so long and readers didn’t like the new guy taking over the role.

He doesn’t have a memorable Robin stand-alone series, he was uncharacteristically ruthless for a robin, he replaced Dick and didn’t have any of the Grayson charm that made Robin so loveable, he was arrogant at times and bashed in general. People wanted Dick. Not this other guy.

Nowadays why they hate him?

Simple and yet layered reason:

He went from a very wonderful villain in the comics and got later boiled down to an anti hero. Most people I know that dislike Jason now preferred his villain arc. I prefer it too honestly but if we didn’t have anti hero Jason, we wouldn’t have the interactions he has with the batfamily at all and I really enjoy those scenes in the comics.

His characterization is all over too. He goes from absolutely batshit insane in some comics to angsty ninja boy, to essentially a little bit feistier Ric Grayson (I’m so sorry it’s my take DC fans please don’t fight me).

Also, his death was a BIG thing in comics and him coming back ruined the meaning behind his death.

Back in the day there were three deaths in comics that always happened and never changed. They were deaths that grew other characters around them. Those three were:

- Bucky Barnes from Captain America

- Jason Todd from Batman

- Uncle Ben from Spider-Man

Their deaths hold major stepping stones to character arc changes and how the main character acted for the rest of the comics. They were always the main characters greatest tragedy and a core part of their lore.

Of course two of these are now changed. Bucky Barnes is back as the Winter Soldier and Jason is back as Red Hood.

But that death was sacred for a while. For 20 years he was dead. He was Batman’s greatest tragedy. You did not fuck with Batman’s greatest sorrow. And they did it after (incel) Superman Prime punched the universe so hard Jason Todd came back to life.

Additionally, lots of comic writers just don’t fucking want to deal with him. Same with Damian I feel like. They throw both under the bus because they’d rather be writing other characters.

Most of this is my observations but if anyone else has any other comments to add feel free.

[casscainmainly]

Bruce Wayne & Cassandra Cain in Batgirl (2000)

My last post covered the top 10 moments overall, but I had to skip a lot of my favourite moments involving specifically Batman and Batgirl. So here's a non-comprehensive, chronological list of great Bruce & Cass moments!!

Who Does She Remind You Of?

One of the most interesting things about their relationship is that initially, Cass doesn't have a name and doesn't know Bruce's name; they are purely Batgirl and Batman. This lack of alter ego allows Bruce to identify very heavily with Cass, and sets up the foundation for why Bruce acts the way he does later. He views Cass as a mirror of himself, which has both positive and negative repercussions.

You Can't Understand A Word I'm Saying

EXTREMELY underrated Bruce and Cass moment from Issue #2. Though I believe they fundamentally understand each other, there's still a disconnect between them (a disconnect Cass shares with everyone). But this disconnect goes both ways - Bruce is the one having trouble communicating here, saying 'I don't know how to say this' and pausing frequently (this speech pattern is very reminiscent of Cass' inner monologue towards the end of this run!). A great example of how neither of them are fully able to express the depth of their feelings towards each other.

Denial

A pivotal moment in Bruce's conception of Cass. When confronted with evidence that she killed a man, Bruce goes into complete denial. She's 'gentle', fully understanding his rejection of murder; how can she be a murderer? It's indicative of just how much he's projecting onto Cass, but also how much he genuinely cares about her. The second panel is underrated too - like David Cain, Bruce sees Cass as 'perfect', a word that will haunt Cass for arcs to come. This is where we start to see how Bruce's belief in Cass' perfection and morals negatively impacts her self-conception (as a perfect tool/weapon).

Good Answer

An incredible moment that's classic for a reason. Perfectly encapsulates both Cass' instinctive desire to protect, and Bruce's recognition of how similar Cass is to him. Also how his belief in her, however unintentionally, feeds into her death wish.

Jason Todd

Another underrated moment!!! This is the first major instance of conflict between death-wish Cass and no-more-dead-kids Bruce, and it's delicious. Bruce willingly opens up to her about Jason's death, and moreover, by comparing Cass to Jason, positions her as his child as well. It's sweet and sad and explains some of Bruce's more overprotective moments.

Denial 2

Not really denial but thematically it fits. When Bruce is framed for murder, the Batfam try to figure out what really happened. Cass sees that Dick has doubts, and helps him re-enact the murder so that he can believe in Bruce again. Not only is it a super sweet Dick-Cass moment, but it also shows how Cass believes in Bruce just as much as Bruce believes in Cass.

Good

A short and sweet moment that showcases how similar these two are. Bruce isn't exactly being a good dad here, but Cass genuinely DIDN'T enjoy that vacation. They just get each other. This is one of many, many times that Cass answers one of Bruce's questions perfectly (and makes Bruce smile).

Overprotective Dad Mode

In the second part of Batgirl (2000), Cass begins to explore her sexuality. This leads to issues of varying quality, BUT we do get tons of overprotective Bruce. A nice showcase of Bruce doing typical dad stuff, and Superman looking SO done. Also Cass in that first panel is hilarious.

Realisation

After lots of (rightful) heckling from Babs, Bruce finally realises that the way he's been using and treating Cass isn't right. Though this speech is couched in a lot of dismissive language ('disobedient', 'she was loyal'), I think that's just Bruce's inability to communicate. He cannot admit how much he cares for her. So he decides to fire her and tells her she jeopardises the MISSION (which, obviously, makes Cass feel terrible). Even when he's trying to put her first, his lack of communication skills only hurts her.

He Never Let Me Touch Him

The Bruce and Cass scene to END all Bruce and Cass scenes. Each panel is loaded with meaning. The first shows that despite Bruce's similarities to Cain, he still IS different; he is willing to be vulnerable around her, and allows her to do the same around him. The third panel is particularly interesting. Underneath all the ideological sniping between him and Babs, Bruce is jealous - he wants to be the centre of Cass' life and loyalty. Cass, however, doesn't fall into the trap. By pointing to the Bat, she both affirms her loyalty to his mission but also refuses any box he can put her in. She is his daughter, but she is not only his daughter, and never will be.

Honourable mention: the only reason I didn't put the Father's Day panel here was because I've already written about it. Also the scene where they mutually touch each other's faces and turn away of course!