"Good afternoon, Mister Jefferson," I say at the doorstep, extending a rubber-gloved hand in greeting. "Rachel Roth, of Roth and Anders Paranormal Investigations, at your service. I understand you have a potentially dangerous situation involving your daughter?"
"Oh, thank goodness, yes!" he says, shaking my hand and practically yanking me inside. "I'm amazed you were able to come out here so quickly. But yes, it's Amanda. She's......she's not well. We moved in about a year ago and I think....I think there's something wrong with this place....."
Looking around the living room, I see little out of the ordinary. Ugly green sofa, coral blue carpet, white walls adorned with family photos, a bookcase filled half with 'inspirational' fluff and half with books about World War II. A coffee table covered in magazines. A television with too many remote controls.
Upstairs, I hear a loud thump and a pained howl.
"She keeps saying there's something inside of her, something that's....making her do things," Mister Jefferson says in a worried voice. "Ever since we've moved in, there have been weird sounds, things moving where they weren't before....and it's only gotten worse in the last few months. Melissa and I, we've always been skeptical about religion, but......I don't know.....I think there might be something here. My little girl.....I think she's....possessed....."
"Well, you called the right person for the job," I say, pulling my hair back into a tight ponytail in the back, and then reaching into the pockets of my thick denim coveralls for a pair of safety goggles and a hair net. "If there's any kind of malevolent entity in this house, I'll be able to find it, identify it, and get rid of it."
My heavy work boots make a loud clunking noise as I make my way up the stairs.
"I, er, I can't help but notice.....erm, your outfit...." Mister Jefferson stammers.
"Believe me, I've handled my fair share of demons," I assure him. "If this goes anything like my last job, you're going to wish you'd put on some gloves and some old clothes, too. Demons tend to be very....biological, when it comes to resisting exorcism."
"You don't say....."
We reach Amanda's room, and I open the door. Inside, a girl about the age of fourteen is writhing painfully on her bed. She's shouting and snarling, and screaming as her joints pop and her body contorts. It's all very hard to watch.
Still, I've got a job to do, and the first part of that job is finding out exactly what I'm dealing with.
I spend the next few minutes examining the supposed victim, monitoring her breathing, getting her heart rate, seeing how she reacts to various herbs and holy symbols (one of the reasons I'm wearing rubber gloves, in fact-- I can't touch the things myself), before looking her square in the eye and noticing the movement.
"She's an epileptic," I conclude. "She needs to be taken to the hospital and treated there. I'm sorry that you've wasted your time, but there doesn't seem to be any demon here, Mister Je--"
And then Mister Jefferson bursts into a swarm of spiders. Amanda screams as thousands of menacing little black-and-yellow arachnids scurry across the room. The door slams shut, and the room fills with a sickening stench as hot feces begins to splatter down from the ceiling.
THE CHILD IS OURRSSSSSSSSSSS...... the spiders hiss in unison.
I sigh with annoyance as it splats on my hairnet and stains the thick flannel shirt under my coveralls.
"Never an easy day on the job, is it?" I say, pulling out my cell phone and making the call. "I'm going to need an extraction on the Perez Street job. Little girl, having an epileptic seizure. Second floor, window on the right side."
"I hear and understand," she says on the other end of the line. "I will be there presently."
NO ONE CAN SSSSSSAVE YOU, EXORCIST........ the spiders taunt. WE SSSHHHHALL DEVOUR YOUR SSSSSSOUL.....
"Cute," I say with annoyance, searching through my case of herbs for the right combination of ingredients. "You'll forgive me if I don't start shaking and wetting my pants just yet-- you're hardly the first swarm from the Plateau of Leng that I've dealt with."
WE ARE LEGION, LITTLE GIRL..... They spout out, spraying the room with ropes of dripping, mucous-covered webbing from orifices that look nothing like spinnerets. WHAT CAN ONE LONE WITCH HOPE TO DO AGAINST USSSSS?
"First of all," I say, glancing to the window to see a glowing green light racing towards us, "I'm not alone."
The window crashes inward, and the spiders are sent flying by a spray of neon-green bolts of plasma. Starfire doesn't so much enter the room as she does flow through it, with a natural grace that would put lifelong ballerinas to shame. Every spin to avoid the demonic vermin, every retaliatory star-bolt splattering an attacking spider, every swoop and whirl to dodge falling splatters of fecal matter from the ceiling, is done with such ease and precision that you'd almost believe she was from the other side of the supernatural spectrum. You'd be wrong, though-- Kory's much less annoying than an actual angel.
"I apologize for my lateness, friend Raven," she says, casually blasting another clutch of spiders. "However, it appears together, we may have this battle won!"
"Not quite," I say, looking at the piles of half-charred gore strewn across the room as they begin to quiver and move. "These are Leng spiders, and can't be completely destroyed by normal means. Blowing them up is just going to make them angrier."
Indeed, the bits and chunks of spiders begin to knit themselves back together, even worse than they were before. Some of them are nearly the size of a small dog now. Some have eyes on stalks, or pincers and scorpion-like stingers, some have over a dozen legs. The more they stay out in the open, the more wrong they get.
"Get the girl to safety," I tell my partner. "I've got the swarm."
"I hear and understand," Starfire says, scooping the suffering girl into her arms. "I shall take her to the nearest emergency ward. And then I shall return to the office and await news of your glorious triumph!"
As Star leaves with the girl, several of the spiders try to leap up after her through the window. They slam into an invisible wall in the air, then fall twitching to the floor.
"I made sure to surround the house in a circle of salt before coming in," I explain, taking from my case a pinch of mugwort, mixing it with some vetivert and a healthy amount of agrimony. "Nothing from the other side gets in or out of the house unless I say so. It's just you and me now."
YOU HAVE LOSSST YOUR ADVANTAGE..... the spiders hiss, leaping and clawing at me as I duck and dodge them. From my knapsack I pull a small egg-shaped plastic appliance and put the various herbs in it-- normally I'd use a proper mortar and pestle, but in a pinch, one of these compact food-processors will do. YOUR ALLY IS GONE, AND YOU ARE BUT A LOWLY WITCH AGAINSSST A HORDE OF LENG.....
"About that," I say, pressing down on the egg-shaped blender to start the motor. It whirs and shakes in my hands as I mix the potion together. "When Trigon sent you into the mortal plane to spring this trap....he didn't tell you who you were trapping, did he?"
IT MATTERSSSS NOT, FOR WE--
"Look in my eyes."
The spiders stop their assault, and a single, basketball-sized spider with half of its legs transformed into a vague approximation of a human hand and a single compound eye lowers down from the dung-dripping ceiling. It looks me in the eye for a moment, and at once the spiders speak in unison.
.....OH SSSHHHHHI--
"Tell Dad I said hi," I say, throwing the blender full of potion into the heart of the swarm. The concoction explodes, filling the room with noxious green smoke and the ear-piercing screams of thousands of hell-spawn arachnids.
I quickly tuck my face down and cover my nose and mouth with my flannel shirt as the oily smoke rolls over me. The potion won't banish me like it does to the spiders, but it's still incredibly unpleasant-- like cutting onions that are filled with tear gas.
After a minute or so, the smoke clears, and the Leng spiders are gone. I reach into my case for a piece of chalk, a candle, and a quartz crystal, and I draw a pentagram seal in the center of the room, carrying out a short ritual to close off the portal between this world and my father's infernal realm.
I inspect the rest of the house to be sure that it's completely clear, and I eventually find the girl's parents, hung upside down by spider-webs in the basement. I pull them down, explain that their daughter is in good hands, and then go over Roth and Anders' very reasonable payment plans for the job.
I don't know why Trigon is sending minor peons like Leng spiders into my city, without even telling them they're going up against me. Maybe he's probing my defenses for some avenue of attack. Maybe he's trying to keep me distracted while he carries out something worse. Or maybe he's just taking pot-shots at me to keep from getting bored.
As I step out into the fresh air of Jump City, half-covered in demonic spider-webs and splatters of sewage, there's one thing I know for certain.
The alarm clock is set for 6am, but it's not for me. Like most mornings, I'm up well before dawn.
Three eggs, in warm water for five minutes before cracking.
In the meantime, the roof of a low-rent tenament building in Buenos Aires is about to collapse. I suit up and make my way down south, holding up the support beams with plenty of time before they buckle and make sure everyone is out safely.
A tense showdown between police officers and a depressed file clerk with a rifle is about to turn tragic in Charleroi, Belgium. It's a practice called 'blue suicide,' where a person deliberately forces police to kill them. As the man lifts the rifle to open fire, I touch down in between him and the officers, blocking both parties' line of fire, and I introduce the man to a local psychologist who's agreed to work with him.
I spend the next three minutes or so high above the equatorial Atlantic, carefully adjusting temperatures with sweeping rays of Heat Vision and correcting with gusts of chilled Arctic breath, to prevent the current weather patterns from forming into what would have otherwise become a hurricane over the next week or so. As it is, there will still be scattered thunderstorms throughout the Gulf region, but it's certainly a better outcome than the catastrophic damage that would have resulted instead.
The eggs have warmed enough. I head back to the apartment, crack the eggs into a bowl, add a pinch of salt, and stir, before applying a teaspoon of butter to the skillet and setting to medium-high heat.
While the skillet warms up, I fly up north to the Fortress for a bit of work in the lab. Kelex assists me in reading through the human genome and unlocking a potential 'super-charge' for the immune system that would render homo sapiens impervious to bacterial or viral infections. I write up a quick thesis on the subject, and anonymously send my research off to Reed Richards, STAR Labs, and a few other trustworthy institutions for review.
I notice Krypto is getting restless cooped up inside, so I take him for a quick stroll to Venus and back, to let him stretch his legs and do his business so I don't have to clean up a mess in the Fortress itself. Re-entering the Earth's atmosphere, Krypto and I spent the next minute or so digging out some irrigation trenches for a land-locked village in Mauritania to make sure the people there have access to clean running water, before he returns to the Fortress for a nap, and I get back to the kitchen and put the eggs on the skillet before the butter boils away.
This is where the risk is at its greatest: for the next fifteen seconds, I need to carefully tilt and move the pan to make sure the stirred eggs don't stick, which means any crises requiring my attention will ruin the meal. Obviously, helping people in danger comes first, but I won't lie and say I don't look forward to a job well done.
The eggs begin to turn into a solid mass, as the liquid yolk cooks in the pan. Things are starting to come together.....
"Superman, help!"
"On my way," I sigh.
....and it's back to work. I flick the skillet, flipping the mass of eggs into the air before heading back out the window.
There's a man in a powered suit in Glenmorgan Square, his armor glistening with heavy weapons. It looks like something from one of Tony Stark's competitors, probably traded through a labyrinth of dummy companies and criminal fronts before winding up in the hands of this lunatic, calling himself 'Firepower.' This has all the markings of a 'call-out,' which is annoyingly common among career criminals who've recently acquired metahuman abilities or high-tech weaponry: as soon as they get something that they think makes them more powerful than they were before, the first thing they want to do is pick a fight to show that there's a new 'big dog' in town.
I analyze Firepower's suit, looking into its interior to understand its weapon systems and structural weaknesses, before speeding in faster than the on-board targeting system can track and disabling the suit's power source, leaving the would-be troublemaker a sitting duck for Metropolis Special Crimes Unit to arrest at their leisure....
....then I get back to the kitchen just in time to catch the omelette as it lands on the skillet.
"Gotcha!" I say out loud with a bit of a laugh. Most mornings, that interruption means I have to settle for scrambled eggs instead.
After that, it's five more seconds to cook on the other side (during which I do some preventative work on the East Anatolian Fault in Turkey), then I sprinkle in a quarter cup of grated sharp cheddar cheese, fold the omelette over and slide onto a plate, garnish with some finely chopped chives, and breakfast is served as she steps out of the bedroom in one of my oversized T-shirts.
"Morning, Smallville," Lois says as she rubs the sleep out of her eyes, picking up her tablet off of the kitchen counter to check the morning news. "I see you kept the world from exploding while I was asleep."
"Thankfully, nothing Earth-threatening so far today," I say, only half joking-- things have an unfortunate habit of going from calm to apocalyptic unreasonably quickly in this day and age. "Thankfully it's been a pretty easy morning."
Lois rolls her eyes as she scrolls through the various Superman-related headlines on her tablet in between bites of her omelette.
"'Easy' for you is still 'impossible' for everyone else," she says. "And you wonder why all your enemies think you're being smug."
"I tried snarling at them like Bruce once or twice back in the early days, to show them how seriously I was taking things," I shrug. "All I got out of it was a sore throat."
Lois laughs, and finishes her breakfast.
"Well, at any rate, it's nice that the world was quiet enough that we got to actually have breakfast together for once," she says. "I'm gonna jump in the shower, and then I'm going to get started on following leads on who sold that Firepower loser his battle-suit. Are you thinking it's Lexcorp again?"
"Not this time," I shake my head. "Luthor's not above selling weapons and tech to goons, but it's usually to keep me distracted from something bigger. This one didn't seem to have much of a point in it. Although off the top of my head, I wouldn't be able to tell you exactly where that one came from."
"Well, good thing you're dating a Pulitzer-winning investigative journalist, then," she says with a grin. "I'll see what I can dig up; after all, someone's got to be doing some work around here."
I return her grin, and get up from the table.
"I'm going to swing back up to the Fortress for a little bit, finish up some lab work," I say, clearing my throat. "I'll see you at the office, okay?"
"Just don't accidentally create a black hole or let out some horror from a parallel universe until I've had my coffee," she says as she gives me a quick kiss. "Love you, Smallville."
"Love you too," I say, leaving her to get dressed for the day as I head out the window and back up into the sky.
After a short flight to the North Pole, I enter the glittering sunstone main hall of the Fortress, the carved statues of my biological mother and father holding up a holographic image of Krypton between them in a towering arch over the primary AI console.
"Welcome back, Kal-El," Kelex greets me, its digitized voice resounding through every part of the hall. "I am currently not reading any events on the planet requiring your specific attention. The current global situation is relatively calm."
"Good to hear," I say. "Have there been any responses from the scientific community regarding this morning's research on human immunity acceleration?"
"Full reviews and replications of the experiment are forthcoming, but the general consensus thus far is positive," the AI answers. "There may be political controversy involving the implementation of it, due to its reliance on synthesizing a mutant X-gene in baseline humans, but given my projections, we can expect most countries to adopt it within five years."
"Excellent," I say, pleased with what we've accomplished so far. "What about the experiments involving the Interstellar Refuge? Have you made any progress in freeing Kandor or the rest of Brainiac's Bottle Cities?"
"Not yet-- I must confess the Coluan miniaturization technology is still far superior to any countermeasure I have been able to devise. However, initial models involving a dimensional auger similar to your father's Phantom Zone Projector seem promising. I will begin virtual trial runs within the week."
"That's...disappointing, but at least we may be headed in the right direction with that. Any luck in finding a reversal for the Bizarro Plague?"
"Currently, evidence suggests that the Bizarro Plague is irreversible. However, I am in the process of developing a way to inoculate humans to prevent future infection, in the event that the Bizarro World creature emerges from the Underverse again."
"And my Bizarro duplicate?"
"Still conscious, but inactive. He has been standing motionless at the South Pole for one year, nine months, twenty-two days, six hours, and eighteen minutes. There is currently no reason to assume any change in his condition."
"It all sounds promising," I say, though a touch of skepticism creeps into my words. "We're coming close to making some real lasting change in the world, being able to say that we left Earth and its people far better than we found it. Even Luthor and his cronies have been on the quiet side lately......"
There's a pause in the air that hangs for just a while too long. There's a cold, tightness in my chest as I try to work up the next words, a feeling I almost never experience, so rare that it takes me a moment to even register what it is.....
....I'm afraid to ask the next sentence.
"Kelex.........what's the countdown?"
"Eight months. Sixteen days. Thirteen hours. Forty-five minutes. And counting...."
It's a bitter pill to swallow. Not long ago, the Fifth Dimensional imp Mxyzptlk transported me into the future, where I re-connected with my old friends in the Legion. I started searching through Brainiac-5's temporal archives, trying to find a way back to my time, and through the numberless threads of potential timelines converging and branching and twisting and contradicting each other between the present and the far-future, I accidentally saw something I shouldn't have.
A fixed point in every potential timeline, one that shapes every possible future. One that's far too close for me to truly grasp, but one that I don't think I can avoid.
I haven't told Lois yet. I don't know how to break it to Ma, or Lana and Kara. I haven't told Bruce or Diana or anyone else in the League. But I can't put it off for much longer-- sooner or later, we're going to need to have plans in place for what happens when time runs out.
Eight months. Sixteen days. Thirteen hours. Forty-five minutes and counting.
Posts are coming, but I sadly don't have an ETA-- this was literally the worst possible time for the game to go live for me, since I'm currently working 60+ hour weeks. Superman and Raven will be up when I can make 'em happen, as well as my third CS.
| Identity | Clark Kent/Kal-El of Krypton/Superman
| Origin & Backstory |
Strange Visitor (1978-1987)
Jonathan Kent was never much of a religious man; the praying and spritiuality, he left up to his wife, Martha. He believed that if men and women were put on this Earth for a reason, then it was up to themselves to determine what that reason was, and if there was any cosmic design at work, then it wasn't apparent to him. Martha often told him that the universe worked in 'mysterious ways'......which was a small comfort during their difficult early years of marriage, when the harvest went fallow, when Jonathan had to take out a second mortgage to keep the farm, and most devastatingly of all, when the doctor told them they would never be able to conceive children of their own.
While Martha loved Jonathan and believed in him with all her might, she wanted a family, and their inability to conceive became a strain on their marriage. One night in the summer of 1978, a drive into Smallville to visit their friends the Langs became an argument, the argument became a fight, and the fight became the two of them riding home in a heartbroken silence, both of them knowing a divorce was almost inevitable.
The inevitable, however, was denied, when a shooting star streaked over Jonathan's truck and came crashing down into Ben Sutton's corn fields not a hundred yards from the road. Pulling off the road, Jonathan and Martha rushed out to see if anyone had been hurt in the crash....and found not a meteor or a crashed satellite like they had expected, but a gleaming metallic craft, its hull a bright blue with red fins and gold trim, sparkling with multicolored lights and adorned with glyphs and runes in a language neither of them could understand....
....and sitting inside, wrapped in a red cloak, carrying a strange crystalline sphere, and completely unharmed, was a smiling baby boy. The universe, the Kents agreed, worked in mysterious ways indeed.
Minutes later, the area was swarmed with black helicopters, men in unmarked cars and no identifying badges. The alien pod was taken into the custody of the United States government for analysis.....but the pod's occupant was nowhere to be found.
Meanwhile, the Kents took the child to their home and agonized over what to do, whether to turn the baby over to the proper authorities or keep it as their own. The next day, a brief and intimidating visit from the men in black made up their minds; a lost, lonely newborn baby needed a family, not a lifetime in a laboratory. Jonathan and Martha spent the next few weeks and their meager savings forging all of the necessary documents to 'legally' adopt their first child, a beautiful black-haired boy they named Clark Joseph Kent.
Clark's childhood was a difficult and isolated one, as his 'condition' made him too fragile to play with the other boys his age, for fear of him getting hurt (though the truth was quite the opposite-- even as a toddler, Clark was inhumanly strong). This wasn't helped by Clark having sudden outbursts in school, caused by sensory overload-- sometimes, he claimed, he could see through solid objects, hear conversations on the other side of Smallville, look at radio waves in the air.....for a while, the Kents were worried that their adopted son was experiencing hallucinations, until the day he saved Jonathan from a collapsing barn roof, having heard the sound from over five miles away.
While Clark was often an outcast from his peers, he still found friends, fellow outcasts like the bookish Lana Lang, and the attention-seeking geek Pete Ross. The three were an eclectic but tightly loyal clique throughout their childhood, and Clark learned a lot from both of them. From Pete, he learned to stand up to bullies even when it meant taking a beating, and the importance of big, dramatic (and in Pete's case, often disgusting) acts to get people to hear what you had to say. From Lana, he gained enthusiasm for seeking knowledge, understanding the truth even when it wasn't what you wanted to hear, and the value and power of a really good story.
Not that Clark didn't have plenty of stories of his own. In their down-time, the three of them would make up tall tales about what they were doing when the other two weren't looking-- although at the time, Clark didn't know that Pete and Lana were simply making things up. He told them all about how he lifted his grandfather's old tractor over his head with one hand, how the 'summer blizzard' of '85 was him sneezing, and how he once tried to grab a handful of clouds for his Ma by jumping into the sky to swipe at them.
He showed them the red cloak and crytsal ball he had had since he was a baby, and tried to explain how the cloak couldn't be hurt by anything, and how when you brushed your fingers against the crystal ball just right, it would show you pictures and stories about strange people talking in a language he didn't speak.
He told them all about Krypto, his invisible dog that only he could see (dismissed by his friends and family as an imaginary friend--not unlike the 'funny man in the orange suit' and his 'super friends from the 31st Century', stories which Clark could never actually remember telling anyone). While the other kids called Clark a freak and a weirdo for constantly making up such outlandish stories, it captivated young Pete and Lana for years.
While Clark knew he was different, he never truly understood what it was that made him so. Whenever he asked his parents, Ma would always reassure him that he was simply special, and his father would allude to the costumed crime-fighters in the Justice Society....and how their being careless with their power led to their destruction. It wasn't until Clark, at age 9, saved a crashed bus full of children, many of whom claiming he was a 'miracle worker,' that his parents sat him down and had a long, honest talk about that night in Sutton's field. They didn't honestly know where he was from, or why he wound up on Earth, but told him that what truly mattered was what he chose to do with the time he had on this world.
Powers and Abilities (1987-1993)
As Clark began to enter adolescence, his strange abilities became more erratic, and harder to control. His strength, already far greater than that of other boys his age, began to skyrocket with every growth spurt he had, causing him to fear for the safety of those around him. His eyes were not only taking in the entire electromagnetic spectrum, but emitting bursts of radiation as well, everything from spikes of radio static to destructive X-Ray lasers. One night, after staring up at the stars (and trying to shake off the ghostly image of his imaginary dog sitting next to him), Clark drifted off to sleep.......only to wake up floating above the clouds. While he could always leap high into the air, this was something different entirely; Clark Kent could fly.
Worried about just how different he was becoming and fearing that he might turn into some kind of monster, Clark withdrew even further from the community, only rarely speaking to even his closest friends. The last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt someone because he couldn't control himself.
While this self-imposed solitude caused a wedge between Clark and his classmates, it caused an even further fascination for Lana, who had developed a deep-seeded crush on Clark. She frequently pried and prodded to get Clark to open up, to become more confident and proud of himself, and while he very rarely ventured out with her, he had to admit it did him a world of good.
Slowly but surely the two of them became more than friends, with Lana being the one to work up the courage to ask Clark out to their sophomore prom at age fifteen. That night they shared their first kiss, and Clark confessed everything to Lana: his feelings for her, the reasons he'd been hiding away, the things his parents had told him......and then took her hand, and flew her into the night sky. When they touched down, Lana looked into Clark's eyes, kissed him one more time, and ran away-- not just from Clark, but from home, from her family, from all of Smallville.
Heartbroken, Clark fell into a deep depression, a condition not helped when he tried to reach out to another outsider in his class: an extremely wealthy transfer student named Lex Luthor. While his time in Smallville was short, Lex's presence was felt by practically everyone in the community-- he tinkered with school property without asking and turned it into technology so advanced that some half-believed it was witchcraft, he bombarded local officials with proposals for radical overhauls of city government, and he vocally and brazenly defied teachers and authorities and anyone else he deemed 'backwards' and 'small-minded'-- which happened to be everyone he met. Despite this, Clark believed he sensed a kindred spirit in Lex, someone who saw the world in ways that no one else could, and who suffered because of it. For a short time, young Lex humored "Farmboy" and believed he could take him under his wing, so to speak, but their differences of opinion on the people around them kept them from ever truly becoming friends. Tragically, any attempt to bridge the gap between them came to an abrupt end when, during a wild experiment involving the use of a radioactive meteor fragment, Lex caused an explosion that killed his father and burned their house down, as well as covering himself in burns all over. While Clark rushed in to help, the radiation from the meteor fragment caused a crippling sickness in him, and he passed out before he could save them. Lex moved away from Smallville, practically salting the Earth to eradicate any trace that the Luthor family had ever been there.
Less than a year later, a massive storm rolled over Smallville, the already dangerous winds spinning up into a gigantic, devastating F-5 tornado. With potentially thousands of lives in danger, Clark sprang into action, moving as fast as he could to keep from being seen, pulling people out of potentially deadly spots, catching flying debris, holding up falling buildings, all to save the lives of his home town. He wasn't alone in helping out that day, as Jonathan Kent risked his own life in the storm to save a small child who had been separated from her parents. While he managed to get the child to safety, his old war wounds caught up with him, and Jonathan collapsed from over-exertion and his heart gave out. By the time emergency services were able to reach him, Clark's adopted father was dead.
After Pa's funeral, Clark went out into the old field where they had found his ship so many years ago, and pounded his fist into the ground out of frustration....causing a shock wave that people for nearly fifty miles mistook for an earthquake. The pain of losing so many people close to him so quickly, his frustration at being unable to help people without putting his family and friends at risk, and his concerns over rumors spreading about a 'guardian angel' in the wake of his actions, made Clark realize that if he was ever to find any purpose or meaning in his life, he wouldn't be able to do it here. Taking enough extra classes to graduate early at age sixteen, Clark packed up his old red cloak and alien crystal ball, kissed his mother on the cheek and promised to call once a week to catch up, and left Smallville behind to travel the world.
Valiant and Courageous (1993-2001)
For over seven years, Clark traveled the world alone, helping people whenever and wherever he could, only to disappear from their lives as soon as the danger had passed. While he longed to connect to the people he met along the way, the distrust and fear he met when people saw what he could do taught him to keep his distance, to simply be a 'ghost' that came and went without leaving any trace of who he was, only what he did.
Needing a reason to be found in dangerous places where his powers could be needed, Clark took up journalism, and paid his way through the world as a freelance reporter. He was embroiled in wars, and even in days of heavy fighting, the loss of life was minimal when he was around. He exposed terrorist cells and criminal organizations, shedding light on corruption and injustice whenever he found it. Clark Kent would have been making quite a name for himself, if another fearless reporter named Lois Lane hadn't been consistently beating him to the by-line. While he was never comfortable writing about the mysterious life-saving intervention of a mysterious stranger, Ms. Lane was eager to track this being down, and Clark found himself having to be more and more careful to keep the rival reporter off his heels.
Around his twentieth birthday, Clark finally managed to unlock the secrets of the mysterious crystal sphere that had come with him in his ship. As he expected, it was some sort of alien computer, and while navigating the orb's interface was nearly impossible, the images and impressions he got from it were astounding, glimpses of a world and a people that he had never seen, but that he immediately knew were his heritage. Strangely, the computer orb also seemed to contain some form of homing beacon, which always pointed due North. Eventually his curiosity led Clark to follow this beacon, traveling all the way to the North Pole, and there he found something incredible.
Hidden beneath the polar ice cap, expanding for miles in all directions, was a massive complex, an alien fortress that had been lying in wait for years for his arrival. Upon interacting with the Fortress's own computer systems, Clark's orb became far more active, speaking to Clark in his own language and telling him the truth of things.
The orb introduced itself as Kelex, an AI assigned to oversee and assist members of the House of El. Clark's true name was Kal-El, the last surviving member of his House, and indeed, the last survivor of his home world, the lost planet of Krypton. Facing a world-shattering cataclysm, Kal's biological father Jor-El had tried to enact a desperate plan to save his people: warping the entire population into the extradimensional void known as the Phantom Zone, then sending a single survivor on the material plane to a hospitable planet and bringing the population out into a pre-established colony. Sadly, Jor-El did not have enough time to put his plan into motion, and he chose to save the life of his son in the one ship capable of delivering him to safety; the colony meant to house millions of Kryptonians would now be a refuge for one, a Fortress of Solitude.
Krypton, Kal learned, was a world of adventurers and scientists, of dangers and wonders. Its people had eschewed traditional gods and demons in favor of worshipping a set of ideals called the Jirrod, and each of the Great Houses strove to be the embodiment of one of these ideals. The House of El, Kal's bloodline and legacy, represented above all other things, Hope. And Clark Kent, the mild-mannered son of Smallville--also Kal-El, the Last Son of Krypton-- swore to himself that he would strive to the ideal of Hope that his lost world had entrusted in him, and his adopted world so badly needed.
Up in the Sky! (2001-2002)
After seeing the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, Clark Kent realized he could no longer hide himself from humanity. Putting on his old indestructible red cape, and a T-shirt with the House of El's insignia painted on it, he openly and directly intervened on what appeared to be a follow-up attack in Metropolis a few days later, diverting the plane from crashing into the old Science Spire and setting it down in the river, before disabling the terrorists inside. Dubbed "Superman" by Lois Lane, the super-powered vigilante quickly began a career in righting the wrongs in the city of Metropolis and the world at large.
Realizing the scale of the job he had taken upon himself, Clark took a permanent residence in Metropolis, renting out a small apartment in the Hob's Bay area with an old contact of his, a Daily Planet photographer named Jimmy Olsen. Clark and Jimmy became fast friends, and Jimmy eventually convinced Clark to apply for a job at the Planet. While Clark blew the initial interview with Chief Editor Perry White, he ended up getting the job after a glowing recommendation from his old freelancer rival Lois Lane, who had started working at the Planet a few months earlier. Together, Lois and Clark exposed the terrorists behind the failed attack on the Science Spire, and revealed that they were not in fact Islamic extremists, but instead were being blackmailed into cooperation by the vicious criminal syndicate known as Intergang.
What Bruno Mannheim's motivation was for destroying the Spire remained a mystery, but the more Lois exposed in the wake of Superman's resulting battles with Intergang showed that while Mannheim was indeed the one pulling the strings of the crime syndicate, someone else was manipulating Mannheim from higher up.
Mannheim threw everything he had at Superman to no avail, until his pressuring of Amertek scientists to develop anti-Superman weapons resulted in a catastrophic explosion which created the radioactive villain known as the Atomic Skull. The Skull fought Superman across the entire city, and while the villain was eventually defeated, there were many who noted Superman's apparent weakness towards certain forms of radiation.
Six months after Superman's debut in Metropolis, the world was shocked to see the City of Tomorrow suddenly and inexplicably disappear, as if the entire thing had just been snatched up into thin air. Springing into action, Superman discovered this was the work of The Collector of Worlds, an ancient and malevolent artificial intelligence which traveled the universe looking for 'doomed' worlds and, upon finding one, would capture a population center for study and then abandon the planet to its destruction. Kelex was able to impart this information to Kal because a few short years before Krypton's end, The Collector had come and taken the shining city of Kandor. The Collector's intelligence spread throughout intelligent civilizations across the cosmos, using a different name on every world where it allowed itself to be 'invented.' On Krypton, the last place it had been, it used the name Brainiac.
Superman tracked Brainiac's ship in the upper atmosphere before it was able to warp away, and attacked it, crashing through the ship's defenses and legions of drones before making his way to the Collector's den. There, he found hundreds of 'bottle cities,' pocket universes where millions of lives were trapped in nightmarish isolation. The Brainiac AI assumed a physical form and subdued Superman, attempting to add the orphaned Kryptonian to his collection, but was unable to decide whether to add it to Kandor or to Metropolis. This hesitation was all Superman needed to break free, disabling Brainiac's ship and reversing the 'bottling' process to restore Metropolis to its proper location in timespace. The Collector ship crashed to Earth and was allegedly taken into SHIELD custody for study, but the Bottle Cities were taken by Superman to the Fortress of Solitude, in the hopes that he could one day set them free.
Superman's first year as an publicly active hero closed in a dramatic fashion, as a terrorist group called the Olmec Dawn captured a nuclear missile silo on the West Coast, calling for the destruction of Superman and all other non-human influences on the world. Planning to destroy the 'alien invader' along with themselves, they launched a missile at the heart of Metropolis, then set a second warhead to explode inside the silo, located extremely close to the San Andreas Fault. While Superman was able to extract the terrorists from the silo, he was unable to stop the first explosion, and had to spend precious time preventing catastrophic damage to the West Coast in the resulting earthquakes, before speeding back across the country as fast as he could to divert the second missile into space. The missile exploded in high orbit before Superman could get away, and the Man of Steel fell miles down to Earth.....but, incredibly, survived.
In the wake of this event, investigations led by Lois and Clark, as well as confession from the terrorists captured by Superman, revealed that the "Olmec Dawn" was working for a network of criminal organizations that, when the evidence was followed to the very top, led to LexCorp C.E.O. Lex Luthor. Indicted for responsibility behind the attacks, Lex was cleared of all charges, but not before having to spent a single night in prison. This indignity, the realization that someone could not only oppose him but actively punish him, sparked a hatred in Luthor that would last a lifetime.
Speeding Bullets (2002-2004)
With his original costume destroyed by the nuclear blasts, Superman had a new outfit created for him inside the Fortress, blending the traditional attire of Krypton's elite Sapphire Guard with the colorful outfits of the old Justice Society of America. With a new, more durable look, Superman was ready to take on an increasingly dangerous and uncertain world.
Over the next two years, Superman's gallery of enemies continued to grow. A thrill-seeking internet personality named Leslie Willis was transformed into the anarchic Livewire, who could absorb and emit huge amounts of electrical energy. A LexCorp janitor named Rudy Jones was mutated into the monstrous Parasite, who fed off of the energy of anything he touched. An amoral hacker named Oz Loomis took up the alias Prankster, and delighted in creating havoc for Superman by manipulating Metropolis's central operating systems. And a US Army soldier named John Corben was bonded into an experimental Kryptonite-powered battle-suit to combat metahumans, taking the codename 'Metal-Zero' but upon his death, the suit's AI continued on, becoming the deranged cybernetic psychotic Metallo.
Each of these villains threatened Superman or the city in their turn, but time after time the Man of Tomorrow overcame his adversaries, his reputation growing brighter and brighter with every consecutive victory.
This string of wins came to an end when a large black spaceship appeared in the skies over Earth. This ship, identified by Kelex as the Black Zero, was the flagship of General Zod, a rogue Kryptonian whose followers had been banished to the Phantom Zone. Free of the extradimensional void, they followed Kal-El's Star Drive signature to Earth, and intended to create a 'New Krypton.' Using a massive terraforming device called the World Engine, Zod and his followers planned to wipe out all life on Earth and begin anew.
Superman engaged Zod, begging him to leave and start over on a new world, but the fanatical Zod saw Earth's destruction as his revenge on Jor-El, Kal's father, who had sentenced him to the Phantom Zone. Since Zod refused to be reasoned with, the only option was to stop him by force. The resulting Battle of Metropolis was devastating, leaving huge portions of the city destroyed between the World Engine's gravitational shockwaves and the subsequent battle between the enemy Kryptonians. In the end, Superman was able to destroy the World Engine, then caused the Black Zero's Star Drive to implode on itself, creating a singularity that pulled most of the ship--as well as Zod and his minions--back into the void from which they had escaped.
While the world was saved, the damage done was absolutely devastating. Tens of thousands of people were killed in the battle, and much of Metropolis lay in ruins. Ever the opporunist, Lex Luthor took the initiative in leading the reconstruction of the city, and sowed a narrative in the media blaming Superman for the entire incident, claiming that Zod and his army would have never come to Earth if it weren't for the alien's presence. Several higher-ups in the military agreed, and LexCorp secured numerous extremely lucrative contracts for the development of anti-Kryptonian weaponry.
Despite this, there were several who remained loyal to Superman, citing all of the millions of people he had saved in spite of the carnage, and all the good he had done in the past. In the painful reconstruction of Metropolis, other heroes emerged following Superman's example, most notably the inudstrialist turned vigilante Steel, and the JSA-inspired Guardian.
Also, an unexpected fallout from the Zod invasion was the escape of an animal from the Phantom Zone: none other than Krypto, Clark's invisible dog he had until now believed to be only in his imagination. As people and cities and whole nations turned against Superman, Clark at least had the small comfort of his loyal dog at his side.
The World's Finest (2004-2005)
Clark had been aware of the presence of other heroes and vigilantes working in other cities, but had never gone out of his way to contact them-- while he considered the old JSA an inspiration, the group's eventual failure led him to be skeptical of attempting another 'super-team.' However, when he heard that the Batman of Gotham City was recruiting children in his war against the criminal underworld, he could not ignore it-- recklessly endangering a child was unconscionable, and he intended to set the Batman straight.
Seeking the vigilante out in Gotham, Superman caught up with Batman, and the two of them engaged in a brief verbal skirmish, correctly guessing each other's secret identities and arguing over the efficacy of the other's actions. However, their dispute was interrupted by the rampage of the undead creature Solomon Grundy, and the two of them joined forces to take the monster down. Upon seeing the Batman in action, his careful attention to detail and his willingness to endanger his own life to save those of others--including his protégé Robin-- Superman concluded that Batman could be trusted, and the two stayed in contact, realizing they could be more effective working together than alone.
Not long after this, Superman encountered another metahuman like himself, attempting to stop a war from breaking out between the nations of Pokolistian and Bialya. The metahuman in question, the stunningly gorgeous Wonder Woman, claimed that the hostilities in the region were caused by another superhuman entity, calling himself Ares. Together, Superman and Wonder Woman routed Ares and got the two nations' diplomats to speak to each other, avoiding a potentially bloody conflict.
In addition to being a powerful new ally, Wonder Woman was someone who Superman believed he could relate to, someone who saw the world the way he did, and struggled with the increasing distance between himself and humanity. The Amazonian Princess sympathized, and the two became fast friends, and briefly lovers. Despite their mutual attraction for each other, they realized that a relationship would complicate their respective duties-- to say nothing of Clark's increasingly complicated love life in Metropolis, given that Lois had been making advances at Kent, and that his old flame Lana Lang had come to Metropolis to help with the relief effort-- and after a few brief affairs, Clark and Diana agreed to keep their relationship strictly professional.
While Superman had his share of hard-fought wins and often paid steep costs for victory, he had never actually been defeated at anything before. This changed when, in order to raise money for charity, Superman challenged the speedster known as the Flash to a race around the world. While the two stayed neck and neck for a time, Flash eventually poured on the speed and left the Man of Steel in the dust, shocking the world as the first man to defeat Superman.
Slowly but surely, Superman's list of allies grew, in the hopes that if another threat arises that he couldn't handle alone, they would be able to overcome it together.
Truth and Justice (2006-2008)
The threat that many of them worried about manifested in the form of the Star'ro, a race of parasitic aliens who invaded Earth with the intention of feeding off of the sentient thoughts of all life on the planet. Individually, Superman and the other heroes were overwhelmed by the Star'ro parasites, and all seemed to be lost, were it not for the intervention of the psychic Martian Manhunter. Acting in concert, Superman and seven other powerful defenders (Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Hawkgirl) managed to drive off the Star'ro threat, saving mankind.
The eight heroes, realizing the potential they had to change the world for the better, banded together, taking their cue from the old Justice Society and naming themselves the Justice League. With deep resources and immense power, the League became a major world power overnight, much to the concern of the powers that be.
The League's first real test in action was against a purported opposite number, led by the villain Libra and calling themselves the 'Injustice Gang.' Despite a few close shaves, the League came through in the end and defeated Libra and his gang. Though the routing of the Injustice Gang was a resounding victory, it would hardly be the only time the League would be tested by rival factions.
Superman himself ran afoul of a band of anarchistic metahumans calling themselves The Elite. Led by a nihilistic punk named Manchester Black, the Elite saw the opportunity not just to challenge the governments and authorities of the world, but destroy them. They repeatedly hunted down and exterminated corrupt politicians, unethical bankers and businessmen, and even made an attempt on the life of Superman's nemesis Lex Luthor, which backfired so spectacularly that Superman had to intervene to save Black and his cronies from Luthor's trap. Eventually things came to a head, and Superman challenged the Elite head-on, and was nearly killed in the ensuing battle, but due to some clever planning ahead of time, defeated Manchester and his crew one by one. The Elite were imprisoned for their crimes, but mysteriously disappeared when being 'transferred' into the custody of SHIELD.
Around this time, Clark Kent had spent so much time working with Lois that he felt she deserved to know the truth. He confessed to her his identity as Superman--something that Lois had guessed since the day they met, but kept to herself unless she could prove it. Finally relieved that he no longer had to keep secrets from her, Clark also confessed his feelings for Lois, and the two began dating.
Never-Ending Battle (2008-Present)
One morning in 2008, Clark woke up to discover that the sky and grass had switched places, the air had been replaced with chlorine, and everyone on Earth had been turned into cardboard cutouts of themselves. This was the work of an entity known as Mr. Mxyzptlk, an imaginary bogeyman from Clark's childhood who was, in fact, a mischievous force from a higher plane of reality called the Fifth Dimension. Mxyzptlk was entertained by Superman's adventures, and decided to amuse himself by making the Man of Steel's life increasingly difficult, warping reality further and further until either the universe tore itself apart or Superman managed to figure out the imp's weakness. Eventually, by drawing one bit of information at a time from the imp's relentless taunting, Clark pieced together that Mxyzptlk could be banished by tricking him into saying his name backwards.....which he promptly did.
A sore loser, Mxyzptlk grabbed Superman just as he was phasing out of timespace and pulled him into the Underverse, a chaotic realm of 'cosmic feedback' where matter and energy existed as distorted echoes of themselves. While there, Superman was infected with a self-replicating form of un-stuff Mxyzptlk referred to as 'bizarro matter,' and the infection grew until it split off from Clark and formed a deranged copy, a Bizarro Superman.
Incalculably powerful and with a mind of constant opposites, Bizarro put together a machine that could bore through dimensions back into regular timespace (Bizarro knew how to do this because Superman didn't, of course), and threatened to go on a rampage that could destroy the entire Earth. However, after a short but painful dust-up with the creature, Superman realized he could convince Bizarro to do the opposite of whatever he did. And since Superman worked out of the North Pole and could do nothing, it made sense to Bizarro that it should live at the South Pole and do nothing. It flew away to the Antarctic, where it would remain perfectly still for years.
A few months later, a spaceship came crashing down to Earth, and much to Superman's surprise, the being inside was a fellow Kryptonian, a young girl bearing the crest of his family's House. Introducing herself as Kara-El, the girl seemed to absorb solar energy far faster than Kal could, and soon developed a suite of superpowers equal to Superman's. Kal took his newfound cousin to the Fortress where she could learn what had happened in the years between her escape from Krypton and her arrival on Earth, and Clark and Lois helped set her up with a cover identity to avoid Superman's ever-increasing list of enemies.
Said enemies would soon band together, as a team of rogues calling themselves the SRS ('Superman Revenge Squad') laid siege to Metropolis, taking out Steel and Guardian and demanding a showdown with Superman. The combined forces of Parasite, Livewire, Riot, Silver Banshee, and Terra-Man proved too much for Superman to fight alone......but just when things looked bleak, Kara arrived on the scene, sporting a similar costume to Superman's, to even the odds. The SRS were defeated, and the world quickly learned that there was now a Supergirl to protect them.
The SRS, however, were not the only alliance between Superman's enemies. In the years since Brainiac's invasion, Lex Luthor had frequently attempted to access the alien AI's inner workings, to unlock the secrets of ancient and incredibly advanced technology. Luthor managed to re-activate the AI and strike a partnership with it.
Together, Luthor and Brainiac formulated a plot that would destroy their mutual enemy once and for all. Luring Superman into a confrontation with the resurrected Brainiac, Luthor caught the Man of Steel in a wormhole, teleporting him through space and directly into the exploded remains of Krypton, now a ring of continent-sized shards of pure Kryptonite. Exposure to such incredible amounts of K-radiation would kill Superman almost instantly....
....and 'almost' is all that Mr. Mxyzptlk needed. In the fleeting microseconds before Superman's death, the Fifth Dimensional imp stopped time and gave Superman an offer: he would save Clark's life, in exchange for a 'terrible secret' that would be determined at a later date. Leery of the imp but out of other options, Superman agreed to his terms, and Mxyzptlk sent him back to Earth.....in the 31st Century.
Disoriented and confused, Superman found it difficult to get his bearings in the far future, until he was found by the Legion of Super-Heroes, who restored memories of the times they had visited him in his past. Recognizing his old allies and remembering his previous visits to the future, Clark quickly regained his composure, until they were attacked by one of the Legion's arch-foes, the Time Trapper.
Together, Superman and the Legion defeated the Time-Trapper, but not before Clark learned the 'terrible secret' that was part of Mxyzptlk's bargain, by accidentally looking at the wrong files in Brainiac-5's database.....
Using a Legion time-bubble to return to the present, Superman returned to the present just a few seconds after Brainiac and Luthor had teleported him away, and defeated the two, exposing Luthor as a criminal and throwing Brainiac into the sun.
With Supergirl becoming an increasingly great hero with each passing day and Lois beginning to talk marriage, things seemed to be looking up for Clark. Or they would be, had he not seen Mxyzptlk's 'terrible secret'.....
.....according to Brainiac-5's records, Superman would be dead in less than five years.
| Attributes |
Superman is a Kryptonian, one of quite possibly the most physically advanced beings the universe has ever known. Clark's abilities develop slowly during his early life, but seem to continually grow more and more potent as he goes on. Like exercising a muscle, the more he uses an ability, the stronger it becomes, some improving only gradually, some scaling up dramatically after repeated use. Kryptonians were a race that prided itself in its technology and ingenuity, and in order to survive and thrive on the unforgiving environment of Krypton, they had actually taken control of their species' evolution. Utilizing methods far beyond anything humans would consider to be any known form of genetic engineering or biotechnology, they shaped their own cellular structure to cope with their planet's crushing gravity (the fact that they had not evolved along those lines already suggesting that they may not have originally been from Krypton at all), transforming every cell in their bodies into microscopic fusion generators capable of seemingly impossible feats.
Flight: Superman can manipulate his personal gravitational field, causing a small, almost frictionless anti-gravity bubble around himself and, with some concentration, any person or object he touches. This allows him to fly through the air with ease, and assists him in lifting objects that should structurally collapse when moved.
Super-Strength: Superman's physical strength is incalculable, and has only grown with each passing day on Earth. Capable of lifting millions of tons of mass with virtually no effort, it is unknown whether his strength has any limits at all.
Invulnerability: Superman is resistant to virtually any and all physical means of harm. He has been bombarded with heavy artillery, buried under billions of tons of rock, been exposed to the vacuum of space, near-absolute-zero cold and the heart of nuclear explosions, and has come out with barely a scratch. While it is possible to injure or even kill Superman, thus far it seems it can only be done in ways that negate or subvert his powers. Attempting to defeat the Man of Tomorrow with sheer brute force is seemingly impossible.
Super-Speed: Superman is one of the fastest beings on the planet, at least among those who cannot tap into the Speed Force. The anti-gravity field that surrounds him in flight reduces friction to nearly zero, allowing him hypersonic flight with little concern for environmental damages. It is possible that he can travel near or at the speed of light, but because he cannot access the Speed Force, he would be subject to the phenomenon of time dilation, and therefore he keeps his movements at sub-relativistic speeds.
Super-Senses: Superman's mind perceives the universe in a way that is alien to human conception. His senses are fine-tuned so that they can take in sensations from nearly anywhere on Earth as they happen--hearing sounds long before they could reach his ears, for example. This is due to his brain processing information at unfathomable speed and detail, becoming sensitive to vibrational changes to the environment on a quantum level, and subconsciously calculating the most likely cause and outcome of these changes in the universe around him. While it would not be accurate to say that he can 'hear' a gunshot on the other side of the planet as it happens, the infinitessimal changes in his environment allow his subconscious brain to 'guess' that it is happening, which then produces the 'sound' of the gunshot in Superman's mind.
All this is to say that Superman can see, hear, taste, smell, and feel everything happening on a planet at any time-- the trick, then, in the higher workings of his brain, is determining what events demand his attention the most. While his brain is absorbing and processing information on an unimaginable scale, his conscious mind is roughly equal to an average human being.
Superman's famous 'X-Ray' vision is a combination of his microscopic and telescopic vision, focusing on an object by 'zooming in' on the obstructing object's atomic structure and then past it. This, combined with his other senses creating a nearly 100% accurate model of the surrounding environment in his mind, allow him to see a complete image of people and objects, externally and internally, at will. His eyes are also sensitive to the entire electromagnetic spectrum, allowing him to see radio and wireless waves, pick up E-M disturbances like an enemy using a cloaking device, detect activity in various locations of the brain to determine a person's emotions or discern lies, and even see the bio-electric field that makes up a person's 'soul.'
In addition to this, Superman can adjust his perception of the passage of time, slowing it down to the zeptosecond level, able to sense events so quickly that they can hardly be said to have happened at all. However, this does not necessarily mean he can respond and move at the same speed--on a human scale, this would be the difference between seeing a bullet flying at you and being able to dodge it.
Heat-Vision: Superman takes in and processes energy at an enormous rate, and can release that energy through a series of biological focusing lenses in his eyes. This venting of his bio-energy most commonly manifests itself in the form of intense X-ray lasers, capable of cutting through titanium. These lasers can be broad enough to cover a hemisphere, or focused tightly enough to carve electrons off of an atom. Of all of Superman's powers, his Heat-Vision is the one that drains the most of his energy stores, and excessive use can deplete his powers entirely. As a result, he tends to use this ability sparingly, typically only using it for utilitarian purposes such as a cutting or welding torch, and only using its full offensive capability when all other options have failed.
While Superman is one of the most immensely powerful beings known to man, that does not make him indestructible or immortal. In the years since his debut, several methods have been found that can undermine or subvert his powers, cause him immense physical pain, or even kill him outright.
Kryptonite: By far the most infamous (and most effective) countermeasures against Superman, Kryptonite is a highly radioactive isotope of Kryptonian Sunstone, irradiated by the planet's destruction. Its radiation signature is unique in that it is astoundingly energetic (less than an miligram of Kryptonite could power Metropolis for a decade, or alternatively wipe out most of New England if treated into an explosive), yet completely clean. It is harmless to all organic life, except for lifeforms that contain traces of Sunstone in their genetic makeup.....namely, lifeforms from the planet Krypton. Exposure to Kryptonite interrupts the metabolic processes that take in solar energy, causing cell death in a Kryptonian lifeform. It causes crippling sickness, agonizing physical pain, the loss of any extranormal physical abilities, and if exposed for roughly one minute, death.
Even after the Kryptonite is removed, recovery from it is long and painful. A return to full power can take days, even weeks depending on the severity of the exposure. Early in Superman's career, Lex Luthor stabbed him in the side with a shard, creating a scar that has never fully healed.
Thankfully, only one fragment of Kryptonite ever made it to Earth: a two-pound meteorite that landed in Smallville not far from the pod which brought Kal-El to the planet. While a few ounces of the rock were broken off and now power the cybernetic monster Metallo, the rest of the Kryptonite is the exclusive property of Lex Luthor.
K-2: In the wake of General Zod's invasion of Earth, SHIELD and other military organizations agreed that humanity needed weaponry that could neutralize Kryptonians should they ever threaten the Earth again. Spearheaded by LexCorp, the goal was the creation of mass-produced, lab-grown synthetic Kryptonite, and after nearly five years of painstaking research and setbacks, a facsimile was produced. Dubbed 'K-2,' this yellow-green crystal emits a radiation similar, but not identical to Kryptonite, enough that could cause Superman extreme pain and disorientation, and could theoretically kill him if used in sufficient quantities. Unfortunately, K-2 has a very short half-life, and most K-based weapons are expended after a single use. Worse, its radiation signature is not as clean as true Kryptonite, and quickly becomes toxic to humans and other lifeforms as well.
Red Sun: Kal-El and other Kryptonians process solar energy at an incredible rate, and it is theorized this is because their bodies believe Earth, an alien environment, to be a hostile one, and thus they are storing energy in an 'emergency mode' at all times. Exposing Superman to an environment more similar to that of Krypton-- higher gravity, thinner atmosphere, or most effectively, the dim energy of a red sun-- will cause his body to believe it is in a 'safe' environment, and thus shut down the energy-storing processes. While this does not drain his powers the same way as Kryptonite does, it 'deactivates' them as long as the environmental conditions are in effect, rendering him effectively powerless.
Magic: Magic is, by its definition, not subject to the regular laws of nature, and as such, Superman has no inherent defense against it. A blade that is enchanted to cut through anything will cut through Superman just as easily as anything else, for example. This makes him understandably wary of anyone who claims supernatural abilities.
Sensory Overload: As previously mentioned, Superman takes in and processes sensation on a seemingly unthinkable level. Disrupting that sensory input, however, can cause him serious pain and disorientation. The most common effective method of doing so would be the use of hypersonic weaponry, throwing Superman off long enough to enact another, potentially more lethal attack against him.
Psychic Attacks: Superman has gone through intense mental training to defend his mind against intruders, but this does not mean he is immune to it. A powerful enough psychic could telekinetically control Superman's body, access his memories, or even take control of him entirely. While doing so is exceedinly difficult, it is not impossible.
Physical Force: Beings of equal or greater strength than Superman are not common, but they do exist. Villains like General Zod or the monstrous Bizarro have been able to match and even overpower the Man of Steel, and it is possible that such a being could overwhelm Superman's invulnerability enough to break bones, rupture organs, or sever his spinal column, which would kill him just as effectively as a normal human.
| Character Notes |
Setting and Locations:
Metropolis, DE is a sprawling, highly populated major city in New England, rival to New York or Gotham as the 'king' city of the Eastern Seaboard. For most of its existence, Metropolis was a tough place to live, as its struggling economy and notoriously corrupt local government made it a breeding ground for organized crime. This can still be seen in the names of many locales in the city, most notably the bleak nickname of the Hob's Bay area as "Suicide Slum."
The city began something of a renaissance when billionaire industrialist Lex Luthor placed his corporate headquarters in the heart of the city, offering work to millions and buying up countless smaller businesses to reinvigorate them practically overnight. By 2001, nearly one in every three of Metropolis' seven million citizens, from white-collar executives to fast food workers, from respected city officials to beat cops and gangsters, worked for Lex Luthor, whether they knew it or not.
Superman's arrival in Metropolis sparked something of a cultural revolution in the city, as fascination with superheroes and their trends is one of the favored passtimes of Metropolitan citizens. While capes and boots aren't exactly common among normal men and women, the bright costumes and vibrant personalities of the Justice League and their like have become ingrained in the city's identity. While Gotham is infamous for its heroes and villains working in the shadows, Metropolis is a place one goes to get noticed.
Locations of note: LexCorp The Daily Planet STAR Labs Metropolis branch Centennial Park Glennmorgan Square Steelworks The Science Spire
Smallville, KS is, as the name suggests, a small farming community in the Midwest. Settled by pioneers in the 1800s, Smallville has enjoyed a rather quiet, unassuming existence, at least on the surface. Ever since Kal-El's pod landed there, the US government has kept a file on the city and all of the strange occurrences documented there. Most dismiss this as the same sort of tourist-trap atmosphere surrounding cities like Roswell, however, and the citizens of Smallville are more than happy to brush off wild stories about space-men and 'guardian angels' with a laugh and perhaps a cold beer.
Locations of note: The Kent Family Farm Smallville High School ruins of the Luthor Mansion
The Fortress of Solitude is a gigantic hidden complex deep beneath the North Pole. Originally meant to be used as a sort of transitional colony while the people of Krypton relocated to Earth (or failing that, another habitable planetoid), it has since been repurposed as Superman's base of operations and personal sanctuary. It is where he studies the history and culture of his lost people, keeps records of his adventures, and houses technology too dangerous to fall into the wrong hands. Overseen by the AI Kelex, it is also something of a museum, a time capsule in which Superman commemorates his friends and allies, as well as his enemies and his failures, in the hopes that he and those who follow behind him will learn from his past in order to secure a better future.
Points of Interest: The Kelex computer interface The Intergalactic Zoo The Hall of Bottle Cities The Phantom Zone Portal The Cosmic Observatory The Sunstone Furnace The Foundry
Supporting Cast:
(To be filled in.) Lois Lane Jimmy Olsen Matha Kent Lana Lang Pete Ross
Daily Planet Crew: Perry White Cat Grant Ron Troupe Steve Lombard Chloe Sullivan Richard White
Allies:
Steel The Guardian Krypto Supergirl
Enemies:
Class A "World-level" enemies: Lex Luthor Brainiac General Zod Bizarro Mr. Mxyzptlk
Class B "City-level" enemies: Parasite Metallo Livewire Prankster Silver Banshee Atomic Skull Terra-Man Riot
Criminal/Hostile Organizations: Intergang The Toymen Superman Revenge Squad The Elite Cadmus
| Character Goals | I plan on bringing Superman to a higher standard of storytelling, telling unique and interesting stories that could only be done with a character as wonderfully insane as Superman. That said, I don't plan on making fluffy 'love-letter' pieces that go on and on about how great and important the character is because, to be honest, those get boring very quickly. I want Superman's world to be dangerous, action-packed, energetic, and fun.
I have a few ideas that I've been dying to try with an older, more experienced Superman, that we rarely ever get to see considering how many Year One/early days interpretations we usually get in this kind of game. So the opportunity to play a Superman that knows his way around things is the kind of thing that makes my mouth water, so to speak.
| Sample Post |
"Lois! Are you all right?"
The sky is on fire, and seven billion people are screaming.
Hours ago, a psychotic and tortured soul who went by the name 'Ruin' enacted a suicidal plan to bring about the apocalypse. Creating a massive gravitational tether, Ruin used it to grab hold of Earth's moon and set it on a collision course with the planet.
"I'm fine, what the hell is going on out there?" Lois says, standing up from her desk.
"The moon is about to crash into the Earth," I let her know. "I stopped the machine that was generating the gravity well, but the damage has been done."
"But, I mean.....you've got this, right?" she asks, with a hopeful nod.
"I think so," I say, looking up at the blackened scorched sky as the continent-sized satellite bears down on us. "Firestorm and Red Tornado are doing everything in their power to mitigate the damage to the planet's atmosphere. Aquaman is working with Captain Atom to keep the tidal forces from drowning everyone, and a few of the Green Lanterns are constructing braces to keep the tectonic plates from shaking apart. Meanwhile, Reed Richards has gotten a Mother Box operational and is ready to open a Boom Tube if things go south, and Flash will evacuate everyone through the Tube to safety."
"Everyone in Metropolis?"
"Everyone on Earth."
Lois seems sufficiently impressed.
"That seems to cover the collateral damage," she says. "But what about, you know, the moon about to slam into the Earth and destroy the world?!"
"That's my job."
"What exactly are you going to do, Smallville?"
I look up at the crashing moon, and I crack my knuckles.
"The moon is falling, and I'm Superman." I say, turning back to her with a smile. "What do you think I'm going to do?"
"....you're seriously going to try and--"
"All in a day's work," I say with a wink, and take to the skies, to take the cataclysm head-on.....
| Identity | Clark Kent/Kal-El of Krypton/Superman
| Origin & Backstory |
Strange Visitor (1978-1987)
Jonathan Kent was never much of a religious man; the praying and spritiuality, he left up to his wife, Martha. He believed that if men and women were put on this Earth for a reason, then it was up to themselves to determine what that reason was, and if there was any cosmic design at work, then it wasn't apparent to him. Martha often told him that the universe worked in 'mysterious ways'......which was a small comfort during their difficult early years of marriage, when the harvest went fallow, when Jonathan had to take out a second mortgage to keep the farm, and most devastatingly of all, when the doctor told them they would never be able to conceive children of their own.
While Martha loved Jonathan and believed in him with all her might, she wanted a family, and their inability to conceive became a strain on their marriage. One night in the summer of 1978, a drive into Smallville to visit their friends the Langs became an argument, the argument became a fight, and the fight became the two of them riding home in a heartbroken silence, both of them knowing a divorce was almost inevitable.
The inevitable, however, was denied, when a shooting star streaked over Jonathan's truck and came crashing down into Ben Sutton's corn fields not a hundred yards from the road. Pulling off the road, Jonathan and Martha rushed out to see if anyone had been hurt in the crash....and found not a meteor or a crashed satellite like they had expected, but a gleaming metallic craft, its hull a bright blue with red fins and gold trim, sparkling with multicolored lights and adorned with glyphs and runes in a language neither of them could understand....
....and sitting inside, wrapped in a red cloak, carrying a strange crystalline sphere, and completely unharmed, was a smiling baby boy. The universe, the Kents agreed, worked in mysterious ways indeed.
Minutes later, the area was swarmed with black helicopters, men in unmarked cars and no identifying badges. The alien pod was taken into the custody of the United States government for analysis.....but the pod's occupant was nowhere to be found.
Meanwhile, the Kents took the child to their home and agonized over what to do, whether to turn the baby over to the proper authorities or keep it as their own. The next day, a brief and intimidating visit from the men in black made up their minds; a lost, lonely newborn baby needed a family, not a lifetime in a laboratory. Jonathan and Martha spent the next few weeks and their meager savings forging all of the necessary documents to 'legally' adopt their first child, a beautiful black-haired boy they named Clark Joseph Kent.
Clark's childhood was a difficult and isolated one, as his 'condition' made him too fragile to play with the other boys his age, for fear of him getting hurt (though the truth was quite the opposite-- even as a toddler, Clark was inhumanly strong). This wasn't helped by Clark having sudden outbursts in school, caused by sensory overload-- sometimes, he claimed, he could see through solid objects, hear conversations on the other side of Smallville, look at radio waves in the air.....for a while, the Kents were worried that their adopted son was experiencing hallucinations, until the day he saved Jonathan from a collapsing barn roof, having heard the sound from over five miles away.
While Clark was often an outcast from his peers, he still found friends, fellow outcasts like the bookish Lana Lang, and the attention-seeking geek Pete Ross. The three were an eclectic but tightly loyal clique throughout their childhood, and Clark learned a lot from both of them. From Pete, he learned to stand up to bullies even when it meant taking a beating, and the importance of big, dramatic (and in Pete's case, often disgusting) acts to get people to hear what you had to say. From Lana, he gained enthusiasm for seeking knowledge, understanding the truth even when it wasn't what you wanted to hear, and the value and power of a really good story.
Not that Clark didn't have plenty of stories of his own. In their down-time, the three of them would make up tall tales about what they were doing when the other two weren't looking-- although at the time, Clark didn't know that Pete and Lana were simply making things up. He told them all about how he lifted his grandfather's old tractor over his head with one hand, how the 'summer blizzard' of '85 was him sneezing, and how he once tried to grab a handful of clouds for his Ma by jumping into the sky to swipe at them.
He showed them the red cloak and crytsal ball he had had since he was a baby, and tried to explain how the cloak couldn't be hurt by anything, and how when you brushed your fingers against the crystal ball just right, it would show you pictures and stories about strange people talking in a language he didn't speak.
He told them all about Krypto, his invisible dog that only he could see (dismissed by his friends and family as an imaginary friend--not unlike the 'funny man in the orange suit' and his 'super friends from the 31st Century', stories which Clark could never actually remember telling anyone). While the other kids called Clark a freak and a weirdo for constantly making up such outlandish stories, it captivated young Pete and Lana for years.
While Clark knew he was different, he never truly understood what it was that made him so. Whenever he asked his parents, Ma would always reassure him that he was simply special, and his father would allude to the costumed crime-fighters in the Justice Society....and how their being careless with their power led to their destruction. It wasn't until Clark, at age 9, saved a crashed bus full of children, many of whom claiming he was a 'miracle worker,' that his parents sat him down and had a long, honest talk about that night in Sutton's field. They didn't honestly know where he was from, or why he wound up on Earth, but told him that what truly mattered was what he chose to do with the time he had on this world.
Powers and Abilities (1987-1993)
As Clark began to enter adolescence, his strange abilities became more erratic, and harder to control. His strength, already far greater than that of other boys his age, began to skyrocket with every growth spurt he had, causing him to fear for the safety of those around him. His eyes were not only taking in the entire electromagnetic spectrum, but emitting bursts of radiation as well, everything from spikes of radio static to destructive X-Ray lasers. One night, after staring up at the stars (and trying to shake off the ghostly image of his imaginary dog sitting next to him), Clark drifted off to sleep.......only to wake up floating above the clouds. While he could always leap high into the air, this was something different entirely; Clark Kent could fly.
Worried about just how different he was becoming and fearing that he might turn into some kind of monster, Clark withdrew even further from the community, only rarely speaking to even his closest friends. The last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt someone because he couldn't control himself.
While this self-imposed solitude caused a wedge between Clark and his classmates, it caused an even further fascination for Lana, who had developed a deep-seeded crush on Clark. She frequently pried and prodded to get Clark to open up, to become more confident and proud of himself, and while he very rarely ventured out with her, he had to admit it did him a world of good.
Slowly but surely the two of them became more than friends, with Lana being the one to work up the courage to ask Clark out to their sophomore prom at age fifteen. That night they shared their first kiss, and Clark confessed everything to Lana: his feelings for her, the reasons he'd been hiding away, the things his parents had told him......and then took her hand, and flew her into the night sky. When they touched down, Lana looked into Clark's eyes, kissed him one more time, and ran away-- not just from Clark, but from home, from her family, from all of Smallville.
Heartbroken, Clark fell into a deep depression, a condition not helped when he tried to reach out to another outsider in his class: an extremely wealthy transfer student named Lex Luthor. While his time in Smallville was short, Lex's presence was felt by practically everyone in the community-- he tinkered with school property without asking and turned it into technology so advanced that some half-believed it was witchcraft, he bombarded local officials with proposals for radical overhauls of city government, and he vocally and brazenly defied teachers and authorities and anyone else he deemed 'backwards' and 'small-minded'-- which happened to be everyone he met. Despite this, Clark believed he sensed a kindred spirit in Lex, someone who saw the world in ways that no one else could, and who suffered because of it. For a short time, young Lex humored "Farmboy" and believed he could take him under his wing, so to speak, but their differences of opinion on the people around them kept them from ever truly becoming friends. Tragically, any attempt to bridge the gap between them came to an abrupt end when, during a wild experiment involving the use of a radioactive meteor fragment, Lex caused an explosion that killed his father and burned their house down, as well as covering himself in burns all over. While Clark rushed in to help, the radiation from the meteor fragment caused a crippling sickness in him, and he passed out before he could save them. Lex moved away from Smallville, practically salting the Earth to eradicate any trace that the Luthor family had ever been there.
Less than a year later, a massive storm rolled over Smallville, the already dangerous winds spinning up into a gigantic, devastating F-5 tornado. With potentially thousands of lives in danger, Clark sprang into action, moving as fast as he could to keep from being seen, pulling people out of potentially deadly spots, catching flying debris, holding up falling buildings, all to save the lives of his home town. He wasn't alone in helping out that day, as Jonathan Kent risked his own life in the storm to save a small child who had been separated from her parents. While he managed to get the child to safety, his old war wounds caught up with him, and Jonathan collapsed from over-exertion and his heart gave out. By the time emergency services were able to reach him, Clark's adopted father was dead.
After Pa's funeral, Clark went out into the old field where they had found his ship so many years ago, and pounded his fist into the ground out of frustration....causing a shock wave that people for nearly fifty miles mistook for an earthquake. The pain of losing so many people close to him so quickly, his frustration at being unable to help people without putting his family and friends at risk, and his concerns over rumors spreading about a 'guardian angel' in the wake of his actions, made Clark realize that if he was ever to find any purpose or meaning in his life, he wouldn't be able to do it here. Taking enough extra classes to graduate early at age sixteen, Clark packed up his old red cloak and alien crystal ball, kissed his mother on the cheek and promised to call once a week to catch up, and left Smallville behind to travel the world.
Valiant and Courageous (1993-2001)
For over seven years, Clark traveled the world alone, helping people whenever and wherever he could, only to disappear from their lives as soon as the danger had passed. While he longed to connect to the people he met along the way, the distrust and fear he met when people saw what he could do taught him to keep his distance, to simply be a 'ghost' that came and went without leaving any trace of who he was, only what he did.
Needing a reason to be found in dangerous places where his powers could be needed, Clark took up journalism, and paid his way through the world as a freelance reporter. He was embroiled in wars, and even in days of heavy fighting, the loss of life was minimal when he was around. He exposed terrorist cells and criminal organizations, shedding light on corruption and injustice whenever he found it. Clark Kent would have been making quite a name for himself, if another fearless reporter named Lois Lane hadn't been consistently beating him to the by-line. While he was never comfortable writing about the mysterious life-saving intervention of a mysterious stranger, Ms. Lane was eager to track this being down, and Clark found himself having to be more and more careful to keep the rival reporter off his heels.
Around his twentieth birthday, Clark finally managed to unlock the secrets of the mysterious crystal sphere that had come with him in his ship. As he expected, it was some sort of alien computer, and while navigating the orb's interface was nearly impossible, the images and impressions he got from it were astounding, glimpses of a world and a people that he had never seen, but that he immediately knew were his heritage. Strangely, the computer orb also seemed to contain some form of homing beacon, which always pointed due North. Eventually his curiosity led Clark to follow this beacon, traveling all the way to the North Pole, and there he found something incredible.
Hidden beneath the polar ice cap, expanding for miles in all directions, was a massive complex, an alien fortress that had been lying in wait for years for his arrival. Upon interacting with the Fortress's own computer systems, Clark's orb became far more active, speaking to Clark in his own language and telling him the truth of things.
The orb introduced itself as Kelex, an AI assigned to oversee and assist members of the House of El. Clark's true name was Kal-El, the last surviving member of his House, and indeed, the last survivor of his home world, the lost planet of Krypton. Facing a world-shattering cataclysm, Kal's biological father Jor-El had tried to enact a desperate plan to save his people: warping the entire population into the extradimensional void known as the Phantom Zone, then sending a single survivor on the material plane to a hospitable planet and bringing the population out into a pre-established colony. Sadly, Jor-El did not have enough time to put his plan into motion, and he chose to save the life of his son in the one ship capable of delivering him to safety; the colony meant to house millions of Kryptonians would now be a refuge for one, a Fortress of Solitude.
Krypton, Kal learned, was a world of adventurers and scientists, of dangers and wonders. Its people had eschewed traditional gods and demons in favor of worshipping a set of ideals called the Jirrod, and each of the Great Houses strove to be the embodiment of one of these ideals. The House of El, Kal's bloodline and legacy, represented above all other things, Hope. And Clark Kent, the mild-mannered son of Smallville--also Kal-El, the Last Son of Krypton-- swore to himself that he would strive to the ideal of Hope that his lost world had entrusted in him, and his adopted world so badly needed.
Up in the Sky! (2001-2002)
After seeing the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, Clark Kent realized he could no longer hide himself from humanity. Putting on his old indestructible red cape, and a T-shirt with the House of El's insignia painted on it, he openly and directly intervened on what appeared to be a follow-up attack in Metropolis a few days later, diverting the plane from crashing into the old Science Spire and setting it down in the river, before disabling the terrorists inside. Dubbed "Superman" by Lois Lane, the super-powered vigilante quickly began a career in righting the wrongs in the city of Metropolis and the world at large.
Realizing the scale of the job he had taken upon himself, Clark took a permanent residence in Metropolis, renting out a small apartment in the Hob's Bay area with an old contact of his, a Daily Planet photographer named Jimmy Olsen. Clark and Jimmy became fast friends, and Jimmy eventually convinced Clark to apply for a job at the Planet. While Clark blew the initial interview with Chief Editor Perry White, he ended up getting the job after a glowing recommendation from his old freelancer rival Lois Lane, who had started working at the Planet a few months earlier. Together, Lois and Clark exposed the terrorists behind the failed attack on the Science Spire, and revealed that they were not in fact Islamic extremists, but instead were being blackmailed into cooperation by the vicious criminal syndicate known as Intergang.
What Bruno Mannheim's motivation was for destroying the Spire remained a mystery, but the more Lois exposed in the wake of Superman's resulting battles with Intergang showed that while Mannheim was indeed the one pulling the strings of the crime syndicate, someone else was manipulating Mannheim from higher up.
Mannheim threw everything he had at Superman to no avail, until his pressuring of Amertek scientists to develop anti-Superman weapons resulted in a catastrophic explosion which created the radioactive villain known as the Atomic Skull. The Skull fought Superman across the entire city, and while the villain was eventually defeated, there were many who noted Superman's apparent weakness towards certain forms of radiation.
Six months after Superman's debut in Metropolis, the world was shocked to see the City of Tomorrow suddenly and inexplicably disappear, as if the entire thing had just been snatched up into thin air. Springing into action, Superman discovered this was the work of The Collector of Worlds, an ancient and malevolent artificial intelligence which traveled the universe looking for 'doomed' worlds and, upon finding one, would capture a population center for study and then abandon the planet to its destruction. Kelex was able to impart this information to Kal because a few short years before Krypton's end, The Collector had come and taken the shining city of Kandor. The Collector's intelligence spread throughout intelligent civilizations across the cosmos, using a different name on every world where it allowed itself to be 'invented.' On Krypton, the last place it had been, it used the name Brainiac.
Superman tracked Brainiac's ship in the upper atmosphere before it was able to warp away, and attacked it, crashing through the ship's defenses and legions of drones before making his way to the Collector's den. There, he found hundreds of 'bottle cities,' pocket universes where millions of lives were trapped in nightmarish isolation. The Brainiac AI assumed a physical form and subdued Superman, attempting to add the orphaned Kryptonian to his collection, but was unable to decide whether to add it to Kandor or to Metropolis. This hesitation was all Superman needed to break free, disabling Brainiac's ship and reversing the 'bottling' process to restore Metropolis to its proper location in timespace. The Collector ship crashed to Earth and was allegedly taken into SHIELD custody for study, but the Bottle Cities were taken by Superman to the Fortress of Solitude, in the hopes that he could one day set them free.
Superman's first year as an publicly active hero closed in a dramatic fashion, as a terrorist group called the Olmec Dawn captured a nuclear missile silo on the West Coast, calling for the destruction of Superman and all other non-human influences on the world. Planning to destroy the 'alien invader' along with themselves, they launched a missile at the heart of Metropolis, then set a second warhead to explode inside the silo, located extremely close to the San Andreas Fault. While Superman was able to extract the terrorists from the silo, he was unable to stop the first explosion, and had to spend precious time preventing catastrophic damage to the West Coast in the resulting earthquakes, before speeding back across the country as fast as he could to divert the second missile into space. The missile exploded in high orbit before Superman could get away, and the Man of Steel fell miles down to Earth.....but, incredibly, survived.
In the wake of this event, investigations led by Lois and Clark, as well as confession from the terrorists captured by Superman, revealed that the "Olmec Dawn" was working for a network of criminal organizations that, when the evidence was followed to the very top, led to LexCorp C.E.O. Lex Luthor. Indicted for responsibility behind the attacks, Lex was cleared of all charges, but not before having to spent a single night in prison. This indignity, the realization that someone could not only oppose him but actively punish him, sparked a hatred in Luthor that would last a lifetime.
Speeding Bullets (2002-2004)
With his original costume destroyed by the nuclear blasts, Superman had a new outfit created for him inside the Fortress, blending the traditional attire of Krypton's elite Sapphire Guard with the colorful outfits of the old Justice Society of America. With a new, more durable look, Superman was ready to take on an increasingly dangerous and uncertain world.
Over the next two years, Superman's gallery of enemies continued to grow. A thrill-seeking internet personality named Leslie Willis was transformed into the anarchic Livewire, who could absorb and emit huge amounts of electrical energy. A LexCorp janitor named Rudy Jones was mutated into the monstrous Parasite, who fed off of the energy of anything he touched. An amoral hacker named Oz Loomis took up the alias Prankster, and delighted in creating havoc for Superman by manipulating Metropolis's central operating systems. And a US Army soldier named John Corben was bonded into an experimental Kryptonite-powered battle-suit to combat metahumans, taking the codename 'Metal-Zero' but upon his death, the suit's AI continued on, becoming the deranged cybernetic psychotic Metallo.
Each of these villains threatened Superman or the city in their turn, but time after time the Man of Tomorrow overcame his adversaries, his reputation growing brighter and brighter with every consecutive victory.
This string of wins came to an end when a large black spaceship appeared in the skies over Earth. This ship, identified by Kelex as the Black Zero, was the flagship of General Zod, a rogue Kryptonian whose followers had been banished to the Phantom Zone. Free of the extradimensional void, they followed Kal-El's Star Drive signature to Earth, and intended to create a 'New Krypton.' Using a massive terraforming device called the World Engine, Zod and his followers planned to wipe out all life on Earth and begin anew.
Superman engaged Zod, begging him to leave and start over on a new world, but the fanatical Zod saw Earth's destruction as his revenge on Jor-El, Kal's father, who had sentenced him to the Phantom Zone. Since Zod refused to be reasoned with, the only option was to stop him by force. The resulting Battle of Metropolis was devastating, leaving huge portions of the city destroyed between the World Engine's gravitational shockwaves and the subsequent battle between the enemy Kryptonians. In the end, Superman was able to destroy the World Engine, then caused the Black Zero's Star Drive to implode on itself, creating a singularity that pulled most of the ship--as well as Zod and his minions--back into the void from which they had escaped.
While the world was saved, the damage done was absolutely devastating. Tens of thousands of people were killed in the battle, and much of Metropolis lay in ruins. Ever the opporunist, Lex Luthor took the initiative in leading the reconstruction of the city, and sowed a narrative in the media blaming Superman for the entire incident, claiming that Zod and his army would have never come to Earth if it weren't for the alien's presence. Several higher-ups in the military agreed, and LexCorp secured numerous extremely lucrative contracts for the development of anti-Kryptonian weaponry.
Despite this, there were several who remained loyal to Superman, citing all of the millions of people he had saved in spite of the carnage, and all the good he had done in the past. In the painful reconstruction of Metropolis, other heroes emerged following Superman's example, most notably the inudstrialist turned vigilante Steel, and the JSA-inspired Guardian.
Also, an unexpected fallout from the Zod invasion was the escape of an animal from the Phantom Zone: none other than Krypto, Clark's invisible dog he had until now believed to be only in his imagination. As people and cities and whole nations turned against Superman, Clark at least had the small comfort of his loyal dog at his side.
The World's Finest (2004-2005)
Clark had been aware of the presence of other heroes and vigilantes working in other cities, but had never gone out of his way to contact them-- while he considered the old JSA an inspiration, the group's eventual failure led him to be skeptical of attempting another 'super-team.' However, when he heard that the Batman of Gotham City was recruiting children in his war against the criminal underworld, he could not ignore it-- recklessly endangering a child was unconscionable, and he intended to set the Batman straight.
Seeking the vigilante out in Gotham, Superman caught up with Batman, and the two of them engaged in a brief verbal skirmish, correctly guessing each other's secret identities and arguing over the efficacy of the other's actions. However, their dispute was interrupted by the rampage of the undead creature Solomon Grundy, and the two of them joined forces to take the monster down. Upon seeing the Batman in action, his careful attention to detail and his willingness to endanger his own life to save those of others--including his protégé Robin-- Superman concluded that Batman could be trusted, and the two stayed in contact, realizing they could be more effective working together than alone.
Not long after this, Superman encountered another metahuman like himself, attempting to stop a war from breaking out between the nations of Pokolistian and Bialya. The metahuman in question, the stunningly gorgeous Wonder Woman, claimed that the hostilities in the region were caused by another superhuman entity, calling himself Ares. Together, Superman and Wonder Woman routed Ares and got the two nations' diplomats to speak to each other, avoiding a potentially bloody conflict.
In addition to being a powerful new ally, Wonder Woman was someone who Superman believed he could relate to, someone who saw the world the way he did, and struggled with the increasing distance between himself and humanity. The Amazonian Princess sympathized, and the two became fast friends, and briefly lovers. Despite their mutual attraction for each other, they realized that a relationship would complicate their respective duties-- to say nothing of Clark's increasingly complicated love life in Metropolis, given that Lois had been making advances at Kent, and that his old flame Lana Lang had come to Metropolis to help with the relief effort-- and after a few brief affairs, Clark and Diana agreed to keep their relationship strictly professional.
While Superman had his share of hard-fought wins and often paid steep costs for victory, he had never actually been defeated at anything before. This changed when, in order to raise money for charity, Superman challenged the speedster known as the Flash to a race around the world. While the two stayed neck and neck for a time, Flash eventually poured on the speed and left the Man of Steel in the dust, shocking the world as the first man to defeat Superman.
Slowly but surely, Superman's list of allies grew, in the hopes that if another threat arises that he couldn't handle alone, they would be able to overcome it together.
Truth and Justice (2006-2008)
The threat that many of them worried about manifested in the form of the Star'ro, a race of parasitic aliens who invaded Earth with the intention of feeding off of the sentient thoughts of all life on the planet. Individually, Superman and the other heroes were overwhelmed by the Star'ro parasites, and all seemed to be lost, were it not for the intervention of the psychic Martian Manhunter. Acting in concert, Superman and seven other powerful defenders (Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Hawkgirl) managed to drive off the Star'ro threat, saving mankind.
The eight heroes, realizing the potential they had to change the world for the better, banded together, taking their cue from the old Justice Society and naming themselves the Justice League. With deep resources and immense power, the League became a major world power overnight, much to the concern of the powers that be.
The League's first real test in action was against a purported opposite number, led by the villain Libra and calling themselves the 'Injustice Gang.' Despite a few close shaves, the League came through in the end and defeated Libra and his gang. Though the routing of the Injustice Gang was a resounding victory, it would hardly be the only time the League would be tested by rival factions.
Superman himself ran afoul of a band of anarchistic metahumans calling themselves The Elite. Led by a nihilistic punk named Manchester Black, the Elite saw the opportunity not just to challenge the governments and authorities of the world, but destroy them. They repeatedly hunted down and exterminated corrupt politicians, unethical bankers and businessmen, and even made an attempt on the life of Superman's nemesis Lex Luthor, which backfired so spectacularly that Superman had to intervene to save Black and his cronies from Luthor's trap. Eventually things came to a head, and Superman challenged the Elite head-on, and was nearly killed in the ensuing battle, but due to some clever planning ahead of time, defeated Manchester and his crew one by one. The Elite were imprisoned for their crimes, but mysteriously disappeared when being 'transferred' into the custody of SHIELD.
Around this time, Clark Kent had spent so much time working with Lois that he felt she deserved to know the truth. He confessed to her his identity as Superman--something that Lois had guessed since the day they met, but kept to herself unless she could prove it. Finally relieved that he no longer had to keep secrets from her, Clark also confessed his feelings for Lois, and the two began dating.
Never-Ending Battle (2008-Present)
One morning in 2008, Clark woke up to discover that the sky and grass had switched places, the air had been replaced with chlorine, and everyone on Earth had been turned into cardboard cutouts of themselves. This was the work of an entity known as Mr. Mxyzptlk, an imaginary bogeyman from Clark's childhood who was, in fact, a mischievous force from a higher plane of reality called the Fifth Dimension. Mxyzptlk was entertained by Superman's adventures, and decided to amuse himself by making the Man of Steel's life increasingly difficult, warping reality further and further until either the universe tore itself apart or Superman managed to figure out the imp's weakness. Eventually, by drawing one bit of information at a time from the imp's relentless taunting, Clark pieced together that Mxyzptlk could be banished by tricking him into saying his name backwards.....which he promptly did.
A sore loser, Mxyzptlk grabbed Superman just as he was phasing out of timespace and pulled him into the Underverse, a chaotic realm of 'cosmic feedback' where matter and energy existed as distorted echoes of themselves. While there, Superman was infected with a self-replicating form of un-stuff Mxyzptlk referred to as 'bizarro matter,' and the infection grew until it split off from Clark and formed a deranged copy, a Bizarro Superman.
Incalculably powerful and with a mind of constant opposites, Bizarro put together a machine that could bore through dimensions back into regular timespace (Bizarro knew how to do this because Superman didn't, of course), and threatened to go on a rampage that could destroy the entire Earth. However, after a short but painful dust-up with the creature, Superman realized he could convince Bizarro to do the opposite of whatever he did. And since Superman worked out of the North Pole and could do nothing, it made sense to Bizarro that it should live at the South Pole and do nothing. It flew away to the Antarctic, where it would remain perfectly still for years.
A few months later, a spaceship came crashing down to Earth, and much to Superman's surprise, the being inside was a fellow Kryptonian, a young girl bearing the crest of his family's House. Introducing herself as Kara-El, the girl seemed to absorb solar energy far faster than Kal could, and soon developed a suite of superpowers equal to Superman's. Kal took his newfound cousin to the Fortress where she could learn what had happened in the years between her escape from Krypton and her arrival on Earth, and Clark and Lois helped set her up with a cover identity to avoid Superman's ever-increasing list of enemies.
Said enemies would soon band together, as a team of rogues calling themselves the SRS ('Superman Revenge Squad') laid siege to Metropolis, taking out Steel and Guardian and demanding a showdown with Superman. The combined forces of Parasite, Livewire, Riot, Silver Banshee, and Terra-Man proved too much for Superman to fight alone......but just when things looked bleak, Kara arrived on the scene, sporting a similar costume to Superman's, to even the odds. The SRS were defeated, and the world quickly learned that there was now a Supergirl to protect them.
The SRS, however, were not the only alliance between Superman's enemies. In the years since Brainiac's invasion, Lex Luthor had frequently attempted to access the alien AI's inner workings, to unlock the secrets of ancient and incredibly advanced technology. Luthor managed to re-activate the AI and strike a partnership with it.
Together, Luthor and Brainiac formulated a plot that would destroy their mutual enemy once and for all. Luring Superman into a confrontation with the resurrected Brainiac, Luthor caught the Man of Steel in a wormhole, teleporting him through space and directly into the exploded remains of Krypton, now a ring of continent-sized shards of pure Kryptonite. Exposure to such incredible amounts of K-radiation would kill Superman almost instantly....
....and 'almost' is all that Mr. Mxyzptlk needed. In the fleeting microseconds before Superman's death, the Fifth Dimensional imp stopped time and gave Superman an offer: he would save Clark's life, in exchange for a 'terrible secret' that would be determined at a later date. Leery of the imp but out of other options, Superman agreed to his terms, and Mxyzptlk sent him back to Earth.....in the 31st Century.
Disoriented and confused, Superman found it difficult to get his bearings in the far future, until he was found by the Legion of Super-Heroes, who restored memories of the times they had visited him in his past. Recognizing his old allies and remembering his previous visits to the future, Clark quickly regained his composure, until they were attacked by one of the Legion's arch-foes, the Time Trapper.
Together, Superman and the Legion defeated the Time-Trapper, but not before Clark learned the 'terrible secret' that was part of Mxyzptlk's bargain, by accidentally looking at the wrong files in Brainiac-5's database.....
Using a Legion time-bubble to return to the present, Superman returned to the present just a few seconds after Brainiac and Luthor had teleported him away, and defeated the two, exposing Luthor as a criminal and throwing Brainiac into the sun.
With Supergirl becoming an increasingly great hero with each passing day and Lois beginning to talk marriage, things seemed to be looking up for Clark. Or they would be, had he not seen Mxyzptlk's 'terrible secret'.....
.....according to Brainiac-5's records, Superman would be dead in less than five years.
| Attributes |
Superman is a Kryptonian, one of quite possibly the most physically advanced beings the universe has ever known. Clark's abilities develop slowly during his early life, but seem to continually grow more and more potent as he goes on. Like exercising a muscle, the more he uses an ability, the stronger it becomes, some improving only gradually, some scaling up dramatically after repeated use. Kryptonians were a race that prided itself in its technology and ingenuity, and in order to survive and thrive on the unforgiving environment of Krypton, they had actually taken control of their species' evolution. Utilizing methods far beyond anything humans would consider to be any known form of genetic engineering or biotechnology, they shaped their own cellular structure to cope with their planet's crushing gravity (the fact that they had not evolved along those lines already suggesting that they may not have originally been from Krypton at all), transforming every cell in their bodies into microscopic fusion generators capable of seemingly impossible feats.
Flight: Superman can manipulate his personal gravitational field, causing a small, almost frictionless anti-gravity bubble around himself and, with some concentration, any person or object he touches. This allows him to fly through the air with ease, and assists him in lifting objects that should structurally collapse when moved.
Super-Strength: Superman's physical strength is incalculable, and has only grown with each passing day on Earth. Capable of lifting millions of tons of mass with virtually no effort, it is unknown whether his strength has any limits at all.
Invulnerability: Superman is resistant to virtually any and all physical means of harm. He has been bombarded with heavy artillery, buried under billions of tons of rock, been exposed to the vacuum of space, near-absolute-zero cold and the heart of nuclear explosions, and has come out with barely a scratch. While it is possible to injure or even kill Superman, thus far it seems it can only be done in ways that negate or subvert his powers. Attempting to defeat the Man of Tomorrow with sheer brute force is seemingly impossible.
Super-Speed: Superman is one of the fastest beings on the planet, at least among those who cannot tap into the Speed Force. The anti-gravity field that surrounds him in flight reduces friction to nearly zero, allowing him hypersonic flight with little concern for environmental damages. It is possible that he can travel near or at the speed of light, but because he cannot access the Speed Force, he would be subject to the phenomenon of time dilation, and therefore he keeps his movements at sub-relativistic speeds.
Super-Senses: Superman's mind perceives the universe in a way that is alien to human conception. His senses are fine-tuned so that they can take in sensations from nearly anywhere on Earth as they happen--hearing sounds long before they could reach his ears, for example. This is due to his brain processing information at unfathomable speed and detail, becoming sensitive to vibrational changes to the environment on a quantum level, and subconsciously calculating the most likely cause and outcome of these changes in the universe around him. While it would not be accurate to say that he can 'hear' a gunshot on the other side of the planet as it happens, the infinitessimal changes in his environment allow his subconscious brain to 'guess' that it is happening, which then produces the 'sound' of the gunshot in Superman's mind.
All this is to say that Superman can see, hear, taste, smell, and feel everything happening on a planet at any time-- the trick, then, in the higher workings of his brain, is determining what events demand his attention the most. While his brain is absorbing and processing information on an unimaginable scale, his conscious mind is roughly equal to an average human being.
Superman's famous 'X-Ray' vision is a combination of his microscopic and telescopic vision, focusing on an object by 'zooming in' on the obstructing object's atomic structure and then past it. This, combined with his other senses creating a nearly 100% accurate model of the surrounding environment in his mind, allow him to see a complete image of people and objects, externally and internally, at will. His eyes are also sensitive to the entire electromagnetic spectrum, allowing him to see radio and wireless waves, pick up E-M disturbances like an enemy using a cloaking device, detect activity in various locations of the brain to determine a person's emotions or discern lies, and even see the bio-electric field that makes up a person's 'soul.'
In addition to this, Superman can adjust his perception of the passage of time, slowing it down to the zeptosecond level, able to sense events so quickly that they can hardly be said to have happened at all. However, this does not necessarily mean he can respond and move at the same speed--on a human scale, this would be the difference between seeing a bullet flying at you and being able to dodge it.
Heat-Vision: Superman takes in and processes energy at an enormous rate, and can release that energy through a series of biological focusing lenses in his eyes. This venting of his bio-energy most commonly manifests itself in the form of intense X-ray lasers, capable of cutting through titanium. These lasers can be broad enough to cover a hemisphere, or focused tightly enough to carve electrons off of an atom. Of all of Superman's powers, his Heat-Vision is the one that drains the most of his energy stores, and excessive use can deplete his powers entirely. As a result, he tends to use this ability sparingly, typically only using it for utilitarian purposes such as a cutting or welding torch, and only using its full offensive capability when all other options have failed.
While Superman is one of the most immensely powerful beings known to man, that does not make him indestructible or immortal. In the years since his debut, several methods have been found that can undermine or subvert his powers, cause him immense physical pain, or even kill him outright.
Kryptonite: By far the most infamous (and most effective) countermeasures against Superman, Kryptonite is a highly radioactive isotope of Kryptonian Sunstone, irradiated by the planet's destruction. Its radiation signature is unique in that it is astoundingly energetic (less than an miligram of Kryptonite could power Metropolis for a decade, or alternatively wipe out most of New England if treated into an explosive), yet completely clean. It is harmless to all organic life, except for lifeforms that contain traces of Sunstone in their genetic makeup.....namely, lifeforms from the planet Krypton. Exposure to Kryptonite interrupts the metabolic processes that take in solar energy, causing cell death in a Kryptonian lifeform. It causes crippling sickness, agonizing physical pain, the loss of any extranormal physical abilities, and if exposed for roughly one minute, death.
Even after the Kryptonite is removed, recovery from it is long and painful. A return to full power can take days, even weeks depending on the severity of the exposure. Early in Superman's career, Lex Luthor stabbed him in the side with a shard, creating a scar that has never fully healed.
Thankfully, only one fragment of Kryptonite ever made it to Earth: a two-pound meteorite that landed in Smallville not far from the pod which brought Kal-El to the planet. While a few ounces of the rock were broken off and now power the cybernetic monster Metallo, the rest of the Kryptonite is the exclusive property of Lex Luthor.
K-2: In the wake of General Zod's invasion of Earth, SHIELD and other military organizations agreed that humanity needed weaponry that could neutralize Kryptonians should they ever threaten the Earth again. Spearheaded by LexCorp, the goal was the creation of mass-produced, lab-grown synthetic Kryptonite, and after nearly five years of painstaking research and setbacks, a facsimile was produced. Dubbed 'K-2,' this yellow-green crystal emits a radiation similar, but not identical to Kryptonite, enough that could cause Superman extreme pain and disorientation, and could theoretically kill him if used in sufficient quantities. Unfortunately, K-2 has a very short half-life, and most K-based weapons are expended after a single use. Worse, its radiation signature is not as clean as true Kryptonite, and quickly becomes toxic to humans and other lifeforms as well.
Red Sun: Kal-El and other Kryptonians process solar energy at an incredible rate, and it is theorized this is because their bodies believe Earth, an alien environment, to be a hostile one, and thus they are storing energy in an 'emergency mode' at all times. Exposing Superman to an environment more similar to that of Krypton-- higher gravity, thinner atmosphere, or most effectively, the dim energy of a red sun-- will cause his body to believe it is in a 'safe' environment, and thus shut down the energy-storing processes. While this does not drain his powers the same way as Kryptonite does, it 'deactivates' them as long as the environmental conditions are in effect, rendering him effectively powerless.
Magic: Magic is, by its definition, not subject to the regular laws of nature, and as such, Superman has no inherent defense against it. A blade that is enchanted to cut through anything will cut through Superman just as easily as anything else, for example. This makes him understandably wary of anyone who claims supernatural abilities.
Sensory Overload: As previously mentioned, Superman takes in and processes sensation on a seemingly unthinkable level. Disrupting that sensory input, however, can cause him serious pain and disorientation. The most common effective method of doing so would be the use of hypersonic weaponry, throwing Superman off long enough to enact another, potentially more lethal attack against him.
Psychic Attacks: Superman has gone through intense mental training to defend his mind against intruders, but this does not mean he is immune to it. A powerful enough psychic could telekinetically control Superman's body, access his memories, or even take control of him entirely. While doing so is exceedinly difficult, it is not impossible.
Physical Force: Beings of equal or greater strength than Superman are not common, but they do exist. Villains like General Zod or the monstrous Bizarro have been able to match and even overpower the Man of Steel, and it is possible that such a being could overwhelm Superman's invulnerability enough to break bones, rupture organs, or sever his spinal column, which would kill him just as effectively as a normal human.
| Character Notes |
Setting and Locations:
Metropolis, DE is a sprawling, highly populated major city in New England, rival to New York or Gotham as the 'king' city of the Eastern Seaboard. For most of its existence, Metropolis was a tough place to live, as its struggling economy and notoriously corrupt local government made it a breeding ground for organized crime. This can still be seen in the names of many locales in the city, most notably the bleak nickname of the Hob's Bay area as "Suicide Slum."
The city began something of a renaissance when billionaire industrialist Lex Luthor placed his corporate headquarters in the heart of the city, offering work to millions and buying up countless smaller businesses to reinvigorate them practically overnight. By 2001, nearly one in every three of Metropolis' seven million citizens, from white-collar executives to fast food workers, from respected city officials to beat cops and gangsters, worked for Lex Luthor, whether they knew it or not.
Superman's arrival in Metropolis sparked something of a cultural revolution in the city, as fascination with superheroes and their trends is one of the favored passtimes of Metropolitan citizens. While capes and boots aren't exactly common among normal men and women, the bright costumes and vibrant personalities of the Justice League and their like have become ingrained in the city's identity. While Gotham is infamous for its heroes and villains working in the shadows, Metropolis is a place one goes to get noticed.
Locations of note: LexCorp The Daily Planet STAR Labs Metropolis branch Centennial Park Glennmorgan Square Steelworks The Science Spire
Smallville, KS is, as the name suggests, a small farming community in the Midwest. Settled by pioneers in the 1800s, Smallville has enjoyed a rather quiet, unassuming existence, at least on the surface. Ever since Kal-El's pod landed there, the US government has kept a file on the city and all of the strange occurrences documented there. Most dismiss this as the same sort of tourist-trap atmosphere surrounding cities like Roswell, however, and the citizens of Smallville are more than happy to brush off wild stories about space-men and 'guardian angels' with a laugh and perhaps a cold beer.
Locations of note: The Kent Family Farm Smallville High School ruins of the Luthor Mansion
The Fortress of Solitude is a gigantic hidden complex deep beneath the North Pole. Originally meant to be used as a sort of transitional colony while the people of Krypton relocated to Earth (or failing that, another habitable planetoid), it has since been repurposed as Superman's base of operations and personal sanctuary. It is where he studies the history and culture of his lost people, keeps records of his adventures, and houses technology too dangerous to fall into the wrong hands. Overseen by the AI Kelex, it is also something of a museum, a time capsule in which Superman commemorates his friends and allies, as well as his enemies and his failures, in the hopes that he and those who follow behind him will learn from his past in order to secure a better future.
Points of Interest: The Kelex computer interface The Intergalactic Zoo The Hall of Bottle Cities The Phantom Zone Portal The Cosmic Observatory The Sunstone Furnace The Foundry
Supporting Cast:
(To be filled in.) Lois Lane Jimmy Olsen Matha Kent Lana Lang Pete Ross
Daily Planet Crew: Perry White Cat Grant Ron Troupe Steve Lombard Chloe Sullivan Richard White
Allies:
Steel The Guardian Krypto Supergirl
Enemies:
Class A "World-level" enemies: Lex Luthor Brainiac General Zod Bizarro Mr. Mxyzptlk
Class B "City-level" enemies: Parasite Metallo Livewire Prankster Silver Banshee Atomic Skull Terra-Man Riot
Criminal/Hostile Organizations: Intergang The Toymen Superman Revenge Squad The Elite Cadmus
| Character Goals | I plan on bringing Superman to a higher standard of storytelling, telling unique and interesting stories that could only be done with a character as wonderfully insane as Superman. That said, I don't plan on making fluffy 'love-letter' pieces that go on and on about how great and important the character is because, to be honest, those get boring very quickly. I want Superman's world to be dangerous, action-packed, energetic, and fun.
I have a few ideas that I've been dying to try with an older, more experienced Superman, that we rarely ever get to see considering how many Year One/early days interpretations we usually get in this kind of game. So the opportunity to play a Superman that knows his way around things is the kind of thing that makes my mouth water, so to speak.
| Sample Post |
"Lois! Are you all right?"
The sky is on fire, and seven billion people are screaming.
Hours ago, a psychotic and tortured soul who went by the name 'Ruin' enacted a suicidal plan to bring about the apocalypse. Creating a massive gravitational tether, Ruin used it to grab hold of Earth's moon and set it on a collision course with the planet.
"I'm fine, what the hell is going on out there?" Lois says, standing up from her desk.
"The moon is about to crash into the Earth," I let her know. "I stopped the machine that was generating the gravity well, but the damage has been done."
"But, I mean.....you've got this, right?" she asks, with a hopeful nod.
"I think so," I say, looking up at the blackened scorched sky as the continent-sized satellite bears down on us. "Firestorm and Red Tornado are doing everything in their power to mitigate the damage to the planet's atmosphere. Aquaman is working with Captain Atom to keep the tidal forces from drowning everyone, and a few of the Green Lanterns are constructing braces to keep the tectonic plates from shaking apart. Meanwhile, Reed Richards has gotten a Mother Box operational and is ready to open a Boom Tube if things go south, and Flash will evacuate everyone through the Tube to safety."
"Everyone in Metropolis?"
"Everyone on Earth."
Lois seems sufficiently impressed.
"That seems to cover the collateral damage," she says. "But what about, you know, the moon about to slam into the Earth and destroy the world?!"
"That's my job."
"What exactly are you going to do, Smallville?"
I look up at the crashing moon, and I crack my knuckles.
"The moon is falling, and I'm Superman." I say, turning back to her with a smile. "What do you think I'm going to do?"
"....you're seriously going to try and--"
"All in a day's work," I say with a wink, and take to the skies, to take the cataclysm head-on.....
From what Gowi's told me, it is, which would make my Raven about 20 since she was born in 1990. I assume this is so there's room to do potential time-jumps in between 'seasons' to catch us up to present day, but I could be wrong.
Also, I'm just gonna say 'to hell with it' and start work on my second app. And anyone who knows me and my character preferences should have a pretty good idea of who I'm going to be applying for....
Angela Roth was a teenage delinquent in 1981, having dropped out of Gotham County Middle School at age 12. After a falling out with her conservative Christian parents over a boyfriend, Angela ran away from home, and struggled to get by alone in the city's underbelly. Vulnerable and afraid, she quickly gravitated to a place that offered sanctuary and acceptance: the Church of Zandia. Led by a charismatic occultist named Sebastian Blood, the Church of Zandia were a seemingly New-Age commune who lived on a small farm outside the city, and while the most treasured secrets of the Church were only known to Sebastian and his chosen inner circle, all members were welcome to strive for enlightenment over time. They promised Angela understanding and security in a troubled materialistic world, and Angela spent her teenage years opening her mind to old, hidden knowledge and experimenting with psychedelic drugs. In 1986, at age 18, Angela was welcomed into the inner circle, and given the name 'Arella.'
Once part of the Inner Circle, Sebastian revealed to Arella the true nature of the Church of Zandia. They were worshippers not of nature or some vague pagan life-spirits, but of a beyond-ancient entity known as Trigon. According to Sebastian, Trigon was a bringer of change, an agent that would in time sweep away the evils and inequities of the world, and in its wake bring about a shining new dawn. The Church's mission, then, was to prepare the world for Trigon's coming, and prepare themselves for the purification of humanity. Arella was initially troubled by the implications of this, but her supporters within the Church comforted her and assured her it would all be for the best.
While spreading the good word of the Church in New York City in 1989, Arella met a struggling young actor named Keith Richardson. Despite her vows of celibacy and loyalty to the Church, she felt immensely attracted to Keith, and found herself inventing reasons to keep coming back to Manhattan to meet him. This did not go unnoticed by Sebastian and the rest of the inner circle, who sternly warned her against the temptations of this outsider and threatened severe punishment for disobedience. Meanwhile, Keith, a skeptic towards the supernatural, pleaded with Arella to come to her senses, that the Church was nothing more than a lunatic cult. This, combined with her already growing unease about the nature of the Trigon entity they worshipped, eventually caused Arella to run away from the Church, moving in with Keith in a small gothic apartment building in Manhattan.
Keith and Angela--having disowned the 'Arella' moniker-- were married in February of 1990, and conceived a child on their wedding night. Angela's pregnancy was without complications, but her relationship with Keith drew strained, between her husband's frequent absence, their financial troubles, and an increasing feeling of paranoia that Sebastian and the Church had been following them.
Nine months later, on Halloween Night of 1990, Angela delivered a baby girl, whom they named Rachel. Upon seeing their daughter, Keith began to laugh, not the laugh of a proud father, but of a madman who had seen a plan come together. To her horror, Angela saw the door to the delivery room open to reveal Sebastian Blood, who knelt before her husband and referred to him as 'Master.' "Keith Richardson," the handsome young man who had delivered her from the madness of the Church, was none other than Trigon itself, a malevolent force bent on the destruction of mankind, and their daughter, a hybrid of human and demon, would be the key to his victory. She had unwittingly brought about the birth of the Anti-Christ, the bringer of Armageddon. Triumphant, Sebastian and his Master took the newborn Rachel and left Angela, alone and half-mad from terror.
"It's all for you......."
The Church of Zandia and their Master spent a year preparing the infant Rachel, performing obscene rituals in her presence to strengthen the demonic influence in her hybrid blood. In her, they would have not just a loyal soldier of the armies of Hell, but a queen over all mortals and all of the damned, who would march their legions to the gates of Heaven itself, and burn them down.
However, there are few things even the forces of evil can do to stem the power of a mother's love. Angela Roth, having recovered from the trauma of her child's true nature, spent that same year tracking the Church down. With the help of a supernaturally-inclined investigator named John Constantine, the former Arella found Sebastian and his cult. On the night of Rachel's first birthday, Angela and Constantine broke into the accursed temple, interrupting a blood ritual that would seal her daughter's loyalty to Trigon. Confronting her seducer "Keith" once more, Angela drew a gun and shot him through the head, destroying Trigon's mortal vessel and banishing him back to his infernal realm. She turned and shot Sebastian several times as well, and though he survived the shooting, he was too grievously wounded to prevent her from taking back her daughter.
Angela and Rachel spent the next few years on the run, avoiding the attention of Sebastian Blood and his followers. All the while, Rachel's infernal influence would spread over the people they encountered in their travels-- people who were kind to her would unexpectedly come into great fortune or land their dream job, a bully who harrassed her on the street was struck and killed by a drunk driver later that day. A priest who pressured Rachel and her mother to convert dropped dead of a heart attack mere hours after they left his church, which itself burned to the ground the same week. A town who passed strict laws to drive out their homeless population was ravaged by a tornado days after Rachel and her mother were forced to leave.
More and more, as Rachel became aware of herself and what she could do, she felt terrible for the things that had happened to those in her wake. She felt powerless in the face of her fate, and ashamed of the evil within her blood. More than anything, though, she felt alone.
Angela taught Rachel meditation, to control her emotional outbursts, and reign in the supernatural influence she had on others. However, she still needed an outlet for her abilities, and so she turned to smaller, more practical means of manipulating the world around her: magic. She spent the majority of her childhood researching various cultures and their rituals, their systems of asserting human will over nature, and picked up on them with unnatural ease. By her tenth birthday, Rachel was among the most knowledgeable and powerful witches on Earth.
"Miribale dictu, don't you agree?"
At age eleven, Rachel saw things that would change the course of her life. She had spent so long trying to deny her abilities, to keep her head down and stay out of trouble, that it had never even occurred to her that she could use her powers against the forces of darkness. That changed in 2001, with the arrival of the Superman, and the Batman and Wonder Woman following soon after. Like the all-but-forgotten Justice Society of decades past, these were people, beings with abilities far beyond those of mortal men, who used their power but did not exert their power over humanity, who fought against evil and never succumbed to it.
Rachel Roth saw these people and realized she could be among them. She would not be a demon or an angel, she rejected becoming a god or a devil. She would be a superhero.
Over the next two years, Rachel began training herself, combining her studies of magic into immensely powerful yet quick and practical spells. She imbued her demonic essence into moxes, blood-red jewels that stored and amplified her magical abilities at a moment's notice. She put together a crude but effective costume, a dark blue cloak over a black leotard (in keeping with superheroes wearing 'tights'), and dyed her hair purple for good measure. At age thirteen, she snuck away from her mother and hit the streets of Jump City, donning the codename "Raven" and set out in search of evil to fight.
Tragically, while she was out looking for trouble, evil came calling. The Church of Zandia finally caught up to Angela Roth, demanding that she reveal the location of her daughter. Rather than lose Rachel to Sebastian's followers once more, Angela took her own life, leaping out of a tenth-story window and taking her daughter's safety to the grave. Upon finding out what happened to her mother, Rachel swore revenge, and dedicated the existence of Raven to hunting and destroying Sebastian Blood and his cult.
For the next three years, Raven traveled alone, rooting out the Church and stumbling upon other sinister cults at work. Indeed, Trigon was hardly the only evil entity bent on destroying mankind-- Dormammu and his Mindless Ones, Neron and the Wish-Weavers, Mephisto and his son Blackheart, and many others. Some, upon realizing who Rachel truly was, attempted to sway her to their camp, but most either tried to kill her or fled from her in terror. While Raven fought cultists and lesser demons, she grew no closer to finding Blood himself, and grew increasingly frustrated by her repeated failure. She had immense power, but lacked the connections and resources she needed to seek and destroy Trigon's infernal church for good.
"The dreams of youth are the regrets of maturity."
In 2007, as Raven found herself wishing for a network of connections and better resources, the mighty Justice League began attempting to plan for its future. Gathering the small collection of protégés and 'sidekicks' that certain League members had been training, they then opened the fold to include other teenage superheroes....including Raven. Led by Batman's protégé Robin, the 'Teen Titans' were sent to aid in crisis situations, investigate potential low-level threats, and deal with villains that didn't require the full attention of the League.
One of their first expeditions was in response to an unidentified flying object touching down in San Francisco, to assess the situation and defuse any potential threats before SHIELD or the military could mobilize. Upon reaching the landing site, they found a young humanoid female, who rushed towards the Titans and grabbed Raven, kissing her on the mouth. Quickly apologizing and explaining she needed direct connection to a compatible nervous system to absorb the native language, the girl introduced herself as Koriand'r (the name roughly translating to 'Star Fire'), Princess and Champion of the planet Tamaran. She had come to Earth to do roughly the same task the Titans had been dispatched to carry out-- assess the planet and defuse potential threats to interstellar peace. After introducing her to the League, Starfire was welcomed into the Titans.
For roughly a year, the Teen Titans fought against minor villains like Doctor Light, the HIVE, and the telekinetic Psimon. During that time, they began to bond. Starfire became particularly attached to Raven, always attempting to 'cheer up' the perpetually dour and cynical witch girl, and despite her outward annoyance at Kori's sunny disposition, Raven became loyal and protective of her new friend.
Friendship was hardly the only bond growing in a team of teenagers in a high-stress environment, however-- romantic entanglements between team members sprang up quickly, and often grew ugly. Raven tried her best to keep clear of the emotional drama between teammates apparently eager to have their hearts broken, but even she could not stay detached forever. Eventually, rivalries between boys trying to date the same girl, betrayals of one Titan cheating on another, resentment and depression from unrequited crushes, and numerous other volatile realities of teenage life caused the Titans to begin to splinter.
The splintering became a shattering when Sebastian Blood and his Church reemerged, baiting Raven into a final confrontation. While Raven prepared for the war she had always wanted, Blood had secretly hired an assassin named Deathstroke to eliminate the other Titans. Delving into their secrets and playing their emotions against each other, Deathstroke made it impossible for the Titans to act as a unit to defeat him, and one by one, he dismantled the team. Only direct intervention from the League saved the Titans' lives, but the physical damage dealt was paltry compared to the damage he had done to the team. Realizing they were unable to trust each other, the Titans disbanded, leaving Raven to fight Brother Blood and the Church alone.
Raven had grown tremendously in power, both in magical ability and in her demonic influence, and so she swept the Church's disciples away with ease. When confronting Sebastian, however, and remembering all of the pain and suffering he had caused to both her and her mother, she lost control of herself, and gave in to her demonic spirit....just as Sebastian had planned. By killing him and surrendering to her unholy rage, Raven would open the portal to Trigon's realm and bring about the end times....
....however, his plan was derailed by the unexpected interference of Starfire, who arrived to save her friend and throw Sebastian Blood into the infernal portal herself. With the threat of Brother Blood gone and Trigon sealed away once again, Raven regained control, and the two of them patched their wounds and celebrated their victory over cold pizza and a long talk about what to do next.
"Free will, it is a b*tch."
In the two years since defeating Brother Blood, Raven and Starfire have moved into an apartment in Jump City, and started a small business together. 'Roth and Anders Paranormal Investigations' specializes in fringe cases, dealing with either the occult (Ms. Roth's specialty) or UFOs and alien abductions (Ms. Anders' area of expertise), and splitting the profits 50/50 when dealing with run-of-the-mill super villains. While they are no longer affiliated with the Justice League and avoid the other former Titans whenever possible, they do maintain contacts within the hero community, and hold themselves up to the same standards as any Leaguer-- no killing, no civilian casualties, no government dirty-work, no excuses. All they ask in return is a reasonable fee for their services, and that you please try to refrain from dabbling in interstellar politics or powers-man-was-not-meant-to-know from now on.
| Attributes |
Rachel Roth is the direct bloodline descendant of Trigon, one of the most powerful demons in existence. As such, she can project her influence over the world, grant favors to those who benefit her or cause catastrophe to her enemies. Her half-demon soul can reach into the material world and constrict or wound people, intrude on the minds of others and even temporarily possess their souls themselves. If she ever succumbs fully do the demonic side of her, Raven will bridge this world with Trigon's and bring about the apocalypse.
However, Raven has blocked off the vast extent of her true power, and instead focuses more on human magic to manipulate the world around her. She is exceptionally good at picking up on incantations and magical systems, and has thus far mastered Hermeticism, tarot, African Vodun and New Orleans Voodoo, Senshism, Qabballa, Appalachian folk magic, Santeria, and the Greek, Indian, and Chinese forms of Alchemy. This gives her knowledge of a wide array of spells and rituals, many of which require a large amount of time and preparation to carry out.
In combat, Raven has a set of practical spells she has learned to cast quickly and without material components. These include levitation, telekinesis, teleportation, and protective shields. Through meditation, she can also attune to the thoughts of others, and project her astral form outside of her physical body, though doing so leaves her body vulnerable.
| Character Notes |
Jump City is a moderately-sized city along the East Coast, about an hour north of Baltimore. It was a relatively unsung little town compared to the big 'cape cities' like Metropolis and Gotham, which made it a perfect place for professionals and young entrepreneurs who wanted to be somewhere near where the action is without having to worry about being gassed by killer clowns or having their businesses crushed by invading aliens. Not unlike Austin or San Francisco, its younger average citizenry and its dependence on the tech industry has made it a haven for Generation-Y millennials, with a more Bohemian atmosphere than most of its neighboring cities.
Even the villains of Jump City are more novel-performance-artists than homicidal masterminds. The occasional spree of someone like the Mad Mod or Mister Twister has more in common with a flash-mob than it does with an attack from the Joker or Brainiac. As a result, the citizens of Jump City treat super-activity with an almost 'touristy' air.
That said, the city does have its fair share of genuine threats. Intergang has fingers in Jump City, as does a particularly nasty gang known as the Hangmen. And while Raven is quick to stomp out the influence of the Church of Zandia wherever she finds it, the city is big enough that not every occultist and demon-worshipper is going to be noticed.....
Princess Koriand'r (alias "Kori Anders," codename "Starfire") is the Crown Princess of Tamaran, a world inhabited by tactilopaths-- beings who can read the thoughts of others as long as they are in physical contact with them. After three years on Earth, she has assimilated much of various human cultures, but is always eager and excited to learn more. In many ways, Kori is the polar opposite of Raven: extroverted, optimistic, socially and sexually aggressive, scientifically minded, and explosively emotional. Their differences allow them to balance out the extremes in their life-- she is the yang to Raven's yin, so to speak, and the most loyal friend Rachel has ever had. The fact that she possesses superhuman strength, the ability to fly, and can project explosive blasts of plasma at enemies certainly doesn't hurt, either.
Timothy Hunter owns a small bookstore in Jump City, specializing in old and obscure books-- and one of Rachel's favorite places to frequent. Timothy inherited the bookstore from his parents, and more often than not seems actively determined to persuade customers not to buy his books. One of his ancestors was hanged in the old Witch Trials of the 17th century, and as such he has a fascination with occultism and witchcraft, although he doesn't believe in any of it.
Danny Chase is a local blogger and superhero enthusiast who has fancied himself as the "unofficial sidekick" of Raven and Starfire-- wherever they go, he invariably shows up with a camera and tablet in hand. He's a little annoying and probably has a thing for the two of them, but generally he's harmless.
Madame Xanadu is a fortune teller of indeterminate age, by appearance no older than thirty, but by her speech and demeanor, possibly centuries old. While she never reveals much about herself, she will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about yourself.
Sebastian Blood is the demon-worshipping cult leader who oversaw the events that led to Rachel's birth, as well as her mother's death. He was the voice and right hand of Trigon in the mortal realm, until Starfire threw him into a portal to Hell and sealed him away. While Brother Blood seems to be gone for now, his influence is still felt....and 'gone for now' and 'gone for good' are two very different things.....
The Hangmen are a vicious street gang who have taken up residence in Jump City, and are one of the few organizations actively seeking to kill Raven and Starfire. Imbued with metahuman abilities and cybernetic implants, the five leaders of the Hangmen are often the biggest threat to public safety in the city.
Blackfire is Komand'r, Starfire's older sister and the disgraced former Princess of Tamaran. An opportunist and power-mongerer, Komand'r betrayed her homeworld during an invasion of the Citadel Empire, in the hopes that joining the winning side would grant her favor in the new order. However, when the Tamaranians rallied around her younger sister and repelled the invasion, she was stripped of her titles and exiled, and has spent years scraping by as a petty criminal. As a result, the disparagingly named 'Blackfire' hates her sister, and has obsessively tracked her down to Earth, where she intends to take her revenge.
Jinx is a witch like Raven, and was her opposite on a team known as the Fearsome Five who clashed with the Teen Titans. She gained her powers by making a deal with Klarion, a Lord of Chaos, and as such, uses her abilities as more of a trickster than a conqueror, causing disruption and mischief for its own sake. Despite this, she is an immensely powerful spellcaster, and relishes in squaring off with Raven.
Doctor Light is one of the few genuinely threatening villains to have set up shop in Jump City, a powerful super-criminal who can use his light-bending powers in myriad ways. On top of being a megalomaniac and sadist, he is a shameless lecher, and it is little coincidence that he has claimed a city protected by a pair of teenage girls as his territory.
| Character Goals |
I plan on telling interesting and compelling character-driven stories with Raven and Star, two characters that haven't had a fair shake in DC in ages. The two of them have the potential for a 'buddy cop' dynamic that never really gets explored, and that's what I'm aiming to go for here. I want to create versions of these two that have grown and developed just like Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon have, rather than just retelling the same story with Raven over and over or courting controversy with Star. Mostly, though, I plan on having fun with my two favorite characters from the Titans show, remade to fit into this version of the DCU.
| Sample Post |
"Good afternoon, Mister Jefferson," I say at the doorstep, extending a rubber-gloved hand in greeting. "Rachel Roth, of Roth and Anders Paranormal Investigations, at your service. I understand you have a potentially dangerous situation involving your daughter?"
"Oh, thank goodness, yes!" he says, shaking my hand and practically yanking me inside. "I'm amazed you were able to come out here so quickly. But yes, it's Amanda. She's......she's not well. We moved in about a year ago and I think....I think there's something wrong with this place....."
Looking around the living room, I see little out of the ordinary. Ugly green sofa, coral blue carpet, white walls adorned with family photos, a bookcase filled half with 'inspirational' fluff and half with books about World War II. A coffee table covered in magazines. A television with too many remote controls.
Upstairs, I hear a loud thump and a pained howl.
"She keeps saying there's something inside of her, something that's....making her do things," Mister Jefferson says in a worried voice. "Ever since we've moved in, there have been weird sounds, things moving where they weren't before....and it's only gotten worse in the last few months. Melissa and I, we've always been skeptical about religion, but......I don't know.....I think there might be something here. My little girl.....I think she's....possessed....."
"Well, you called the right person for the job," I say, pulling my hair back into a tight ponytail in the back, and then reaching into the pockets of my thick denim coveralls for a pair of safety goggles and a hair net. "If there's any kind of malevolent entity in this house, I'll be able to find it, identify it, and get rid of it."
My heavy work boots make a loud clunking noise as I make my way up the stairs.
"I, er, I can't help but notice.....erm, your outfit...." Mister Jefferson stammers.
"You were expecting the cloak and the skin-tight leotard and all that, right?" I say, not looking back as I roll my eyes. "I wear that when I go out to be a superhero. But you didn't hire me to be a superhero today. You called in about a demon....which means you hired me to be an exterminator."
"So you need to dress up like you're about to go swamp fishing?"
I stop and turn to him.
"Believe me, I've handled my fair share of demons," I assure him. "If this goes anything like my last job, you're going to wish you'd put on some gloves and some old clothes, too. Demons tend to be very....biological, when it comes to resisting exorcism."
"You don't say....."
We reach Amanda's room, and I open the door. Inside, a girl about the age of fourteen is writhing painfully on her bed. She's shouting and snarling, and screaming as her joints pop and her body contorts. It's all very hard to watch.
Still, I've got a job to do, and the first part of that job is finding out exactly what I'm dealing with.
I spend the next few minutes examining the supposed victim, monitoring her breathing, getting her heart rate, seeing how she reacts to various herbs and holy symbols (one of the reasons I'm wearing rubber gloves, in fact-- I can't touch the things myself), before looking her square in the eye and noticing the movement.
"She's an epileptic," I conclude. "She needs to be taken to the hospital and treated there. I'm sorry that you've wasted your time, but there doesn't seem to be any demon here, Mister Je--"
And then Mister Jefferson bursts into a swarm of spiders. Amanda screams as thousands of menacing little black-and-yellow arachnids scurry across the room. The door slams shut, and the room fills with a sickening stench as hot feces begins to splatter down from the ceiling.
THE CHILD IS OURRSSSSSSSSSSS...... the spiders hiss in unison.
I sigh with annoyance as it splats on my hairnet and stains the thick flannel shirt under my coveralls.
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