Chapter Two: Man of Steel
Place: Offices of DC Comics, New York City
Year: 1986
Elliot S. Maggin got up from his seat and pounded the table for attention. "Do I have everyone's attention? Good."
Up till now, Cary Bates had been leading the conversation but now Maggin was taking charge. "Now, there's something I want to make clear. Something Bryne tried to do is make Clark Kent the real person, tried to tell the story of a strange visitor from Smallville who just happens to possess powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men and that, disguised as a costumed hero, fights a never ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way. Byrne wanted to have Superman think of himself as Clark Kent and in the end just want to be normal. It's true that he uses his powers to help others but for years only did so in secret in order to keep living a normal life. When he was forced to reveal his secret, he created Superman so that he could help others but not have to give up his true identity as Clark Kent.
"To that, I say no. Firstly, it makes our man seem selfish by implying that he cares more about wanting to be normal than saving others. Secondly, it makes no sense. If he chooses to think of himself as Clark first, he will hold himself back by refusing to realize his true potential. Think of it, if he does think of himself as Clark, what's he going to do a hundred years from now he's as young as ever and everyone else is dead?
"Superman in my mind is the dominant personality. In our interpretation—me and Bates—Clark Kent isn't who Superman really is, Clark is who Superman was. Superman's story here is seen as the tale of a farmer's son who became an alien. Many of earlier stories had young Clark know from the start that he was Kryptonian; since that would contradict our current vision, we don't plan on referencing them. Instead, he grows up thinking of himself as human and asks, 'Why does I have this strength?' 'Am I human?' Thus for a time, he was really and truly human—albeit with incredible powers.
"As part of this is that Bates and I plan ignore the Superbaby stories that cropped up in the 1960s under Mort Weisinger. Instead of saying that he developed his powers all at once and as a toddler was already strong enough to destroy planet Earth just by blowing on it, we say that his powers developed gradually. Thus he grows stronger and stronger until he realized he was not a man but a superman. And it's not just his sheer strength, though having power enough to destroy stars in your bare hands is enough to shock anyone.
"It's because there came the day young Clark didn't just know his Ma and Pa through sight, touch, sound. There came a day when he could hear the neural crackle that tells him his mother's changed her mind about something. There came a day when he could scan the entire environment in an instant, with levels of perception we can only imagine, when he could see through walls and from horizon to horizon, knew every secret and every whispered conversation. He can recognize people by the beating of their very hearts, that includes his own father… something that will have grave consequences. Maybe he can't read people's minds but with how he can do all he might as will be telepathic because if were to put his mind to it, he would be effectively omniscient.
"Think of it, if he really can do all this, wouldn't it turn his head around, even just a little bit? This is someone who by any stretch of the imagination is no longer human… Mild mannered reporter Clark Kent is not real; he is the creation of Superman's memory and imagination. His eyes can see through skin and stone and light years; only memory tells him what it was like to simply see and he can only imagine what it would be like to actually need glasses.
Maggin saw he had everyone in the palm of his hand and smiled. "He's not human… except for the single most important part of him, the ethical, humanitarian base nurtured by the Kents, which forms the unshakable foundation for everything Superman will ever be. The reason Superman likes being Clark is that being Clark is his cherished link back to a couple who took in an orphan from space and taught that orphan how to care.
"It's what Pa would have wanted; as much as he loves Clark as a son, he knows that he was given this child to raise a hero. It's kind of like how Samson's parents prayed for a child and they were given baby Samson with the task of making him a champion. When he died, Pa made him swear to use his powers for good.
"And yes, Pa is still dead. He should die. It's right somehow that his death should mark Clark's transition from Superboy to Superman. Pa taught Clark right from wrong, taught him the sacredness of all life and he'll carry those values to the stars. Ma and Pa Kent raised him to be a hero, taught him to think of himself as Superman, trained him to use his powers, to be good, all that stuff. Superman needs a little bit of tragedy here. The character works best and stands most tall when he's forced to deal with things even his powers cannot help with."
Maggin looked away, somewhat wistful. "Think of it, all of it. Every Superman story up till now said that at least Pa Kent died before Clark became Superman and that it was that death that made him make the choice. In fact, if you replay that scene with the soul vision power I gave him we could say that when Clark saw his father die, he saw the life force slipping away. Coming to grips with that is the transition from boy to man. Bob?"
Bob Rozakis nodded. This had special meaning for him; he'd dreamed of writing the definitive story about how Clark Kent went from being Superboy to Superman. Alas, DC editors had cut his twelve-part maxi series down to four parts. But now they were offering on a silver platter the chance to write an ongoing series based on his ideas… Well, it would be rude to decline.
"Thanks Elliot. Now, we all know how it happens. It opens with the Kents alive and well and Clark graduating from high school. Everything seems perfect until Pa Kent gets sick and dies. Different versions say different things but the idea that he had a heart problem works best as it gives us something to work up to. Like Maggin said, Clark knows the very beating of his father's heart so when Pa has his fatal heart attack, Clark stops whatever he's doing and races to his father's side saying, 'I can't hear Pa's heartbeat!'
"So there's Pa Kent on his death bed despite all the efforts of his wife and son to try to save him… and when you're son is Superboy, that's a lot of effort. But in the end, it's all useless. And Clark does have soul vision so he in fact can see his fathers' life force leaving his body. That, of course, just makes all the more painful when Pa Kent dies.
"And it is as he dies that Pa knows the last thing he must do. He knew that he had been given more than a son; he had been given a hero to raise up to his destiny. He rallies his last bit of strength to tell his boy, 'God gave you theses powers for a reason. You hear that? You are here for a reason! Swear to me that you'll use your powers for good… I said swear it!'
"Holding his father's hand, Clark whimpers, 'I swear…' On hearing that, Pa knows he's completed his mission and dies. Clark sees this and says 'Pa… Pa!' He sees his father's body grow dark and cold, he sees death taking away Jonathon Kent and there's nothing he can do… nothing. And he can say nothing except sob, 'All my power and I couldn't save him.'
"When next we see him, he's leaving Smallville more out of shame than any desire to fulfill his destiny. As a reflection of the mood, when Superboy tells the townsfolk goodbye, they all gather together and form the words 'Goodbye Superboy, we'll never forget you.' But when he gets to the bus terminal that evening as Clark Kent, Ma Kent is the only one there to say goodbye."
Rozakis took a sip of water. "Then we see him go on to Metropolis University and it's at this time that he also comes across future heroes like Bruce Wayne who's completing his training. We also learn about the state of the DCU. He's the only superhero and it's been that way for the last decade. Everything is very quiet and only human teams like Sea Devils or Cave Carson's Crew or the Challengers of the Unknown are out there. Ever since the Justice Society disbanded there has been strong racial prejudice against superhumans and distrust of superheores. He meets young metas who have powers but are afraid to use them in public. They either use their powers in secret or don't use their powers at all. But with the all the good that Superboy has done people are starting to overcome anti-meta race hate.
"By this time, he gets a job as an intern at the Daily Planet and, despite his doubts, tries to carry on as Metropolis' protector. In fact, while at Metropolis U he meets Lisa Davis, his high school girlfriend. They rekindle their old romance and for a while it feels as if everything is going to be alright. But when she dies asking Superboy to save her and he arrives one second too late, he gives up. Now there had been doubts in his mind but now he just can't take it anymore; Clark renounces Superboy. He quits! It's like everything he touches dies! What's the use of all that power if he can't save so much as one life!
"At this point, we might also hint that all this was engineered by Lex Luthor who wanted him not only out of the way but to break his sprit. In fact, on seeing that the Teen of Steel is gone, he actually bothers to defend himself in court. Serving as his own lawyer, he gets off and uses his superior intellect to create a multimillion dollar business overnight.
"Blaming himself for his father's death and now Lisa's, Clark has given up being Superboy and instead tries to do good deeds in secret. Yes, he saves many lives and stops many crimes. However, without him doing it in public to serve as a rallying point, nobody really cares. Without him to serve as a symbol, all his good deeds don't do much good. On seeing this, Ma Kent talks to her boy and, at her insistence, he goes to a Superboy festival that ends with the MC saying, 'We don't know where you are Superboy but if you're hearing this thank you.'
"Clark, who by this time is a man, looks everywhere and sees how people still take inspiration from his example. Policemen have s-shield bumper stickers; firefighters have it on their helmets. Soup kitchen volunteers have s-shield shirts and so do social workers. They all believe in him and know he will come back. It all comes to a head when Clark sees a young Jimmy Olson go into a burning building and save a perfect stranger, nearly at the cost of his own life. When Clark sees this and he asks him why did he do it, Jimmy responds he did because he knew that's would Superboy would have done. On hearing that, Clark knows what he must do.
"After fighting off some major threat to provide an exciting climax, he goes home again and there's mom waiting for him with the cape and shield. He puts it on, and like a medieval knight keeping vigil before receiving knighthood, he kneels in prayer before God and swears before Him never to lie and never to kill, to preserve life in all its forms and failing in that to renounce his powers forever. With that, he and Ma go to Pa's grave where our hero says, 'Pa, I've done it. You raised me to one day be a Superman and now I'm here. Whining, feeling sorry for yourself, screw that, forget it. That a job for Superboy and he's not coming back. From now on whenever people need help, a very special kind of help…'
"Ma is so proud and, tears of joy in her eyes, she says 'Say it Clark! Say it!'
"'Whenever people need a very special kind of help they'll say…' Clark nods and flies up into the sky… 'This looks like a job for Superman!'"
"This is something that I want to make clear. Although he's motivated by a desire to preserve live and not by a morbid fascination with death, our hero still feels the weight of his father's passing and is shaped by it. True, as a boy, he knew on an intellectual level that bad things could happen to good people. However, he so often saved the day that he honestly didn't believe that bad things would ever happen to good people because he'd always be there to stop it."
"His failure to save his father, therefore, was a cold shower; his introduction to harsh reality." Marv Wolfman looked up from the desk and at Rozakis. Rozakis looked back at the writer of Teen Titans and Crisis on Infinite Earths and was shocked to see him crying. "The fact that he could save whole worlds but couldn't save his own father when he needed him the most almost broke him and though he survived, he was left forever changed."
A wistful, knowing smile crossed Wolfman's face. "When he knelt before his father's grave, he tells him that he finally understands. 'As a Superboy I could never understand why the world might need a savior but as a Superman, I can hear the world crying for one."
Rozakis felt a lump form in his throat. "Yeah," he said softly, "that's about it. You nailed it perfectly."
Wolfman dried off a few tears. "Sorry about that… but I've gotta say, that's really impressive! I plan to read that when it comes out. But there's one thing. Did you say that Ma Kent is still alive?"
Rozakis smiled. "Yeah she's still alive but that part I think should be left to Cary Bates. Cary?"
"Thanks Bob. Yes, in this new continuity Ma is still alive. Firstly it removes her redundant death; Pa Kent's death has the power and so Ma's death is not needed. The previous death bed scenes always revolved around Pa and Clark; Ma was never there and really can't be there unless she's forcibly shoehorned in. Secondly, she also gives Clark someone to talk to and with her raising Kara/Supergirl like a daughter makes her closer to Clark."
Wolfman wrote the Crisis in which Supergirl died and so his eyes just went wide as he heard that. Bates saw this and smiled. "We'll get to Supergirl in a moment but for now we can say that Martha was to her what Pa was to Clark. She herself has experience in dealing with a super teen. Perhaps we'll even tell an untold story about her visiting Kandor and the Kandorians hailing the woman who adopted baby Kal-El. In fact, with how she raised a superhero and how with the JSA were her son's teachers, maybe she's the hero community's collective mother. You know, giving Red Tornado tips on how to raise his stepdaughter, getting a tour of Justice League base, baking Batman a cake, giving Wonder Woman a get well card if she get's injured.
"But at the same time, we should be wary of making Martha Kent too important. Ma lives on to play an important role as the connection to Superman's lost past, his own 'golden age.' But as nice as it will be to have her around as a supporting character, she could actually weaken Superman by making him less independent. Our hero is a grown man and can deal with problems without having to talk with an infinitely wise Martha over a piece of rhubarb pie. Perhaps Ma should also die at some point.
"Getting to the Batman, there's something I want to say. Superman and Batman have been paired together since the first issue of World's Finest in 1941 and been working together since the 1954 crossover issue, #71, I think. Later stories had Superboy catch glimpses of his future friendship with Bruce Wayne and take steps to ensure that it would happen. For decades we've presented the two men as best friends, literally the world's finest team.
"When you think about it really does seem strange. One is an optimistic superpowered alien who's gone on to become the all-American hero. The other is a pessimistic non-superpowered human who skulks in holes and leaps from the darkness. Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns emphasizes that they are polar opposites that realistically could never be friends and over the years have lost any and all respect they might have had for each other.
"But I say let them be the odd couple. Just because they don't agree on everything doesn't mean they can't work together; even in Dark Knight Returns it emphasizes that deep down inside they were friends once. It closes with Superman aware that Batman is alive but keeping the secret with a trademark wink and with Batman promising to "keep quiet". It has them on opposite panels facing each other and smiling. Deep down inside, after everything that's happened, the old friendship is still there.
"In our regular continuity, the fact they both lost their fathers unites them and so, in our new continuity, they both do what they do partly because they failed to save those they love. They bond through their mutual suffering. Batman knows Superman is not some empty headed well meaning amateur but instead respects Superman for his commitment. He trained as Superboy for over a decade before becoming a Superman. He trained to have a perfect control and discipline at all times. The friendship can still work because no matter what else might be the case, Superman is still the real deal.
"To show what we mean, imagine if you will a story set early in their careers. Superman goes to Gotham and searches out the Caped Crusader and finds him stopping a crime. Regardless of whether or not we will keep the stories where they meet as boys, Superman introduces himself to the Dark Knight for what is officially the first time. He says something along the lines of, 'Hi Batman. My career as Superboy was a lonely one as I was the only hero. But now, with you bringing all the others out of the woodworks, it seems that we might be on the verge of a new heroic renaissance. If we work together, we'll be the world's finest team.' Superman smiles and holds out his hand. 'What do you say, friend?'
"On hearing that, Batman's jaw drops and he angrily responds, 'Friend? What are you!? Are dense? Are you stupid? Are you retarded or something? Don't you know who I am!? I'm the goddamn Batman!'"
At that Jennette Kahn, DC's executive editor is jolted ramrod straight. "He's the goddamn Batman?"
Frank Miller, author of the Dark Knight Returns that Bates had cited earlier, laughed. "He's the goddamn Batman! What can I say; I like the sound of it."
Bates smiled. "Yeah, he's the goddamn Batman. Anyways, as I was saying Batman says there is no way they could be friends. Seemingly proving this, when Kal-El goes to place a hand on his shoulder, he says that he's surrounded his body with a force field that is keyed to Superman biomollecular structure. Thus if he so much as touches Batman, it will trigger a bomb that will kill an innocent person.
"Superman claims to be horrified at this and calls Batman an inhuman monster. They ultimately wind up joining forces to foil a villain and after they foil the villain we get back to our drama. There, Kal-El mentions the bomb; Bruce smiles and is about to reach for something when our hero says, 'Yes, the bomb on your belt.'
"Batman asks, 'How? Could you have known?' Superman responds, 'I know you're not stupid; you know that with my powers I could tell whether or not you were lying. When I saw that you were not lying I realized that the bomb had to be on your person because I know that the only life you would ever risk would be your own for one reason and that reason is why despite everything else, we will stand together. That reason is that the deliberate taking of human life goes against everything I believe in… and that you believe in."
Roy Thomas whistled. Many other nodded their approval; Denny O'niel, the new Batman editor smiled. "This could work… and very well."
"Thanks." Bates nodded and resumed his story. "Batman hears this and is left speechless. He points at Superman but no words come out. He tries to muster some sarcastic response. Nothing. All he can do is whimper that Superman is the real deal, that 'he's the real goddamn deal.' As they say goodbye, Batman tells Superman that he still thinks so and so many negative things about him but '… good luck' He thinks to himself that he might not believe it but, 'I've found a friend.'
Bates turned to Wolfman. "Marv, I promised you that I'd get to Supergirl. Elliot and I have been talking it out and we both hoped you'd listen to what we have to say."
The writer's interest was piqued. "I'm all ears Cary."
Bates shuffled some papers on his desk and cleared his throat. "I've been thinking about her for a while. Her original origin states that when Krypton blew up, Argo City was launched skyward by the explosion—and completely intact without so much as a single vase tripped over—and survived inside an air bubble. In the city was born Kara Zor-El, daughter of Alura In-Ze and Zor-El, brother of Jor-El who is the father of Superman. When Zor-El learned that Argo was suffering from reverse kryptonite poisoning he sent his daughter to Earth in order to save her. When she arrived by rocket, Superman was overjoyed to find his cousin. She asked him if she would go to live with him but he said that that would imperil his secret identity. Thus he sent her to stay in an orphanage while she learned how to use her powers for a future career as Supergirl.
"I hope to get away from this. The idea of Argo surviving Krypton's destruction by such ludicrous means only to have the people die by reverse kryptonite seems silly."
Miller cynically said, "Reverse kryptonite? Did Mr. Mxyzptlik make it?"
"No," said Bates. "It had been established that kryptonite couldn't harm non-super Kryptonians so for glowing green rocks to kill the Argosians, it had to be reverse kryptonite. Getting back to the subject, I've been toying with Supergirl's origin on how we can update it. Maybe Zor-El left Krypton before it exploded and called all surviving Kryptonians to establish a colony. Maybe Zor-El and his family were in the bottle city of Kandor. Even so, Supergirl's classic origin has potential; unlike her cousin who was a baby when Krypton was destroyed, Supergirl was in her pre-teens when she saw her world dying all around her. She was old enough to remember all of it. As I recall Marv, you made a point of mentioning that in Crisis."
Wolfman grinned. "I did. Thanks for noticing."
"You're welcome! So instead of getting rid of the classic origin, we just modify it. Me and Maggin have already said that in our new vision of Superman, General Zod's attempts to take over Krypton will be a critical part of the origin story. Thus we could say that Argosian scientists had a defensive force field built around their city to repel General Zod's attacks and that when Zor-El learned that Krypton would blow up, he had the force field turned to maximum. Argo thus survived the explosion—albeit only barely—and went floating in space, serving as a refuge for survivors of Krypton who, of course, had been off planet.
"Superman eventually learns of Argo's survival but not in a good way; on Earth he receives a distress signal from a dying world. Argo's people are dying from some terrible malady; a terrible disease, they've gone stir crazy from cabin fever, a monster's on the loose. I don't know but I do know that Superman arrives too late to save anybody except for Kara. He promises his dying aunt and uncle to protect her.
"The two cousins arrive on Earth and, since Ma Kent is still alive in our new continuity, there is no need for Superman to leave Kara at an orphanage. He leaves her with his mother. She assumes a secret identity as Linda Lee Kent and trains in the use of her powers as Smallville's guardian angel. So yes, if you're keeping score Ma Kent and Smallville are taking the place of the Danvers and Midvale, Supergirl's foster parents and hometown in the old continuity. Among other things, I hope to give Ma Kent greater prominence; while we have done more for her in recent years, it'll be nice to give her, her due alongside Pa.
"As for Ma, as I've said earlier, she relishes the chance to raise a daughter and enjoys not only teaching her how to use her powers but also how to fit in into Earth society. In both fields, of course, she has experience in raising Clark. This will also make the two heroes closer; they were both raised by the same mother so don't think of themselves as cousins but as brother and sister. As both were raised in the same identity, both consider themselves Kents.
"Aside from that, I was thinking of saying that soon after this, Ma, whom Maggin and I have imagined will be the superhero community's collective mother, arranged for her new daughter to train with Wonder Woman and the Amazons. The logic is that the best person to train a superpowered female who is practically an Amazon is another superpowered female who actually is an Amazon. Supergirl, the princess of superheroines, thus has a niece/aunt, little sister/big sister relationship with Wonder Woman, the queen of superheroines. That of course is, if we have permission from the Perez team."
From his seat the man in charge of plotting and drawing Wonder Woman's comics for the foreseeable future sagely nodded. "That's a good idea. Very good in fact. If you're going to do it, you have my thumbs up."
Bates smiled and gave George Perez thumbs up. "As for where Supergirl is now, she died in the Crisis on Infinite Earths and is a perpetual broken heart for Superman. Like with Pa, and perhaps his Ma, he couldn't save her. All his power and he couldn't save her! Taking a page from Marvel, it's kind of like Captain America and Bucky. His dear sidekick, his buddy, his cousin, his little sister is dead and he blames himself for having let Kara—encouraged Kara—to become a heroine. The only family he had left is gone and he feels that it's all his fault."
Jenette Kahn heard this and put a hand to her chin. "Bates, Maggin, it was in Wolfman's story that Supergirl died but it was me that gave the final permission. I did so to show just how high the stakes in Crisis were. You have plans for reimagining Supergirl. Do you and Maggin also plan on bringing her back?"
Elliot S. Maggin looked at Bates and then to Kahn. "Actually no. We don't plan on reviving Supergirl; if we did it would lessen her sacrifice in Crisis and because it would negate the plans we have for her or rather the memory of her. We might do flashbacks and untold stories but no real revivals."
DC's commander-in-chief smiled. "Good. Folks, Crisis was the biggest story we've done yet and realistically the biggest story that we'll ever be able to do. Since remembering Supergirl's sacrifice is the best way to remember this I want it known that no writer may revive Supergirl for as long as I'm I charge. She will be a martyr of sorts, a symbol of all that was lost in the Crisis. A symbol that shows freedom isn't free. I'm not saying that she can't ever be revived, after all, I can't run DC forever. Who knows she might return as a Superwoman. And I'm not saying that until then someone else won't be able to make another Supergirl. What I am saying as that if Kara Zor-El died, we let her rest in peace.
Maggin grinned. "I couldn't have said it better myself."
To be continued…
Author's Notes and Replies: Once again a shoutout to Sir Thames, Lilyrose the Dreamer and everyone else.
Lilyrose: I am quite flattered by your last review. As a holder of a history degree and a traditionalist Catholic, I always have looked to the past and sought to build on what those gone before have left us, regardless of the field. Tradition is maintaining continuity with our ancestors and embracing them, knowing that you are their sons and they are your fathers. Or as Catholic author G.K. Chesterton said elsewhere, if something is old-fashioned, you know it's good because only by being that good can it survive long enough to become old-fashioned. So once again, thanks Lilyrose! ;)
And please review!