Warning: Spoilers for Action Comics #1078As an infant,Supermanwas sent off-world prior to Krypton’s destruction, so he never got to grow up among other Kryptonians. Luckily, his access to the Bottle City of Kandor has allowed him to experience Krypton after its untimely demise. Now, in a shocking upheaval to his status quo, Superman is officially exiled from Kandor forever.
InAction Comics#1078 by Mark Waid, Clayton Henry, Michael Shelfer, Matt Herms, and Dave Sharpe, Superman’s fight against Aethyr culminates in the imminentdestruction of the Phantom Zone. In an effort to save the prisoners' lives, Superman decides to empty the Zone before it’s too late. However, Bry-Zan - Kandor’s new head of the Science Council - takes issue with this act.
Bry-Zan informs Superman that if he does free the Phantom Zone prisoners, he will be permanently exiled from Kandor.This banishment would prevent Superman from interacting with the people of Krypton, effectively stripping away his final link to his heritage.
Superman Is Exiled From Kandor, Severing His Connection to Krypton
Superman’s Fellow Kryptonians Reject Him in a Lore-Changing Twist
Superman’s choice to release the Phantom Zone prisoners isn’t an unfounded one, and it’s easy to understand why he’s chosen them over Krypton. With Aethyr’s vile deedstransforming the Phantom Zone into nightmare fuel, the inhabitants will die if they aren’t released from the prison dimension. Regardless of the crimes they’ve committed, Superman refuses to stand by and allow that to happen, so he plans to release them on aplanet with a red sunthat can diminish their powers.The residents of the Bottle City of Kandor, namely Bry-Zan, oppose Superman’s decision to free the prisoners because it goes against the Science Council’s ruling.
Superman Is Set to Risk Another Flashpoint With His Most Selfish Move in DC History
Superman tries to prevent his birth parents' death in the destruction of Krypton, potentially endangering the entire DC Universe by rewriting history.
ThePhantom Zoneis essentially a dumping ground for Krypton’s worst criminals, and on behalf of the last remaining Kryptonian civilization, Bry-Zan doesn’t want those criminals running amok. If the Science Council has subjected them to imprisonment, then she wants that sentencing to remain intact. Superman, on the other hand, would rather save all lives - villain or otherwise. This stance pits him against his own people, and he’s forced to defy them in a heartbreaking moment. As Bry-Zan threatens to exile him,Superman adheres to his moral code, even if it means losing all that remains of his home world.
Without Kandor, Superman Loses Touch With His Kryptonian Heritage
The Bottle City of Kandor’s Significance to Superman Makes Its Loss Hit Harder
TheBottle City of Kandoris a sacred part of Superman’s lore, as it grants him the chance to visit Krypton outside of flashbacks andtime travel excursions to the planet’s past. First appearing in 1958’sAction Comics#242 by Otto Binder and drawn by Al Plastino, this shrunken version of a Kryptonian city was salvaged by Superman from Brainiac.Kandor serves as the last surviving piece of Krypton in the aftermath of its destruction, and Superman has long preserved it in his Fortress of Solitude. Now, though, the Last Son of Krypton will never walk among his fellow Kryptonians again.
The Kryptonians of the Bottle City of Kandor recently had Superman’s back during the battle against the Brainiac Queen inAbsolute Power#2 by Mark Waid and Dan Mora, available now from DC Comics!
Kandor’s significance to all Kryptonians goes without saying, thanks to its status as a “Noah’s ark” for those who managed to evade the planet’s explosion. In addition to that, as Supergirl explains to Jon in this issue, Kandor holds deep sentimental value for Superman. She says,“The Kandorians were the first to make Kal feel a little less lonely.“Superman spent his childhoodon Earth with no memories of his home planet, so paying visits to Kandor and interacting with its residents enables him to experience the Kryptonian life he was deprived of. His exile from Kandor cuts him off from his culture, leaving him alone once again.
Superman’s Kryptonian Allies On Earth Prevent Him From Feeling Alone
Superman Is No Longer Earth’s Only Kryptonian - But Is That Enough?
Kandor may be Superman’s last tether to the planet Krypton in terms of surroundings, but he also hasfellow Kryptonians on Earthwho assuage his loneliness and keep him from being the true last of his kind.Supergirl is the most notable example, as she grew up on Krypton before being sent to Earth like he was. Her biological relationship to Clark, as well as her knowledge of Krypton, helps him reconnect with his Kryptonian side in a tangible way.Superman isn’t entirely disconnected to Krypton as Bry-Zan implies, because he still has his Kryptonian family beside him.
Without Kandor, Superman might never feel a genuine sense of belonging with his people again.
Still, that family isn’t necessarily enough to fill the void inside of Superman, as Supergirl herself is aware. Superman’s loneliness existed prior to meeting Kara for the first time, and it continues to persist even after she’s entered his life. The fact of the matter is,Superman is defined by the loneliness that growing up as an outsider on Earth has instilled within him. Walking among Kryptonians on his planet’s remnants is the only thing that can truly relieve that sense of homesickness, and without Kandor,Supermanmight never feel a genuine sense of belonging with his people again.
Action Comics#1078is available now from DC Comics.
Superman
The icon who launched the entire world of superheroes, the last son of Krypton escaped his dying world to crash land on Earth and be raised as Clark Kent. The world knows him better as Superman, the Man of Steel, the leader of the Justice League, and the most well-known hero in the DC Comics Universe. Blessed with the powers of a demigod, Kal-El of Krypton fights enemies both small and cosmic in his endless pursuit of truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.
