Warning! Preview pages ahead for Absolute Superman #10!Fans may think they’ve seen the most tragic spin onSuperman’sorigin, but a new twist just made it more dire than before.Absolute Supermanhasn’t held backfrom putting a darker spin on the Man of Steel’s mythos, especially when it comes to the final fate of Superman’s home planet, Krypton.
While readers have already seen the final destruction of Krypton, a new preview revisits the planet’s last moments, showing how the devastation wasn’t just impacting the Kryptonian race, but the natural wildlife as well. Krypton’s final days are never a pleasant story, butAbsolute Supermanjust madethe final fate of Krypton that much worse.
Absolute SupermanShow’s Krypton’s Violent Final Hours
It Was Every Man and Beast for Themselves on Superman’s Home Planet
In a preview forAbsolute Superman #10by Jason Aaron and Rafael Albuquerque, a flashback takes readers back to Krypton. Deep beneath the Redlands, Superman’s father, Jor-El, is desperately searching for several miners who are trapped in the caverns. He finds them and assures them things are going to be okay. However, Jor-El discovers they’re not alone down there.
Out of nowhere, one of the miners is taken away by a hungry magmole, a creature native to the underground of Krypton. Jor-El is incredibly confused as magmoles never tunnel far above the mantle, and they don’t have a history of attacking people. Jor-El and the miners ready themselves for another attack, knowing the magmole could be back any second.
The entire thing is perplexing Jor-El. He muses that something must have disturbed the natural order, causing the magmoles to act erratically out of fear and hunger. Unfortunately, Jor-El’s scientific curiosity has to wait as the magmole has indeed returned. But the beast isn’t alone as it’s brought several other monsters who are similarly looking for something to eat.
The fearsome beasts encircle the miners, ready to turn the Kryptonians into their next meal. Despite his usual pacifistic nature, Jor-El realizes he needs to do whatever he can to see his son again. Jor-El picks up an ax like the other miners and readies himself for a fight, calling out for a nearby drone to activate its lava guns.
From Ignored Science to Alien Invasions, It’s Always a Tragedy
Though Krypton plays arelatively small role in Superman’s lore, stories have revisited what caused the planet’s destruction over the years. One of the oldest explanations simply said that the planet died of old age. But as time went on, creators dug into Kryptonian history and made stories that elaborated on the series of events that led to Krypton’s destruction.
TheMan of Steelseries stated that radiation from within the planet’s core caused Krypton’s ultimate destruction. Other stories had Krypton’s over-mining and exploitation of natural resources, spurred on by the Science Guild as the cause of the planet’s untimely death. 2018Supermanrun even introduced Rogol Zaar, a villain who claimed to be the true perpetrator behind Krypton’s destruction.
There really is no consistency to how Superman’s home planet ended up dying. But whether it was because of ignored warnings or an outside threat, the end result is always the same. Baby Kal-El is rocketed away from the planet and sent to Earth in the hopes that a small spark of Krypton can live on.
Absolute SupermanShowcases the True Horror of End Times
When Desperation Grows Stronger, It Changes Everything
Absolute Supermanhas technically already shown readers how the planet died (exploiting the natural landscape for the benefit of the upper echelon). But it chose to revisit this particular moment for a reason. Here, readers get to see something that’s usually left out of stories like this; namely, the horrific ways living beings adapt when desperation hits.
Jor-El notices that the magmoles aren’t stalking and killing the Kryptonians for fun. Something has gone wrong in their natural habitat, and they’re scared and hungry. They’re the first to sense that their way of life has changed, and they have to change in order to survive. And much like the magmoles, Jor-El changes at this moment too.
Jor-El is a thinker, not a fighter, but with the planet changing and his life on the line, Jor-El becomes willing to take a life if that’s what it means to see his son again. The tragedy of Krypton is one fans have seen plenty of times, but rarely has a story shown the psychological effects of such an event.
The story of Superman’s home planet is often used as a wake-up call to remind readers that what happened to Clark’s planet could happen to any society. As the climate worsens and political environments become more tense, this retelling ofSuperman’sorigin serves as less of a story and more of a grim warning.
