Superman: Red Son
Encyclopedia
Superman: Red Son is a three-issue prestige format
comic book
mini-series
published by DC Comics
that was released under their Elseworlds
imprint in April 2003. Author Mark Millar
created the comic with the premise "what if Superman
had been raised in the Soviet Union
?" It received critical acclaim and was nominated for the 2004 Eisner Award
for best limited series.
The story mixes alternate versions of DC super-heroes with alternate-reality versions of real political figures such as Joseph Stalin
and John F. Kennedy
. The series spans approximately 1953-2001, save for a futuristic epilogue.
In Red Son, Superman's rocket ship lands on a Ukrainian
collective farm
rather than in Kansas
, an implied reason being a small time difference (a handful of hours) from the original timeline, meaning Earth's rotation placed the Ukraine in the ship's path instead of Kansas. Instead of fighting for "...truth, justice, and the American Way", Superman is described in Soviet radio broadcasts "...as the Champion of the common worker who fights a never-ending battle for Stalin
, socialism
, and the international expansion of the Warsaw Pact
." His "secret identity" (i.e. the name his adoptive parents gave him) is a state secret.
By 1992, he had already developed many of the plot points:
Grant Morrison
has given interviews about giving good friend Mark Millar the idea of sending Superman back to the past, as was used in the end of Red Son.
Certain images from the series are taken from famous comic book covers or panels. A splash panel from the first issue references Superman's pose on the cover of Superman #1. Also, a panel showing the riots in the U.S. mimics the famous cover to Action Comics
#1.
. The sudden revelation of a superpowered alien under Soviet control causes panic in the United States
, turning the nuclear arms race
into a superbeing arms race. CIA
Agent Jim Olsen
recruits Lex Luthor
, a scientist employed by S.T.A.R. Labs
to destroy Superman.
Luthor causes Sputnik 2
to plummet towards Metropolis
. After Superman diverts the satelite away from the city, Luthor retrieves the alien's genetic material from the spacecraft and creates a clone of Superman named Bizarro
.
Meanwhile, Superman meets Wonder Woman
at a diplomatic party, and she becomes smitten by him.
Pyotr Roslov
, Chief of the NKVD
and Stalin's illegitimate son is angry at Superman for turning his father's attention away from him and ending his chances of advancement. Pyotr shoots a dissident couple in front of their son for printing anti-Superman propaganda. Stalin dies from cyanide poisoning, and Superman initially refuses command of the Party. A chance meeting with Lana Lazarenko
, his childhood sweetheart, changes his mind. He chooses to use his powers for the greater good and turn his country into a utopia.
Bizzaro engages Superman, and their duel causes an accidental nuclear missile launch in Great Britain. The clone sacrifices itself to save millions. Luthor murders his research staff at S.T.A.R Labs and founds LuthorCorp. He dedicates his life to destroying Superman. Luthor later reveals he was motivated because Bizzaro beat him at chess.
Many years later, in 1978, The United States is on the verge of collapse. The Soviet Union is prospering greatly and has peacefully expanded its influence nearly everywhere in the world. The cost of this progress is an increased infringement on individual liberties, with Superman fast becoming a Big Brother
-like figure. A brain surgery technique that turns dissidents into obedient drones, or "Superman Robots
", is in use.
Wonder Woman and Superman have now become a duo, using their superpowers to save lives in addition to their ambassadorial and governing duties. Wonder Woman has become enamored of Superman, but he considers her simply as a comrade, and is oblivious to her love for him.
Luthor plans to shrink Moscow, but this fails when Brainiac
, his collaborator, shrinks Stalingrad instead. Superman intervenes and retrieves both Brainiac's central processing unit and the tiny city, putting an end to the Brainiac-Luthor cooperation. He is unable to restore Stalingrad and its inhabitants to their proper size. This becomes his one failure and a source of great guilt.
Luthor's second plan involves Batman
, who is revealed as the boy orphaned by Pyotr. Batman joins forces with LuthorCorp and Pyotr, now head of the KGB
. They capture Wonder Woman and use her as bait for Superman, hoping to sap his powers with rays that imitate the light of Superman's native sun. The plan works, but Wonder Woman breaks free and rescues Superman, seriously injured herself. Batman commits suicide, and Pyotr is turned into a Superman Robot.
As the part ends, Luthor's third plan begins, when Luthor is given a mysterious green lantern
found in an alien ship that crashed at Roswell
. Brainiac is reprogrammed into Superman's aide, and the construction of a Fortress of Solitude
, located in Siberia and referred to as "The Winter Palace", begins.
By 2001, and the Global Soviet Union encompasses all countries except for the divided remnants of the United States of America. Within the Soviet sphere of influence there is no crime, no poverty, no unemployment, but ever present state authority. Superman is committed to "winning the argument" with the U.S., and repeatedly refuses Brainiac's suggestions of an invasion. His sole failure remains Stalingrad, now contained within a protective glass "bottle".
Luthor wins the American presidency, with Jimmy Olsen as his running-mate. Using his scientific expertise, massive economic capital and dictatorial powers, he returns prosperity to his country. This is only a part of a more general plan to provoke Superman into invading America. Luthor shows Olsen two of his greatest discoveries. One is the Phantom Zone, a place that super-hearing cannot reach. The second is the birth of the Green Lantern Corps.
Luthor confronts Superman in the Winter Palace. Brainiac yanks Luthor deep into the recesses of the Fortress to be converted surgically into a Superman Robot, claiming that Lex would convince Superman to commit suicide in less than fourteen minutes. Superman agrees that his hand has been forced, and prepares to attack.
First Lady Lois Luthor visits Themyscira to forge an alliance with the Amazon empire, now ruled by an embittered and vengeful Wonder Woman. Superman attacks the East Coast, confronting and defeating the Green Lantern Marine Corps, which is led by Colonel Hal Jordan
. The Amazon forces, commanded by Wonder Woman, attack Superman but are quickly defeated, along with a collection of "super-menaces" (including Atomic Skull
, Parasite
and Doomsday
) that Luthor has put together over the years. Brainiac's spaceship cuts the U.S. Pacific fleet to pieces, and the two superbeings meet at the White House
. They are greeted by Lois Luthor with the last weapon, a small note written by Lex that reads, "Why don't you just put the whole world in a bottle, Superman?"
Realizing he has meddled in affairs that he had no place in, Superman orders Brainiac to end the invasion. The robot attacks Superman with green radiation (analogous to green kryptonite
). Braniac is shut down by Luthor, who evaded surgery. As the singularities
powering Brainiac's ship threaten to collapse, Superman rockets it into space, where it explodes. The Earth is saved, but Superman is thought dead.
The Soviet Union falls into chaos, but is soon brought back under control thanks to the Batmen (resistance members who began wearing the costume after Batman's death). Lex Luthor integrates many of Superman's and Braniac's ideas into the new philosophy of "Luthorism" and forms a "Global United States". This becomes the defining moment for mankind's future as it enters an unprecedented age of peace and stability. A benevolent world government is formed and maintained. Luthor presides over a string of scientific achievements, including the curing of all known disease, and colonization of the solar system. Lex Luthor lives for over two thousand years. At his funeral, it is revealed that Superman survived and is apparently immortal. He plans to live among the humans rather than ruling over them.
Billions of years in the future, it is revealed that Earth is being torn apart by tidal stresses from the sun, which has become a red giant
. Luthor's distant decendant, Jor-L, sends his infant son, Kal-L, rocketing back into the past. The final panels of the comic book depict the landing of Kal-L's timeship in a Ukrainian collective in 1938, effectively causing a predestination paradox
.
Earths, each of which represents a different incarnation of the standard DC comics characters. Indeed, the Red Son Superman has made appearances in other comics, notably near the end of the fifth issue of Infinite Crisis
as well as in Superman/Batman
#22-#23. This version of Superman also has strong resemblances to other variants such as the "Golden Age" Superman, who lived on Earth-Two prior to its destruction in the Crisis on Infinite Earths
. Both share the name Kal-L
, as opposed to "Kal-El", the name of both the pre-crisis Earth-One and modern versions. Red Son Superman is also extremely powerful, as was the Pre-Crisis
Superman, and wields a number of super-abilities including such mainstays as super-strength, -hearing, and -sight, flight, and heat vision. He is also depicted as much more intelligent than the average human and is something of a "super-scientist." With the exception of "red sun radiation", which reduces him to a "normal" (or at least vulnerable) level, he has no apparent weaknesses.
Kryptonite
is never mentioned, although Brainiac attacks Superman with unnamed green energy near the end of "Red Son Setting". Kryptonite likely does not exist in the Red Son universe because the planet Krypton, where Kryptonite comes from, is revealed to be a future version of Earth.
The universe of Superman: Red Son is considered one of the 52 Earths of the current DC Multiverse. Specifically, Red Son is Earth-30, and was visited briefly by the Challengers From Beyond
in Countdown #32, where they spotted the Soviet Superman and left immediately. It is revisited in the one-shot, Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer: Red Son, where the Challengers, Donna Troy
, Kyle Rayner
, Jason Todd
, and Bob the Monitor assist Batman in saving Ray Palmer and subduing Wonder Woman before confronting Superman in Siberia. Despite their combined efforts, events play out exactly as they did in Red Son #2, with Batman imprisoning Superman briefly under red sun lamps, and detonating the bomb in his intestine upon his escape. The Challengers are captured and almost converted into Superman robots before the Atom threatens to destroy Stalingrad if his friends are not released. They are allowed to leave.
The Superman of Earth-30 is later seen with an army of Superman analogues in Final Crisis
#7.
, with an introduction by Tom DeSanto
:
It has also been collected into a hardcover Deluxe Edition:
, with a new episode being released every week beginning in late July 2009. The Superman: Red Son motion comic was animated by New Zealand-based Karactaz Animation and received good reviews from the motion comics community.
Prestige format
Prestige format is a term coined by DC Comics and later came into wider use to refer to a square-bound comic book with cardstock covers. A prestige format comic book is usually longer than a normal, stapled 32-page comic...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
mini-series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
that was released under their Elseworlds
Elseworlds
Elseworlds is the publication imprint for a group of comic books produced by DC Comics that take place outside the company's canon. According to its tagline: "In Elseworlds, heroes are taken from their usual settings and put into strange times and places — some that have existed, and others...
imprint in April 2003. Author Mark Millar
Mark Millar
Mark Millar is a Scottish comic book writer, known for his work on books such as The Authority, The Ultimates, Marvel Knights Spider-Man, Ultimate Fantastic Four, Civil War, Wanted, and Kick-Ass, the latter two of which have been adapted into feature films...
created the comic with the premise "what if Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
had been raised in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
?" It received critical acclaim and was nominated for the 2004 Eisner Award
Eisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
for best limited series.
The story mixes alternate versions of DC super-heroes with alternate-reality versions of real political figures such as Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
and John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. The series spans approximately 1953-2001, save for a futuristic epilogue.
In Red Son, Superman's rocket ship lands on a Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
collective farm
Kolkhoz
A kolkhoz , plural kolkhozy, was a form of collective farming in the Soviet Union that existed along with state farms . The word is a contraction of коллекти́вное хозя́йство, or "collective farm", while sovkhoz is a contraction of советское хозяйство...
rather than in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, an implied reason being a small time difference (a handful of hours) from the original timeline, meaning Earth's rotation placed the Ukraine in the ship's path instead of Kansas. Instead of fighting for "...truth, justice, and the American Way", Superman is described in Soviet radio broadcasts "...as the Champion of the common worker who fights a never-ending battle for Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
, socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
, and the international expansion of the Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
." His "secret identity" (i.e. the name his adoptive parents gave him) is a state secret.
Publication history
The ideas that made up the story came together over a long stretch of time. Millar has stated:By 1992, he had already developed many of the plot points:
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
has given interviews about giving good friend Mark Millar the idea of sending Superman back to the past, as was used in the end of Red Son.
Certain images from the series are taken from famous comic book covers or panels. A splash panel from the first issue references Superman's pose on the cover of Superman #1. Also, a panel showing the riots in the U.S. mimics the famous cover to Action Comics
Action Comics
Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
#1.
Story
In the 1950s, the Soviet Union unveils its newest asset, Superman. He is dedicated to truth, justice, and CommunismCommunism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
. The sudden revelation of a superpowered alien under Soviet control causes panic in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, turning the nuclear arms race
Nuclear arms race
The nuclear arms race was a competition for supremacy in nuclear warfare between the United States, the Soviet Union, and their respective allies during the Cold War...
into a superbeing arms race. CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
Agent Jim Olsen
Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character who appears mainly in DC Comics’ Superman stories. Olsen is a young photojournalist working for the Daily Planet. He is close friends with Lois Lane, Clark Kent/Superman and Perry White...
recruits Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
, a scientist employed by S.T.A.R. Labs
S.T.A.R. Labs
S.T.A.R. Labs, is a fictional research facility, and comic book organization appearing in titles published by DC Comics. They first appeared in Superman vol. 1 #246 , and was created by Cary Bates and Rich Buckler.-Publication history:...
to destroy Superman.
Luthor causes Sputnik 2
Sputnik 2
Sputnik 2 , or Prosteyshiy Sputnik 2 ), was the second spacecraft launched into Earth orbit, on November 3, 1957, and the first to carry a living animal, a dog named Laika. Sputnik 2 was a 4-meter high cone-shaped capsule with a base diameter of 2 meters...
to plummet towards Metropolis
Metropolis (comics)
Metropolis is a fictional city that appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and is the home of Superman. Metropolis first appeared by name in Action Comics #16 ....
. After Superman diverts the satelite away from the city, Luthor retrieves the alien's genetic material from the spacecraft and creates a clone of Superman named Bizarro
Bizarro
Bizarro is a fictional character that appears in publications published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman and first appeared in Superboy #68...
.
Meanwhile, Superman meets Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
at a diplomatic party, and she becomes smitten by him.
Pyotr Roslov
Pete Ross
Peter Joseph "Pete" Ross is a fictional character who appears in the Superman comic books published by DC Comics. He was introduced in Superboy #86 .-Pre-Crisis:...
, Chief of the NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
and Stalin's illegitimate son is angry at Superman for turning his father's attention away from him and ending his chances of advancement. Pyotr shoots a dissident couple in front of their son for printing anti-Superman propaganda. Stalin dies from cyanide poisoning, and Superman initially refuses command of the Party. A chance meeting with Lana Lazarenko
Lana Lang
Lana Lang is a fictional supporting character in DC Comics' Superman series. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist John Sikela, the character first appears in Superboy #10...
, his childhood sweetheart, changes his mind. He chooses to use his powers for the greater good and turn his country into a utopia.
Bizzaro engages Superman, and their duel causes an accidental nuclear missile launch in Great Britain. The clone sacrifices itself to save millions. Luthor murders his research staff at S.T.A.R Labs and founds LuthorCorp. He dedicates his life to destroying Superman. Luthor later reveals he was motivated because Bizzaro beat him at chess.
Many years later, in 1978, The United States is on the verge of collapse. The Soviet Union is prospering greatly and has peacefully expanded its influence nearly everywhere in the world. The cost of this progress is an increased infringement on individual liberties, with Superman fast becoming a Big Brother
Big Brother (1984)
Big Brother is a fictional character in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. He is the enigmatic dictator of Oceania, a totalitarian state taken to its utmost logical consequence – where the ruling Party wields total power for its own sake over the inhabitants.In the society that Orwell...
-like figure. A brain surgery technique that turns dissidents into obedient drones, or "Superman Robots
Superman robots
Superman robots are fictional robots from the DC Comics Universe. The robots resembled Superman in appearance and abilities.-Silver Age versions:...
", is in use.
Wonder Woman and Superman have now become a duo, using their superpowers to save lives in addition to their ambassadorial and governing duties. Wonder Woman has become enamored of Superman, but he considers her simply as a comrade, and is oblivious to her love for him.
Luthor plans to shrink Moscow, but this fails when Brainiac
Brainiac (comics)
Brainiac is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #242 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
, his collaborator, shrinks Stalingrad instead. Superman intervenes and retrieves both Brainiac's central processing unit and the tiny city, putting an end to the Brainiac-Luthor cooperation. He is unable to restore Stalingrad and its inhabitants to their proper size. This becomes his one failure and a source of great guilt.
Luthor's second plan involves Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, who is revealed as the boy orphaned by Pyotr. Batman joins forces with LuthorCorp and Pyotr, now head of the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
. They capture Wonder Woman and use her as bait for Superman, hoping to sap his powers with rays that imitate the light of Superman's native sun. The plan works, but Wonder Woman breaks free and rescues Superman, seriously injured herself. Batman commits suicide, and Pyotr is turned into a Superman Robot.
As the part ends, Luthor's third plan begins, when Luthor is given a mysterious green lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
found in an alien ship that crashed at Roswell
Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County in the southeastern quarter of the state of New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,366 at the 2010 census. It is a center for irrigation farming, dairying, ranching, manufacturing, distribution, and petroleum production. It is also...
. Brainiac is reprogrammed into Superman's aide, and the construction of a Fortress of Solitude
Fortress of Solitude
The Fortress of Solitude is the occasional headquarters of Superman in DC Comics. Its predecessor, Superman's "Secret Citadel", first appeared in Superman #17, where it was said to be built into a mountain on the outskirts of Metropolis...
, located in Siberia and referred to as "The Winter Palace", begins.
By 2001, and the Global Soviet Union encompasses all countries except for the divided remnants of the United States of America. Within the Soviet sphere of influence there is no crime, no poverty, no unemployment, but ever present state authority. Superman is committed to "winning the argument" with the U.S., and repeatedly refuses Brainiac's suggestions of an invasion. His sole failure remains Stalingrad, now contained within a protective glass "bottle".
Luthor wins the American presidency, with Jimmy Olsen as his running-mate. Using his scientific expertise, massive economic capital and dictatorial powers, he returns prosperity to his country. This is only a part of a more general plan to provoke Superman into invading America. Luthor shows Olsen two of his greatest discoveries. One is the Phantom Zone, a place that super-hearing cannot reach. The second is the birth of the Green Lantern Corps.
Luthor confronts Superman in the Winter Palace. Brainiac yanks Luthor deep into the recesses of the Fortress to be converted surgically into a Superman Robot, claiming that Lex would convince Superman to commit suicide in less than fourteen minutes. Superman agrees that his hand has been forced, and prepares to attack.
First Lady Lois Luthor visits Themyscira to forge an alliance with the Amazon empire, now ruled by an embittered and vengeful Wonder Woman. Superman attacks the East Coast, confronting and defeating the Green Lantern Marine Corps, which is led by Colonel Hal Jordan
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan is a DC Comics superhero known as Green Lantern, the first human shown to join the Green Lantern Corps and a founding member of the Justice League of America. Jordan is the second DC Comics character to adopt the Green Lantern moniker...
. The Amazon forces, commanded by Wonder Woman, attack Superman but are quickly defeated, along with a collection of "super-menaces" (including Atomic Skull
Atomic Skull
Atomic Skull is the name of two different DC Comics supervillains.-Albert Michaels:Albert Michaels was a brilliant but distinctly unfriendly scientist-administrator at S.T.A.R. Labs with a rare nervous system disorder that short-circuited the electrical impulses in his brain, creating painful and...
, Parasite
Parasite (comics)
The Parasite is the name of several fictional characters that appears in Superman comic book stories published by DC Comics. A supervillain, Parasite has the ability to temporarily absorb the energy, knowledge and super-powers of another being by touch, making him a formidable foe for the Man of...
and Doomsday
Doomsday (comics)
Doomsday is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in Superman: The Man of Steel #18 , and was created by writer-artist Dan Jurgens. IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time ranked Doomsday as #46...
) that Luthor has put together over the years. Brainiac's spaceship cuts the U.S. Pacific fleet to pieces, and the two superbeings meet at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. They are greeted by Lois Luthor with the last weapon, a small note written by Lex that reads, "Why don't you just put the whole world in a bottle, Superman?"
Realizing he has meddled in affairs that he had no place in, Superman orders Brainiac to end the invasion. The robot attacks Superman with green radiation (analogous to green kryptonite
Kryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material from the Superman mythos —the ore form of a radioactive element from Superman's home planet of Krypton. It is famous for being the ultimate physical weakness of Superman, and the word kryptonite has since become synonymous with an Achilles' heel —the one weakness...
). Braniac is shut down by Luthor, who evaded surgery. As the singularities
Gravitational singularity
A gravitational singularity or spacetime singularity is a location where the quantities that are used to measure the gravitational field become infinite in a way that does not depend on the coordinate system...
powering Brainiac's ship threaten to collapse, Superman rockets it into space, where it explodes. The Earth is saved, but Superman is thought dead.
The Soviet Union falls into chaos, but is soon brought back under control thanks to the Batmen (resistance members who began wearing the costume after Batman's death). Lex Luthor integrates many of Superman's and Braniac's ideas into the new philosophy of "Luthorism" and forms a "Global United States". This becomes the defining moment for mankind's future as it enters an unprecedented age of peace and stability. A benevolent world government is formed and maintained. Luthor presides over a string of scientific achievements, including the curing of all known disease, and colonization of the solar system. Lex Luthor lives for over two thousand years. At his funeral, it is revealed that Superman survived and is apparently immortal. He plans to live among the humans rather than ruling over them.
Billions of years in the future, it is revealed that Earth is being torn apart by tidal stresses from the sun, which has become a red giant
Red giant
A red giant is a luminous giant star of low or intermediate mass in a late phase of stellar evolution. The outer atmosphere is inflated and tenuous, making the radius immense and the surface temperature low, somewhere from 5,000 K and lower...
. Luthor's distant decendant, Jor-L, sends his infant son, Kal-L, rocketing back into the past. The final panels of the comic book depict the landing of Kal-L's timeship in a Ukrainian collective in 1938, effectively causing a predestination paradox
Predestination paradox
A predestination paradox is a paradox of time travel that is often used as a convention in science fiction. It exists when a time traveller is caught in a loop of events that "predestines" or "predates" them to travel back in time...
.
Continuity in the DC Universe
Although told as an Elseworlds tale, the characters and their universe are part of the greater DC Comics continuum. According to DC editors, the Red Son universe is one of the new post-5252 (comics)
52 was a weekly American comic book limited series published by DC Comics that debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. The series was written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid with layouts by Keith Giffen...
Earths, each of which represents a different incarnation of the standard DC comics characters. Indeed, the Red Son Superman has made appearances in other comics, notably near the end of the fifth issue of Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
as well as in Superman/Batman
Superman/Batman
Superman/Batman was a monthly comic book series published by DC Comics that features the publisher's two most popular characters: Batman and Superman...
#22-#23. This version of Superman also has strong resemblances to other variants such as the "Golden Age" Superman, who lived on Earth-Two prior to its destruction in the Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
. Both share the name Kal-L
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, as opposed to "Kal-El", the name of both the pre-crisis Earth-One and modern versions. Red Son Superman is also extremely powerful, as was the Pre-Crisis
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
Superman, and wields a number of super-abilities including such mainstays as super-strength, -hearing, and -sight, flight, and heat vision. He is also depicted as much more intelligent than the average human and is something of a "super-scientist." With the exception of "red sun radiation", which reduces him to a "normal" (or at least vulnerable) level, he has no apparent weaknesses.
Kryptonite
Kryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material from the Superman mythos —the ore form of a radioactive element from Superman's home planet of Krypton. It is famous for being the ultimate physical weakness of Superman, and the word kryptonite has since become synonymous with an Achilles' heel —the one weakness...
is never mentioned, although Brainiac attacks Superman with unnamed green energy near the end of "Red Son Setting". Kryptonite likely does not exist in the Red Son universe because the planet Krypton, where Kryptonite comes from, is revealed to be a future version of Earth.
The universe of Superman: Red Son is considered one of the 52 Earths of the current DC Multiverse. Specifically, Red Son is Earth-30, and was visited briefly by the Challengers From Beyond
Challengers of the Unknown
The Challengers of the Unknown is a group of fictional characters in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, or co-created with Dave Wood , this quartet of adventurers explored science fictional and apparent paranormal occurrences and faced fantastic menaces.Scripts for the first...
in Countdown #32, where they spotted the Soviet Superman and left immediately. It is revisited in the one-shot, Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer: Red Son, where the Challengers, Donna Troy
Donna Troy
Donna Troy is a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics. She first appeared in The Brave and the Bold vol. 1 #60 , and was created by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani...
, Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by DC Comics, usually in those starring the Green Lantern Corps, an extraterrestrial police force of which Rayner is a member. Created by writer Ron Marz and artist Darryl Banks, Rayner first appeared in Green Lantern vol...
, Jason Todd
Jason Todd
Jason Peter Todd is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Jason first appeared in Batman #357 and became the second Robin, sidekick to the superhero Batman, when the previous Robin went on to star in The New Teen Titans under the moniker of Nightwing.Though...
, and Bob the Monitor assist Batman in saving Ray Palmer and subduing Wonder Woman before confronting Superman in Siberia. Despite their combined efforts, events play out exactly as they did in Red Son #2, with Batman imprisoning Superman briefly under red sun lamps, and detonating the bomb in his intestine upon his escape. The Challengers are captured and almost converted into Superman robots before the Atom threatens to destroy Stalingrad if his friends are not released. They are allowed to leave.
The Superman of Earth-30 is later seen with an army of Superman analogues in Final Crisis
Final Crisis
Final Crisis is a crossover storyline that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics in 2008, primarily the seven-issue miniseries of the same name written by Grant Morrison. Originally DC announced the project as being illustrated solely by J. G. Jones; artists Carlos Pacheco, Marco Rudy and...
#7.
Collected editions
The story has been collected into a trade paperbackTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
, with an introduction by Tom DeSanto
Tom DeSanto
Tom DeSanto is an American film producer and screenwriter. DeSanto is best known for his work with long time friend Bryan Singer, especially with his contributions to the first two X-Men movies.-Education:...
:
- Superman: Red Son (160 pages, DC Comics, February 2004, ISBN 1-4012-0191-1, Titan BooksTitan BooksTitan Publishing Group is an independently owned publishing company, established in 1981. It is based at offices in London, England's Bankside area. The Books Division has two main areas of publishing: film & TV tie-ins/cinema reference books; and graphic novels and comics reference/art titles. The...
, March 2004, ISBN 1840238011)
It has also been collected into a hardcover Deluxe Edition:
- Superman: Red Son (168 pages, DC Comics, November 2009, ISBN 1-4012-2425-3, Titan Books, December 2009, ISBN 1848564317)
Action figures
Figures based on characters from the series include Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, President Superman and Green Lantern. A boxset was released in 2008 featuring Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and a remoulded Bizarro.Motion comics
As part of its motion comics series, DC/Warner released a 12-part adaptation of the story on iTunesITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
, with a new episode being released every week beginning in late July 2009. The Superman: Red Son motion comic was animated by New Zealand-based Karactaz Animation and received good reviews from the motion comics community.