"The Last Son of Krypton"

"The Last Son of Krypton" is the three-part series premiere of Superman: The Animated Series. It depicts the origin of Superman. Finding that the planet Krypton is on the verge of destruction and unable to convince its populace of his theory, scientist Jor-El sends his infant son to Earth, where he is found and raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent. On Earth, Clark Kent, as he's been named, discovers that he possesses amazing powers. After arriving in Metropolis, he adopts the name Superman and becomes Earth's greatest hero. His first adventure pits him against John Corben, a mercenary using a battle suit developed by the powerful businessman Lex Luthor.

Plot[]

Part I[]

On the distant planet of Krypton, Jor-El conducts research in a desolate northern region. After descending into a massive icy cave to gather final subterranean readings, he is suddenly attacked by a giant amoeba-like monster. He manages to escape the creature and return to his spaceship. Just as he enters the command room, Brainiac, Krypton's highly advanced AI, appears on the screen and requests the data Jor-El has collected. Having expressed his dislike for Brainiac spying on him with his satellites, Jor-El downloads the data. Soon after, his bad mood is dispelled by the appearance of his infant son, Kal-El. He then meets his wife, Lara, who is upset over the ending of their five-month expedition, fearing that when they return home, Jor-El's apocalyptic assumption about Krypton's fate might be true. Jor-El reassures her, saying that the truth can only help.

Back at home, Jor-El examines the data, which only reinforces his opinion that Krypton is on the verge of destruction. Meanwhile, his father-in-law, Sul-Van, warns Lara that if her husband continues to predict the end of the world, it might be the end of his political and professional career, as he has no supporters in the ruling Council. As they talk, Jor-El enters the room, and during a brief argument with Sul-Van, he is warned that unless Brainiac supports his theory at the upcoming Council hearing, his career will be over. Just as Sul-Van says this, an earthquake occurs, causing the local populace to panic.

Later, Jor-El reports his discovery to Krypton's Council, insisting that the planet's core is undergoing a mounting chain reaction that will eventually destroy it. However, the Council members are dismissive and suggest asking what Brainiac thinks of Jor-El's conclusion. Brainiac appears on screen and states that, despite Jor-El's hard work, he is ultimately mistaken. According to Brainiac, Krypton is only undergoing a slight polar shift, thus causing the earthquakes. Jor-El is outraged at Brainiac's apparent lie, warning the Council that their blind dependence on him will only doom them all. He urges them to act immediately, but they refuse to listen and leave after hearing Jor-El's proposal: to send the entire Kryptonian population into the Phantom Zone, a penal dimension housing convicted criminals, and then send one person to another planet to later release all the others.

That night, Jor-El watches his little son playing nearby and tells Lara that he needs to see Brainiac to understand why he is lying. Lara, annoyed by his stubbornness to prove himself right and that he cannot spend time with her, berates him, saying that his theories are more destructive than he can imagine. After that, arriving at Brainiac's main center to find out the truth, Jor-El becomes even more suspicious when Brainiac denies him access to the satellites to check what task is being performed in them. Brainiac only states that he is relocating security files, to which Jor-El decides to try to bypass the block, but his computer suddenly shuts down. Feeling that Brainiac conceals something, Jor-El goes down to Brainiac's mainframe room, and when access is denied, he bursts in using his laser gun. Inside, he finally learns that Brainiac is downloading himself into a satellite to escape the planet's destruction, to which Brainiac asks him if the repository of all Kryptonian knowledge shouldn't be saved above all. Angered, Jor-El points the gun at Brainiac, but Brainiac reminds him that if he is destroyed, so is the planet's legacy. When Jor-El asks why Brainiac lied to the Council, he explains that if they knew Krypton was doomed, they would put him to work on an evacuation plan, which would be futile, as the planet has only hours left. Meanwhile, a squad of security guards storms in after receiving an alert from Brainiac. As they wonder where the intruder is, seeing only Jor-El, Brainiac calls Jor-El the intruder and orders them to arrest him. In the subsequent chase, Jor-El narrowly manages to escape and quickly returns home.

Back at the El family's house, Sul-Van reads Jor-El's research, admitting to Lara that his discovery is actually hard to discount. Suddenly, the injured Jor-El bursts in and tells a shocked Sul-Van and Lara that it's too late; Brainiac tried to kill him, and the police will be here soon. He then tells Lara that it’s time to put their backup plan into action, to which Lara bitterly says no, knowing what is meant. Meanwhile, the puzzled Sul-Van asks Jor-El about the nonsense related to Brainiac and the plan, to which Jor-El rudely replies that if he cares about his grandson, he'll kindly shut up. Then Lara goes to Kal-El's room to sedate him while Jor-El explains his plan to Sul-Van: he will send Kal-El to Earth in a small one-person spaceship he earlier developed as part of his evacuation plan. The ship was meant to equip the pilot with a Phantom Zone projector to release Kryptonians to safety later on, but now it can only be used as a lifeboat to save Kal-El. Sul-Van is skeptical, but seeing that Jor-El is going to distract the police, he ultimately volunteers to distract them himself so that Jor-El and Lara could prepare the ship for launch.

Seeing Lara's grief over losing their only child, Jor-El offers to make a quick course recalibration so she could be saved as well. But she refuses, saying that she is staying with Jor-El and presses the launch button. Meanwhile, Brainiac has completed downloading himself into the satellite, soaring into deep space.

As earthquakes rock the planet, the apprehended Sul-Van calmly recognizes the end of Krypton. Jor-El and Lara, meanwhile, launch Kal-El's ship, and it successfully lifts off. Watching how the ship disappears into the sky, they kiss while eruptions and explosions tear the planet apart. Soon after, Kal-El's ship opens a wormhole in space and enters it, while numerous chunks from the exploded Krypton fall into it as well.

Part II[]

Kal-El's spaceship travels through Earth's solar system, landing in the quiet rural town of Smallville, Kansas. It briefly scares Martha and Jonathan Kent as it flies in front of their truck. Then they decide to examine the strange object, and as a result, find the ship on a riverbank, where they discover a small passenger inside. Despite Jonathan's initial reluctance, Martha decides to adopt the baby and chooses to name him "Clark", after her maiden name.

Several years later, now a teenager, Clark Kent has successfully completed another midterm at Smallville High School. After the test, his girlfriend Lana Lang asks him why he looks upset, and Clark explains that for the last few months, he has begun to develop some strange superhuman abilities. He points to two schoolmates in the distance, whose conversation he can clearly hear, and to his teacher, whom he can see through the gym wall decorating it for the school dance. While talking with Lana, Clark suddenly hears a traffic accident in the distance involving a camper that has hit a gas station. Without thinking, he races to the scene and rescues a family and their little daughter, easily ripping off the car's door and remaining completely unscathed by the flames.

Later that night, Clark sits with Jonathan on the porch, and he can easily twist a thick metal bar and melt it in two by simply looking at it. Martha then tells him that Lana is trying to reach him by phone, but Clark says he doesn't know what to tell her since he doesn't understand what happened to him at the gas station. Feeling the time has come, Jonathan and Martha decide to reveal the truth to Clark about his adoption. They go to the barn, where they show him the spaceship he was found in as a baby. Then, Jonathan hands him a small device from the ship, which turns out to be a holographic messenger as soon as Clark takes it in his hands. Suddenly, he is greeted by Jor-El and Lara inside their family home on Krypton, and they tell him about his origin and the powers he will gain from Earth's sun. They also warn him that his powers may evoke fear in some and even cause attempts to destroy him, but despite this, he should never use his powers in anger. After the message ends, Clark runs off in anger and fear. However, outside, he soon discovers his ability to fly, which ultimately cheers him up. He returns home and hugs his parents, accepting his new powers.

Years later, in Metropolis, rumors circulate about a "guardian angel" doing good deeds throughout the city. In reality, Clark, now an adult, is secretly using his superpowers to help those in need. At the same time, he is hired as a new reporter on the Daily Planet's city desk. There he becomes acquainted with his editor, Perry White, and his coworkers Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen.

For her displeasure, Lois is assigned to show Clark around for a few days. She wastes no time trying to ditch Clark but is surprised to find him already at work at the site of their first joint assignment: Lex Luthor's demonstration of his newest weapon. She admits that "Smallville", as she dubs him, is not as simple and "green" as she had assumed, and she is suitably impressed. Luthor, meanwhile, proudly presents a powerful battle suit called the Lexo-Skel 5000, "constructed from a patented alloy and virtually indestructible," piloted by a single person but equipped with as much firepower as a battalion of troops. However, during the event, a group of mercenaries bursts in and steals the Lexo-Skel, causing panic. Clark, secretly changes into his superhero costume and saves Lois from the falling ceiling. He then flies after the criminals, and as two of them turn to shoot at him from their hoverbikes, their shots prove ineffective against him. Superman then pushes one of the motorcycles into the other, causing them to explode and the pilots to parachute. Meanwhile, the group's leader fires a missile at Superman, and although he manages to dodge it, the missile hits the wing of a passing passenger plane.

Part III[]

As the damaged plane falls toward Metropolis, Superman is forced to leave his chase after Luthor's stolen suit to save the passengers instead. At first, he grabs the plane's tail fin, but when it’s suddenly ripped off, he decides to hold on to the nose, maneuvering the plane until it safely lands in a city park. As Superman soars into the sky, one of the witnesses records him on video.

Meanwhile, Perry White gathers Clark, Lois, and Jimmy in his office, tasking them with learning about who Metropolis's flying man is, as the city demands to know more about him. While looking at a video shot of him, Lois dubs him "Superman" due to the symbol on his chest. Outside of work, Clark visits his parents in Smallville, where Martha shows him her scrapbook filled with news reports about Metropolis's "angel." Clark is worried about his popularity as Superman, fearing that he might have to give up his normal life, but Jonathan reassures him that no matter what, he will always be Clark Kent, and Superman just helps out now and then. Martha, meanwhile, notes that it still wouldn’t hurt if people knew a little more about Superman, as she wouldn’t want him to be compared to the "nut" from Gotham. To earn the people's trust, Clark decides to have a private interview with Lois.

On the way from S.T.A.R. Labs, Lois is suddenly spoken to by Superman from underneath her car. When she asks where he is, the car unexpectedly takes off from the highway and flies to the edge of town. There, Superman shares his backstory as Krypton’s last survivor, but she finds it hard to believe. He then asks her to simply tell the truth about him — that he is not here to scare but to help whenever possible. Lois wonders what he does in his normal life, to which Superman smilingly replies that it’s a question for another time before flying away.

Later, Lois and Clark visit Luthor’s office for an interview regarding the theft of the Lexo-Skel. Luthor has just read Lois’s new article shedding light on Superman, but he expresses doubt about Superman’s usefulness, since he couldn’t, as he quips, even prevent the theft of his one billion dollar suit. Clark ponders aloud that the theft may actually do some good for Luthor, since with such a powerful weapon in terrorists' hands, the Pentagon will undoubtedly contract LexCorp to build a more powerful version, which could result in billions in profit. Luthor laughs off the idea, but Lois becomes impressed with Clark's insight. While they drive back to work, she asks why he thinks Luthor is an accessory to the theft, to which Clark replies he believes it wasn’t a theft — Luthor gave the suit away.

Back at the Planet, Clark elaborates to Lois that during his research on Luthor, he found a year-old photo of him shaking hands with the Regent of Kaznia, a country under a U.S. trade embargo due to evidence that the Regent has been employing an elite squad of terrorists against his political enemies. Clark theorizes that Luthor staged the theft to illegally sell the suit to the Regent. Having heard this, Lois heads to the docks without telling Clark where she is going.

In Metropolis Harbor, Lois meets Bibbo, who has just been kicked out of a tanker while searching for work on the vessel. An outraged Bibbo tells Lois that the ship has been in port for a week without any activity but has to leave tonight. Seeing that the vessel is under Kaznia's flag, Lois gives Bibbo a few cents to make a call to Clark Kent and let him know where she is. However, Bibbo forgets what she said and buys himself a soda, thinking she will be okay. Meanwhile, Lois meets the ship's "capitan", John Corben, who introduces himself as the Regent's special envoy to restore friendly relations between Kaznia and the US. Subsequently, Lois accidentally spots the Lexo-Skel in one of the's ship rooms, and Corben takes her hostage.

Meanwhile, back at the Planet, Jimmy shows Clark his photos while Clark feels concerned about Lois's absence at work. Jimmy then shows a photo he took for Lois's article about a smuggling ring at the docks a week ago. In the photo, Clark notices a Kaznia flag on one of the ships and quickly leaves for the port.

Sailing out to sea, Corben is about to kill Lois when Superman suddenly appears and covers her from the bullets with his body. He then gets into a fight with Corben's henchmen while Corben climbs into Luthor's suit to even the odds with Superman. After that, Superman takes Lois back to the port while Corben flies out after them, and the fight moves to a nearby construction site. During the confrontation, Corben clearly gains the upper hand, but Superman eventually throws him onto the roof of a nearby building, where he literally tears the suit apart before pushing it down. Then Superman flies Corben to the police while Lois calls Perry to stop the printing of her new article so the front page can be reprinted with the headline of Superman's triumph.

Meanwhile, in Luthor's office, the Regent's messenger informs Luthor that his client demands an immediate and full refund for the destroyed suit, much to Luthor's outrage. The messenger soon leaves, noticing Superman observing the meeting outside the window. Luthor then turns to Superman and, smirking, tells him that no matter what he has heard, he cannot prove anything against him. He boasts that he effectively owns Metropolis thanks to his will and technology. However, as he admits, he thinks globally, so he offers Superman a position alongside him. Superman, meanwhile, remains silent the entire time, which eventually enrages Luthor, and he throws a small Lexo-Skel model from his desk at Superman. Superman crushes it in his hands and warns Luthor that he will be watching him. Afterward, Superman flies through night Metropolis while random citizens shout encouragement at him.

Elsewhere, in the depths of space, a group of aliens discovers Brainiac's satellite. They bring it aboard their ship, but before they can study it, the satellite sprouts mechanical tentacles and kills the entire crew before taking control of their ship.

Continuity[]

• Sul-Van compares Jor-El's ego to Argo in size; later, in "Little Girl Lost", Argo is revealed to be Krypton's sister planet, and the home of Kara In-Ze/Supergirl.
• Jor-El's original plan to use his spaceship to save Krypton's population in the Phantom Zone explains the presence of the zone projector inside the ship, which Professor Hamilton and Superman discover in "Blasts From the Past".
• After Krypton explodes at the end of Part I, a shower of green flaming rocks falls behind Kal-El's ship. These rocks will become known as Kryptonite in "A Little Piece of Home".
• The spaceship that brings Kal-El to Earth is later converted by Professor Hamilton for Superman's outer space pursuits, as shown in the beginning of "The Main Man".
• When Clark first discusses his powers with his parents, he mentions that he ripped apart a camper like it was cardboard. In the Justice League Unlimited series finale "Destroyer," Clark recalls this feeling when he tells Darkseid how he always felt like he lived in a world made out of cardboard.
• Superman later combines Jor-El and Lara's holographic messenger with an orb acquired from Brainiac (in "Stolen Memories") to form a holographic database containing Kryptonian knowledge, as seen in "Blasts From the Past".
• Martha Kent's comment that she wouldn't like Superman being compared to "that nut in Gotham City" is an obvious reference to Batman.
• John Corben eventually becomes Metallo in "The Way of All Flesh".
• Scouts from the planet Almerac record several moments of Superman's final fight with Corben, which brings him into conflict with Queen Maxima and De'Cine in "Warrior Queen".

Home video releases[]

• Superman: The Last Son of Krypton (VHS)
• Superman: The Last Son of Krypton (Mini-DVD)
• Superman: The Last Son of Krypton (DVD)

Superman: The Animated Series, Volume One (DVD)

• Superman: The Complete Animated Series (DVD)
• Best of Superman (DVD)
• Superman: The Complete Animated Series (Blu-ray)

Production inconsistencies[]

• Brainiac attributes Jor-El's theory of Krypton's destruction to "human error". This is strange, given Jor-El is technically Kryptonian.
• In the very first shot of LexCorp Laboratories, an "e" was used instead of a "b", misspelling the building's sign as "LexCorp Laeoratories". This was fixed in the next shot in which it appeared.

Trivia[]

• As producer Bruce Timm recalled in Modern Masters Vol.3, the production team couldn't agree on a general approach to the show, but they were still thinking in the retro mode they used in Batman. At one point, Timm considered doing "almost a dead-on adaptation of Siegel & Shuster look", but he soon realized that the Fleischer Superman of the 40s had already done it to perfection. Ultimately, the team developed a unique visual style that still kept their signature art deco aesthetic, but instead of the angular and moody art deco of Batman, they went with the "bright, futuristic, optimistic, ocean liner" art deco for Superman, which was more in line with the character.^[1]
• The Superman design in this show is based on his classic look with short hair, despite DC Comics initially insisting on giving him a mullet, which would have aligned with his depiction in the comics at the time. In Wizard Magazine, Timm mentioned "long, drawn-out negotiations" with DC over not giving him a mullet.^[2]
• When Timm was designing Superman, he had a hard time with the character's face (namely his profile turn). Ultimately, the right look was found when director Dan Riba noticed that Timm's design was very similar to the titular character of The Mighty Hercules from the 60s and brought in an old tape of the series to show Timm.^[3]
• As character designer James Tucker recalled, dividing the episode's three-part structure around Krypton, Smallville, and Metropolis was an attempt to mimic Richard Donner's Superman film.^[4]
• Jor-El calls the creature that attacked him in the ice cave a "shoggoth". Shoggoths were amorphous beings originally created by H. P. Lovecraft for his Cthulhu Mythos.
• In Part I, Superman's pet dog Krypto appears as a puppy.
• Also, Part I is one of only two episodes in the series where the Superman persona is absent, as he only appears as Kal-El in this episode; the other one is "New Kids in Town".
• This version of Brainiac is significantly different from the comic version, where at different times he was a green-skinned alien or android from the planet Colu. It was the idea of producer Alan Burnett to make him the centralized AI system from Krypton, thus making him a more personal adversary for Superman.^[5]
• Dan Riba mentioned that the creative team tried to recreate the Kirby Krackle around Brainiac in these first episodes.^[6]
• The energy pistols used by Krypton's security forces are identical in appearance to those used by the inhabitants of Gorilla City in the Justice League episode "The Brave and the Bold" and the Justice League Unlimited episode "Dead Reckoning".
• Jonathan Kent speculates that Kal-El's ship might be a Sputnik, the first man-made object to orbit the Earth.
• When Martha finds Kal-El, she and Jonathan discuss possible names for their adopted baby. Martha suggests "Christopher" or "Kirk", direct references to Christopher Reeve and Kirk Alyn, who portrayed Superman in different productions. Reeve played Superman in the classic Richard Donner film series, while Alyn starred in the movie serials Superman and Atom Man vs. Superman.
• When Jonathan shows Clark's spaceship to him for the first time, he remarks that "some babies are found in baskets", referring to the Biblical legend of Moses, on which Superman's origin is partially based.
• While first seeing Superman's costume, Lois says, "Nice S," which is obviously a pun on "nice ass."
• In Part II, Kaznia is first mentioned in the DC Animated Universe.
• The exchange (or lack thereof) between Superman and Lex Luthor is mirrored by Iron Man and Obadiah Stane at the beginning of the second episode of Iron Man: Armored Adventures. In both cases, the bald, successful businessmen discuss battle suits in their office before someone points out the hero floating outside the window. An offer is made to the hero, only to be met with continual "arm-crossed" floating.
• This marks the first (Part II) and second time (Part III) in the series that Superman saves Lois Lane from danger. (see the list of times Superman saved Lois Lane in the DCAU).

Cast[]

Actor	Role
Tim Daly	Clark Kent/Superman
Dana Delany	Lois Lane
Clancy Brown	Lex Luthor
Malcolm McDowell	John Corben
Christopher McDonald	Jor-El
Finola Hughes	Lara
Mike Farrell	Jonathan Kent
Shelley Fabares	Martha Kent
Tony Jay	Sul-Van
Corey Burton	Brainiac
George Dzundza	Perry White
David Kaufman	Jimmy Olsen
Lauren Tom	Angela Chen
Brad Garrett	Bibbo
Dorian Harewood	Ron Troupe
Charles Howerton	Terrorist Guard
Tress MacNeille	Miss Stevenson
Jason Marsden	Teenage Clark Kent
Nicholas Savalas	Attorney
Kelly Schmidt	Teenage Lana Lang
Miracle Vincent	Danitra Evans
Roger Rose	Driver Cop
Brian George	Councilman
Jesse Batten	Baby Kal-El
Vernee Watson-Johnson	Female Worker

Uncredited appearances[]

• Annie
• Pete Ross
• Jenny

Quotes[]

Part I[]

Brainiac: Good afternoon, Jor-El. Jor-El: Brainiac! What an unpleasant surprise.

Jor-El: You know, Brainiac, somewhere in all those trillions of files clusters there's got to be one that says "people don't like to be spied on." Brainiac: Then why would they create me? Jor-El: (Sotto.) A question I often ask myself.

Science Council Member: There isn't a square foot of this planet Brainiac doesn't know! He was built to monitor all of Krypton and as I might add, served us far better than upstart scientist with apocalyptic visions! Jor-El: Your faith in him will be the end of us all! Act now and we can save everyone!

Brainiac: (On Krypton's imminent destruction.) If the council knew the truth, they would put me to work on an evacuation plan, a futile gesture given the time remaining. Jor-El: How long? Brainiac: Hours... This world has seen its last sunrise.

Lara-El: Sleep, Kal-El, my beautiful child, my heartbeat, my life.

Sul-Van: Good evening, officers. Is there a problem?

(An earthquake begins.) Kryptonian Policeman: Not another one! Sul-Van: No, the last one.

Part II[]

Jonathan Kent: Put that thing back, you don't know where it came from. Martha Kent: He's not a thing, Jonathan, he's a baby. A little baby. Who'd put a baby in a spaceship. Jonathan Kent: That's just my point. It could be Russian, a Sputnik maybe. Martha Kent: Oh really. Jonathan Kent: Maybe he's one of ours. You think NASA is missing a kid?

Lana Lang: You're saying you can see through walls? So, how many times have you peeked into the girls locker-room?

Part III[]

Lois (observing a picture of Superman) : Nice S. Clark : Excuse me?

Clark: Now that the terrorists have your prototype, the Pentagon is undoubtedly gonna want you to build a bigger and better version for them. When all is said and done, this could net you a multimillion dollar windfall. Lex Luthor: Lois, it almost sounds as if your friend here is suggesting I should be glad that my suit was stolen. You're very amusing Mr... Kent, is it? Yes, I'll remember that.

Lois: Nice work, Smallville. You're only the second person I've ever seen get under Lex's skin. Clark: Who's the first? Lois: Me. When I dumped him.

Clark Kent: Does this mean I'll have to give up my life? Jonathan Kent: No, son. It doesn't matter where you were born or what you can do, you'll always be Clark Kent. Superman just helps out now and then. Martha: Still, it wouldn't be bad if people knew a little more about Superman. I don't want anyone thinking you're like that nut in Gotham City.

Superman: Shall we go a few rounds without the suit? Corben: Uh-uh. Superman: Too bad.

(Lex Luthor sees Superman hovering outside his bay window, silently staring at him.) Luthor: I'm afraid we already have a window washer... oh, the silent treatment, eh? Well, I don't know what you thought you heard out there, but I know what you can prove, and it's nothing. (Superman still doesn't say anything.) Luthor: You see, uh... Super-man... I own Metropolis. My technology built it, my will keeps it going, and nearly two-thirds of its people work for me whether they know it or not. Even you have to admit, it's a model of efficiency. And yet, I've often thought... why limit myself to just one city? A being with your abilities could be very useful to me on a, shall we say, global scale? Why don't you float on in and we'll discuss it? (Pause; Luthor loses his composure.) Luthor: SAY SOMETHING! (He grabs the model of the Lexo-Skel Suit 5000 and hurls it at Superman, who catches it and crushes it into powder between his hands.) Superman: I'll be watching you, Luthor.

References[]