Superman - The Last Son of The Planet Krypton

**Superman - The Last Son of The Planet Krypton** is .

## Plot

On the distant planet of Krypton, Jor-El conducts research in the desolate northern region. He is suddenly attacked by a giant amoeba-like creature. He manages to escape the creature and returns to his mobile research platform. While working, Brainiac, Krypton's omniscient central computer, appears on screen and demands for his collected data. Jor-El angrily complies, but his bad mood is dispelled by the appearance of his infant son, Kal-El. **His research complete, Jor-El heads home. Later, he goes over the data and it only supports his theory that Krypton is on the verge of destruction. His father-in-law, Sul-Van, warns him that his theory will only cause Jor-El to lose the respect of the scientific community, and the ruling council. Jor-El's only hope, Sul-Van warns, is that Brainiac will support his theory, or else his career will be over. As he says this, an earthquake rocks Krypton, worrying the populace.** Jor-El reports his findings to Krypton's ruling council, insisting that the planet's core is undergoing a mounting chain reaction that will destroy it soon. The council turns to Brainiac, who dismisses Jor-El's findings and explains that Krypton is only undergoing a slight polar shift. Jor-El warns the council that their blind dependence on the machine will doom them all, but the council is openly outraged when they hear his rescue plan: to send the entire population into the Phantom Zone—a penal dimension housing vicious criminals and creatures—and then have one person travel to a different planet and release them later. **In spite of Brainiac, Jor-El still believes he's right. Heading to Brainiac Operations to check why the AI disagrees with him, he becomes suspicious when Brainiac won't allow him to check what Brainiac's task is inside Satellite Coms. When he breaks into Satellite Coms himself when Brainiac tries to deny him entry, he discovers that he *is* correct, and Brainiac knows it. The AI is in the middle of secretly downloading himself into a satellite to escape the planet's destruction. Confronted, Brainiac fully admits that he lied so that he wouldn't be ordered by the Science Council to waste time preparing an evacuation plan, as the planet will be destroyed in hours. According to his programming, the survival of Krypton's knowledge is more important than that of its people.** Jor-El is tempted to destroy him then and there, but Brainiac reminds him that if he goes, so does the planet's legacy. Jor-El's hesitation allows Brainiac to summon a squad of security guards, advising them to use deadly force against him. He narrowly manages to evade them and returns home. **At his home, Sul-Van has been reviewing Jor-El's research and found that it is actually quite sound. Unfortunately, as Jor-El informs him, it is far too late now. Jor-El quickly makes preparations for his back-up plan: to save his son, Kal-El, by sending him off in the small one-person spaceship he had earlier developed as part of his evacuation plan. It was meant for someone to take a Phantom Zone projector to Earth and release Krypton's population in safety, but now it can only be used as a lifeboat to save one person. Sul-Van is skeptical of this plan, but knowing Jor-El can't outrun the authorities, ultimately volunteers to distract the police so his daughter, Lara, and Jor-El can prepare the ship to launch.** Seeing Lara's grief over losing their only child, Jor-El offers to make some quick flight modifications so that she can be saved along with him. She refuses, saying that her place is with Jor-El and triggers the final preparations herself. In orbit, Brainiac's satellite completes download and launches into space. **As earthquakes rock the planet, the apprehended Sul-Van calmly recognizes it's Krypton's final death throes. Jor-El and Lara launch Kal-El's ship and it successfully lifts off: watching their son disappear from sight, the couple hold each other and kiss while the terrified population witness their world tearing their civilization and itself apart. Behind Kal-El's ship, Krypton explodes. The spaceship then opens a wormhole in space and enters, several chunks of Kryptonite entering into it as well.** Kal-El's spaceship reaches Earth's solar system, and makes touchdown in Smallville, Kansas, briefly giving Martha and Jonathan Kent a scare when it passes over their truck. They locate the ship and discovering its young passenger, Martha decide to adopt him, despite some reluctance from Jonathan. Martha decides to name the infant foundling "Clark", after her maiden name, and the trio heads for home. **Several years later, Clark Kent is now a teenager attending Smallville High. He talks to his girlfriend, Lana Lang, and explains about how he has been developing some strange superhuman powers recently using examples such as hearing a conversation from a distance and seeing a teacher put up decorations for the school dance through a wall. As he talks to Lana, a family driving an RV has a traffic accident and is trapped in a fire. Without thinking, Clark races to the accident scene and frees the family, easily tearing through metal and remaining completely unscathed by the flames.** Clark is disturbed by these new powers and goes to talk them over with his parents. Deciding that he's old enough to know the truth, Jonathan tells him the full story of his adoption. Clark is taken down to the barn, where he is shown the spaceship that he was found in as a baby. His Earth parents give him a holographic projector that activates when he touches it, showing him a holographic message in his mind from Jor-El and Lara inside their family home. They tell him of his Kryptonian heritage as well as the powers he will gain from Earth's sun; they also warn him that his powers may bring fear and attempted destruction from others, but in spite of this, he should never use his powers in anger. This message, however, only serves to further alienate Clark, who runs off in anger and fear. However, he is able to cheer himself up after discovering his ability of flight and returns to the farm to reassure his parents. **Several more years later, in Metropolis, there has been talk of a "guardian angel" doing good deeds. In truth, Clark, now an adult, has been secretly using his superpowers to help people. At the same time, he is hired as a new reporter on the *Daily Planet*'s city desk. He becomes acquainted with his editor, Perry White, as well as his coworkers Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. Lois, to her displeasure, is assigned to show Clark around for a few days.** Lois wastes no time trying to ditch him, but is surprised to find him already at work at the site of their first joint assignment: the unveiling of Lex Luthor's newest weapon. Lois admits that "Smallville", as she dubs Clark, is not as gullible or green as she had assumed and is suitably impressed. Luthor proudly presents a powerful battle suit dubbed the Lexo-Skel Suit 5000: "constructed by a patented alloy, and virtually indestructible", piloted by a single man, but with as much firepower as a battalion of troops. However, during the ceremony, a group of mercenaries attacks and steals the Lexoskel. Clark decides that it's time for his first public appearance and changes into his outfit. He saves Lois from being crushed and then attempts to pursue the mercenary group. The mercenaries attack, but their weapons are ineffective against the hero. At first, it seems that Clark will save the suit, but the group's leader fires a missile that misses Clark but strikes a passenger jet, causing it to fall. **Clark leaves the mercenaries and attempts to save the plane. At first, he only manages to damage the plane even further but finally manages to slow the its fall and gets it to land in a nearly empty Metropolis park. With such a display of power, there is no way for the hero to hide from the public.** Perry White demands that his reporting staff find out who this man is, saying that the public is clamoring for information and is in a state of near-panic. Looking at video footage of the "angel", Lois dubs him "Superman" after the "S" on his costume's chest. Clark is uncertain about maintaining a public image, but knows that if he keeps acting secretively, people will start to fear him. After a conversation with his parents, who openly disapprove of the methods of Gotham City's protector, Batman, Clark decides to have a private interview with Lois to earn the people's trust. **The newly dubbed Superman takes Lois to a place where they can talk in private. He tells her of his Kryptonian background and that he's not here to scare anyone, only to help people. Lois is skeptical and wants to know his true identity. Superman refuses to tell her, but there is enough information to go public.** At LexCorp, Luthor reads the story of Superman's origins while Lois and Clark are there to interview him about the Lexo-Skel theft. Clark muses aloud that the theft will actually work out well for Luthor. With such a powerful weapon in the hands of terrorists, the U.S. government will undoubtedly contract with LexCorp to build a bigger, more powerful version. Luthor laughs off the idea, but Lois is intrigued, especially when Clark later confides to Lois that Luthor possibly *gave* the suit away. **Back at the *Planet*'s archives, Clark finds a photo of Luthor with the Regent of Kaznia, a country that the United States has placed under a trade embargo, based on evidence that the Regent has been employing a hit squad of terrorists against his political enemies. Clark's theory is that Luthor staged the theft in order to make a secret sale to the Regent.** Lois decides to investigate herself in secret and goes to a Kaznian tanker ship docked in Metropolis Harbor. On the ship, Lois meets up with John Corben, who says he's the head of a diplomatic mission to restore friendly relations with the U.S. However, while she is snooping around the ship, she finds the Lexo-Skel, and is captured. **Meanwhile, back at the *Planet*, Jimmy tells Clark about a smuggling story he and Lois worked on. Clark sees the tanker in one of Jimmy's pictures, and guesses where Lois has gone.** Out at sea, Corben is about to execute Lois, but Superman arrives. He easily defeats the terrorists, but Corben climbs into the battle suit to have a fighting chance against him. Superman flies Lois to safety and then goes to fight Corben. The battle drags from the harbor to Metropolis, with Corben seemingly having the upper hand, until Superman literally tears the suit apart, forcing Corben to surrender. **On Lois' order, the *Planet* stops the presses and re-prints the front page, with a story on Superman's triumph.** Superman pays a visit to Luthor's office. At first, only Luthor talks as Superman gives him the silent treatment. He tells Superman that he has total control over Metropolis, and Superman cannot prove Luthor's connection to Kaznia. Luthor then confides his global ambitions and offers Superman a position. When Superman remains silent, Luthor finally loses his composure and throws a small model of the Lexo-Skel at him. Superman crushes it in his hands and warns Luthor that he'll be watching him. **He then flies through Metropolis while various citizens cheer him on.** Elsewhere, in the deep reaches of space, a crew of aliens discovers Brainiac's satellite. They take it aboard their ship, but before they can study it, the satellite quickly comes to life, kills the entire crew and takes over their ship.

## Continuity

### Info

* Sul-Van compares Jor-El's ego to Argo in size; later, in "Little Girl Lost", Argo will be 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 Superman finds in "Blasts From the Past".
* After Krypton explodes in the end of Part I, there is a shower of green flaming rocks falling 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".
* Superman later combines Jor-El and Lara's message tablet with an orb acquired from Brainiac (in "Stolen Memories") to form a Kryptonian computer, as also seen in "Blasts From the Past".

### Trivia

* Krypto appears in part one of this episode as a puppy.
* Jor-El calls the creature that attacked him in the ice cave a "shoggoth". Shoggoths were originally created by H. P. Lovecraft for his Cthulhu Mythos, though he described them quite differently from the creature seen in this episode.
* This is the first mention of Kaznia in the DC Animated Universe.
* Part I of this episode is one of the only two episodes in the series where the Superman persona is absent (as he only appears as Kal-El in that episode). The other is "New Kids in Town".
* Martha Kent's comment that Clark should avoid being compared to Batman suggests that, in the DCAU's continuity, Batman began his crimefighting career before Superman made his first appearance in Metropolis.
* As a note to the above, among the passengers of the airliner are Bruce Wayne's secretary, Dana Blessing from "The Worry Men" and Ethan Clark from "Prophecy of Doom". A man with a vaguely similar appearance to Arnold Rundle is also seen.
* 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".

### Review

Jor-El`s tests confirm Krypton is doomed to explode, but the ruling council disbelieves him, because the Brainiac computer - built to study and monitor Krypton - disagrees. Jor-El finds Brainiac has lied so that it will have time to save itself by transferring itself and its` repository of kryptonian knowledge into a sattelite, instead of being ordered by the council to help the people. At Brainiac`s orders, Jor-El is pursued by police. Jor-El makes it back to his home, where his father-in-law, Sul-Van, now believes him. Jor-El and his wife Lara prepare their son, Kal-El, to escape Krypton in a rocket, while Lara`s father decoys the police. Brainiac leaves Krypton. Jor-El and Lara watch Kal-El`s ship leave just before Krypton explodes. **The ship takes Kal-El, and some meteoric remains of Krypton, through a space warp to Earth`s solar system. The ship lands and is found by Jonathan and Martha Kent. Martha insists they keep the small child. That child grows up in Smallville as Clark Kent. In high school, Clark tells his friend Lana Lang that he is worried about how he is developing strange powers. Lana sees Clark rescue people from a truck accident without being harmed. Clark`s parents show him the rocket he came in and a small device. The device has a message from Jor-El and Lara which tells Clark he is not human. Initially confused, Clark accepts his birthright and continues discovering his powers. Several years later in Metropolis, Clark gets a job at the Daily Planet. Lois Lane finds her story about dockside gun smuggling has been replaced by a story about a mysterious blue angel that saved a girl's life. Superman makes a public appearance at a Lexcorp Laboratory when a prototype battle suit is stolen, and saves Lois. He pursues the men who stole the battle suit, but is diverted by having to save a plane downed by a missile.** At the Daily Planet, Lois dubs the new hero Superman. After talking with his parents, Clark as Superman gives Lois Lane a short interview to explain himself to the public. Clark meets Luthor and suggests Luthor can profit from the battlesuit`s theft, then later shows Lois photos that link Luthor to the country of Kaznia. At dockside, Lois gets a tip from Bibbo about a Kaznian ship, and onboard meets John Corben. Corben kidnaps her when she spots the stolen suit. **Tipped off by a photo from Jimmy Olsen, Clark as Superman saves Lois at the last moment and begins fighting Corben, who uses the suit. Ultimately the suit is destroyed and Corben captured. Later, Superman appears to Luthor who admits allowing the suit to be stolen, and Superman vows to keep watching him. Meanwhile, in space Brainiac is retrieved by aliens. Brainiac kills the aliens, and takes over their ship.**

the final days of Krypton before its explosion. It's also an action-packed starting point for the subsequent 53 episodes complete with mystery, chase sequences and science fiction, but it features mainly Kal-El's father Jor-El played by Christopher McDonald (*Happy Gilmore, Requiem for a Dream*) and his nemesis, the supercomputer Brainiac played by Corey Burton (voice actor for way too many cartoons and video games to mention). It also stars soap opera actress Fiona Hughes (Don't knock soap opera actors, it's how Christopher Reeve got his start) as Superman's birth mother Lara, and Tony Jay (The sycophantic Nigel St. John from *Lois & Clark*) as Lara's father Sul-Van. Lara and Sul-Van are clearly from the England district of Krypton because they're the only ones who speak with that accent. **While the overall style feels much closer to the classic Fleischer cartoons of the early 1940s, this interpretation of Superman's origin (as well as the rest of the show) draws from the 1986 John Byrne reboot of the comics. A few alterations from the Byrne version include: Krypton is not as sterile as in the comics, Kryptonians have hair, and it's relatively safe to assume that Kal-El was conceived and born not from a birthing matrix, but through traditional methods.** The episode opens with a quick shot of the satellite in space around Krypton that Brainiac, unbeknownst to the citizens below, is uploading his data to and it will be seen again near the end. Producer Alan Burnett came up with the concept that Brainiac was a creation of Krytonians, and he should be given a medal. In the comic book, Brainiac was from the planet Colu and could invade people's minds, but Burnett suggested he be placed on Krypton as a self righteous AI computer who decides to save itself as the repository of all Kryptonian knowledge rather than save at least *some* of the Kryptonian life... All I can say is "Wow! Give that writer a gold star!" Brainiac will always be seen with those three green orbs, so get used to it. As far as this show is concerned, that's as much his symbol as the "S" is Superman's. Other than Lex Luthor, he's probably the most often revisited villain in the series and that'll be his symbol every time. **The planet Krypton is being plagued by earthquakes (or temblors since this isn't Earth) and other natural disasters, but only Jor-El is convinced that the planet itself is in danger. Lara's father, Sul-Van and the Kryptonian council side with Brainiac's conclusions that Krypton is perfectly safe rather than supporting Jor-El's theories proclaiming imminent planetary destruction. It's the classic man vs. machine story we're all familiar with from "I, Robot," "Terminator," or "The Matrix." It feels safer to side with a machine's perfect calculations than a human's gut instinct, but it still leads to the apocalypse. Even Jor-El's wife Lara questions the validity of his findings. This also approaches the concept of absolute power. As an AI, Brainiac essentially runs the entire planet, revealing the impotence of the ruling government who, like the rest of the populace, put their faith in a computer who betrays them. No single entity should wield too much power, which is why most major governments put in place checks and balances.** We also hear about the Phantom Zone, a plot device taken from the comics which will appear in later installments. Listen closely during the chase sequence for a few familiar Star Wars sound effects. **And of course the episode ends with baby Kal-El asleep in his space ship rocketing away from Krypton as it explodes while several pieces of Kryptonite (or Krytonoids as they'd be right now) follow the ship through the wormhole headed for Earth.** Kal-El's shampoo bottle-shaped rocket landing in Smallville, Kansas where Jonathon and Martha Kent (real life married couple Mike Farrel of TV's *M\*A\*S\*H* and Shelly Fabares of *Brian's Song* and TV's *Coach*) find and claim him as their own. You can't alter that any more than you could add anchovies as an ingredient for apple pie. Why Jonathon can't watch a rocket go by and not crash his truck in any incarnation of this story is up for grabs. The same actors play the Kents in the rest of this series as well as guest spots on later series like *Justice League* and *JLU*. Clark was also named after Martha's maiden name - Clark, which has been the case for many versions of the story. Much like the comics of the time and *Lois & Clark* showing on ABC Television, Pa Kent is alive for Clark's adulthood. **Fast forward 15 or so years where teenagers Clark Kent and his sweetheart Lana Lang are played by Jason Marsden (*White Squall*) and Kelly Schmidt respectively. Young Clark has been experiencing strange bouts of super-hearing, x-ray vision (complete with a question as to whether or not he's used it on the girls' locker room). Pete Ross also makes a guest appearance for about 2 seconds, so try not to blink.** Lana Lang first appeared in the late 1940's and became Superboy's love interest, replacing Lois Lane. Obviously the writers had the foresight and understanding that Lois would and should never have been in Smallville before meeting Clark in Metropolis around the time that Superman started saving the city. Take that Al and Miles (I actually enjoy *Smallville*). Over time she turned into the love interest that was never meant to be, since Superman was always destined for Lois. In the comics she became like a sister to Clark during adulthood, while she continued to have strong marital feelings for him. Like most incarnations of the story, Lana understood nothing of his lineage and powers during his Superboy years, but knew of his dual identity later as Superman. Of course with a basis in the post-crisis comics, there was no Superboy in *The Animated Series* and Clark's powers manifested themselves in his late teens, thus no Superboy. **Superboy ... er, Clark quickly shows off some of his superpowers in front of Lana, effectively giving away his secret. Back on the homestead, Ma and Pa decide to tell Clark how they found him in a rocket in a field and offer him an inconspicuous box that will reveal his Kryptonian heritage to him. The only problem I had with Byrne's *Man of Steel* #1 way back in 1986 was that Clark and Jonathon designed Superman's "S" symbol as a flight of fancy, which stripped a lot of meaning from it. *The Animated Series* rectified that by showing with this Eradicator-like box the "S" symbol is in fact related to his Krytonian roots. Clark doesn't take well to learning of his alien heritage and runs off... a cliff. He learns that he can fly, and promptly soars across the town.** Flash forward again to Metropolis where Clark has found a job at the Daily Planet and we're introduced to reporter Lois Lane, editor Perry White, and a four foot tall photographer Jimmy Olson (watch that scene, he's eye-level with Clark's belly button). Also in Metropolis are Angela Chen, who I believe is an Animated Series exclusive character (somebody correct me if I'm wrong), John Corben who will later become the villain Metallo and of course the big baldy himself, Lex Luthor who promotes his new "Lexo-suit" which is surprisingly similar to the Kryptonian battle suit he stole from Superman in the comics back in 1993. Once Corben and his comrades steal the suit, Superman leaps into action to save Lois from a falling steel beam and retrieve the stolen goods. Big Blue shows off his bulletproof hide and then evades a rocket just in time for it to hit a passenger plane. **An The Cliffhanger where Superman had just dodged an explosive rocket shot at him by the thieves of the Lexo-Suit, but the rocket continued on its path and collided with a passenger jet. This episode opens with Superman's attempt to catch the plane before it crashes into the buildings of Metropolis below. After a considerable struggle, Superman manages to avoid the various buildings and gently crash the plane into a park. It's unclear whether the couple in the boat on the pond could have survived, but I think we all wish that mime had been hit. Watch this part carefully because the nose of the plane is black, but it briefly appears white for one shot.** Rather than creating an "S" symbol to match his "Superman" persona, *The Animated Series* changes John Byrne's "Man of Steel" idea by explaining that the symbol is Kryptonian and simply looks similar to the letter "S" on Earth. Superman is a person of great humility, which is what allows him, despite his incredible power, to be a hero and a personification of justice instead of an unstoppable despot, as many real-life humans would most likely become with similar power. The very name "Superman" is an attack against his humility, humanity and sense of self. Therefore, he cannot name himself, or reveal himself to the world for the first time saying, "My name is Superman." So Lois (with her "Nice S" comment) effectively names him after Nietzsche's superman concept. This is the only way the story can go and make sense. Superman cannot name himself, and given Lois's status among the journalistic world, it only makes sense that she would give him his super-nomenclature. **I have to take a moment to mention Ma Kent's comparison of her son with "That nut in Gotham." It's a nice reference to *Batman: The Animated Series* which was done by the same creative team.** Superman sought out Lois as a reporter to explain himself to the world, as opposed to writing the story himself as he did in the comics to land his job at the *Daily Planet*. Lois in *The Animated Series* is not head-over-heels in love with Superman like most incarnations represent her. This is more a product of time (1996) than place (a Superman story). *Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman*, the classic Man of Steel tale told in the form of a modern live action romantic comedy, was available just a few channels away. The love story will only be briefly mentioned during the progression of this whole series. This Lois doesn't fill the shoes of the stereotypical damsel in distress, but actually manages to save Superman from a hi-tech bazooka blast during the climax of this episode. It's clear that she can get herself out of most jams, but could probably use an invulnerable hand from time to time. **The episode also introduces Bibbo Bibbowski played by Brad Garret (TV's *Everybody Loves Raymond, Finding Nemo*), a dock worker with a heart of gold, but a mind of mashed potatoes. The writers used him to set up a humorous spin on an old standby plot device. Lois was about to knowingly put herself in danger by boarding a Kaznian ship, but gave Bibbo some change to call Clark at the *Daily Planet* so he would know where she was. Instead Bibbo used the change to buy himself a "soder," mumbling "ah, she'll be all right." Clark is left to find out where she is on his own. We also briefly met Angela Chen in the previous episode, played by Lauren Tom (*Bad Santa*, TV's *Futurama*).** John Corben, voiced by Malcolm McDowell (*A Clockwork Orange, Star Trek: Generations*, just look him up if you don't know him) made a brief appearance at the end of the last episode, but comes to the forefront in this one. Eventually he will become Metallo, the cyborg with a kryptonite heart, but here he's just a human. Ironically the machine, which will soon be on his insides, is on his outsides this time when he dons the Lexo-Suit for the climactic battle with Superman. That shot where he ejected the grenade shell into the windshield of the police car was just awesome. He also showed viewers Superman's new weakness in the series: electricity. Not all villains can have kryptonite and magic on their side. So this Superman has a weakness to electricity, which will remain constant in this and other series made by the same team of creators. **Superman beats the robot, saves Lois and shows the world he's there to protect it. At the end, he threatens Luthor in his penthouse office, which comes off similarly to the end of the pilot episode to *Lois & Clark*. I love Superman's silence while Luthor talks himself into a corner and even offers him a job. His simple "I'll be watching you, Luthor," is priceless.** Epilogue: Brainiac from the first episode begins to assimilate other civilizations, offering a glimpse of the future for this villain. This scene had to have taken place long before the end of this third episode, but probably while Kal-El was traveling to Earth or starting to grow up. By the time he's shown again, he's been to thousands of populated worlds. Despite the timeline issues, the scene still belongs here.

## Gallery

### Screen-Pans

Lara-El's Winning•Her Kryptonian-Debate through Her Biological Father"You better be wrong, Jor-El. You better be dead wrong"After Hearing Jor-El of His Evaculation Plan is Put Kryptonian Population into The Phantom ZoneRegular Kryptonian Guards are Riding On-Hover VehiclesJor-El Somehow-Permanently Rarely-Escape from The Kryptonian GuardsSul-Van Fully-Decided Somewhat-Entirely to Drawing Kryptonian-Police AwayThe Green Jets of The Kryptonian Lava is Erupted Into-The Sky nor The Kryptonian Surface of The Planet Krypton