Season One

**Season One**is the first season of *Superman: Guardian of Mankind.*It shows Kal-El's arrival on Earth and first times as Superman in Metropolis. Many villains are featured in this season including Lex Luthor, Mercy Graves, Toyman, Parasite, Metallo, Lobo, General Zod, Bruno Mannheim, Bizarro, Livewire and Atlas.

## E1: Last Son of Krypton Part One

On the distant planet of Krypton, Jor-El, the chief advisor to the planet's supreme council, recommends the council give him control of the genetics codex. Before any action can be taken, soldiers led by General Zod, an old friend of Jor-El's, launch an uprising and capture the councilors. Realizing that Krypton is doomed due to it being under attack by Brainiac, Jor-El steals the genetics codex sought by Zod and infuses them into the DNA of his infant son, Kal-El-the first naturally born Kryptonian child in centuries. Donning his old armor, Jor-El sacrifices his life to allow his son to escape on a preprogrammed spacecraft. Zod orders the rocket's destruction, only to learn that forces loyal to the council have suppressed the rebellion. In a brief trial, Zod and several of his surviving followers are convicted of treason and sentenced to the Phantom Zone moments before Brainiac destroys Krypton.

Following Jor-El's coordinates, the ship crash lands on Earth in Smallville, Kansas. A childless couple, Jonathan and Martha Kent, fnd Kal-El and raise him as their own, naming him Clark. Clark eventually becomes an isolated young man as a result of developing superhuman powers which he tries to hide from others. He then learns his true origins from Jonathan, who urges him to keep his powers hidden. Several years later, Jonathan dies in a tornado when Clark tried to save him but failed to do as Jonathan was too badly injured. Burdened with guilt and looking for a new purpose in his life, Clark leaves to travel the world for an extended period of time under several disguises.

## E2: Last Son of Krypton Part Two

Several months later, Metropolis, Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane receives an assignment to investigate the discovery of a Kryptonian scout ship in the Canadian Arctic. Disguised as a worker, Clark enters the ship and activates the central computer using a key left by Jor-El, which allows him to communicate with an artificial intelligence modeled after his father. The AI explains that Clark was sent to Earth to guide its people, and presents him with a Kryptonian uniform bearing his family's symbol. Lois also goes into the ship but inadvertently triggers the ship's security system. Clark, donning the uniform, rescues Lois and tests his flying abilities. Lois asks who he is, so Kal-El calls himself Superman before flying off.
At the Daily Planet, Clark tries to convince his editor, Perry White, to publish the incident but he refuses. He then becomes aquainted with his coworkers Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. Later, Clark, Lois and Jimmy witness the unveiling of Lex Luthor's latest weapon: a powerful battlesuit which can be piloted by a single man, but with as much firepower as a battalion of troops. However, during the ceremony, a group of criminals attack and steal the battlesuit. Clark secretly changes into Superman, making his first public appearance, and then attempts to pursue the criminals. The criminals try to kill Superman but their weapons are ineffective against the hero. Superman manages to save the suit however one of the mercenaries use a rocket launcher to try to kill Superman, but fails as it hits a plane instead.

## E3: Last Son of Krypton Part Three

Superman leaves the criminals and goes to save the plane, accidentally damaging it but then manages to slow its fall and get it land in a nearby empty park. Perry demands that his reporting staff find out who the man is, saying that the public is clamoring for information and in a state of near-panic. Looking at the video footage, Lois remembers it is Superman. 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 Martha, Clark decides to have a private interview with Lois to gain the people's trust.

Superman takes Lois to a private location and her informs her of his Kryptonian background and that he's not here to scare anyone, only to help people. Lois questions his true identity, however Superman refuses to tell her, but there's 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 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 LexCorp to build a 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 America has placed under a trade embargo, based on evidence that the Regent has been employing 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 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 battlesuit, and is captured.

Meanwhile, back at the Daily Planet, Jimmy tells Clark about a smuggling story he and Lois worked on. Clark sees the tanker in one of Jimmy's pictures, and he guesses that's where Lois had gone. Out at sea, Corben is about to execute Lois, but Superman arrives. He easily defeats the terrorists, but Corben climbs into the battlesuit to have a fighting chance against him. 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. Luthor explains that he wants 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 goes to strike him, only for Superman to grab his hand and warns that he'll be watching him from now on, then flies out of his office. Superman flies through Metropolis while various citizens cheer him on.