Superman: The Exile is an underrated piece of the Man of Steel’s mythos. In this junction point to several major events like the development of the Eradicator, Superman grapples with trauma. Between three writers and different artists, readers see the emotional vulnerability of Superman and the people around him. From Jimmy Olsen, Cat Grant, or refugee character Matrix, there’s a sense of helplessness surrounding people. With Superman leaving Earth as the stress mounts up, he encounters the hostilities of outer space. Meanwhile villains like Lex Luthor and Brainiac take advantage of Superman’s absence to grow their influence.
Background
After the events of DC’s groundbreaking Crisis of Infinite Earths, Superman is the final Kryptonian. Meaning characters like Supergirl, Krypto, and even Zod don’t share space with him. So creatives have to put them in pocket universes. With Zod and his posse leaving their planet lifeless with billions slaughtered, the wayward Superman de-powers them. But Superman has to make the difficult decision of executing Zod’s group per their threats. Back on Earth, Superman has to deal with the burdens of the act while helping care for that pocket universe’s refugee.
Superman’s Pals
Superman isn’t the only one feeling helpless as some of his friends deal with issues. Former Gangbuster, Jose Delgado has lost use of his legs and goes to drastic lengths to regain mobility. Cat Grant meanwhile is dealing with an alcohol problem along with her self-doubts as a reporter. But who can forget Jimmy Olsen, who is losing contact with the people closest to him. With his mother leaving to look for Jimmy’s father and Jimmy starting to feel burdened by his relationship with Superman, he starts to drift away from his pal. You would too if your body got elastic from Superman’s baggage.
Superman: Before The Exile
Which brings us to the Man of Tomorrow trying his best to live his life after executing Zod. The stress and trauma come ahead however after an encounter with Brainiac. Vril Dox in the process of taking over a human host uses his psychic powers to bring out Superman’s inner darkness. This causes Superman to go out as the new Gangbuster whenever he sleeps or blacks out. The more ruthless and cocky persona feels like an expression of all of Superman’s frustrations. He is unburdened by all of Superman’s troubles including magic, but makes him more like an unhinged Batman.
With his mental health at risk after the full revelation, Superman decides to leave Earth. Bidding goodbye to everyone, he leaves a story about the Apokalips-backed Intergang to give his secret identity Clark Kent an alibi. With only a portable oxygen tank and teleporter keeping him company, Superman goes into space.
Superman: The Exile – Cosmic Sublime
In Superman’s odyssey, he finds that the greater universe is a big and indifferent place. From a planet where floods are a regular event and a giant alien with a unique digestion system, it’s like a cosmic horror. Only instead of driving Superman into despair, these events allow for a sublime experience. While Superman never wants to be in the executor’s position again, his struggle feels insignificant.
It’s also when fully confronting the parts of himself that Superman displays his inner strength. Talking directly to his alter-egos when oxygen deprived, Superman finds that all three of them can balance out his burdens. But it’s ending up on Warworld and standing against Mongul that Superman becomes even more than just a superhero.
Reign Of A Superman
It’s during Superman’s time as a gladiator that he encounters a Cleric who visited Krypton long ago. The Cleric had been living with his own guilt after his actions help cause many deaths; banishing himself into his own exile. But it’s through the true cause of those deaths that he is able to connect with Superman. The Eradicator in this case acts like a cosmic confession booth to help the Last Son of Krypton and the Cleric heal from their sins. Which is incredibly ironic as Superman’s family created the Eradicator to isolate Kryptonians from others.
But it’s in that manner that Superman shines brightest as a symbol of redemption. For the Cleric, his longevity comes to an end as meeting Superman’s example brings him peace. But for Superman gaining the Eradicator, it’s symbolic of the House of El’s redemption for helping doom their people. Long story short, the house made Kryptonians genetically Krypton bound with the Eradicator. Finally Superman redeems himself by realizing his symbolic importance to planet Earth. As long as he serves as an example and shares the burdens with others, everybody can work out the flaws.
…Including This One
As for the Eradicator itself, its story beginning here is an… interesting one. As a plot device, its functions change on a whim. But its interactions with others make its journey to Reign of the Supermen a notable one. Originally designed to preserve Kryptonian “purity” the way it affects Superman’s life is engaging. The way it inflicts trauma onto Jimmy to drive a wedge between him and Clark feels like an abusive relationship. Not only that but its interaction with the protoplasmic refugee Matrix serves as a blueprint for its own development. I like to think that it took influence from Matrix to assume a form like Superman’s; arguably making it the most fitting of the four Supermen. But like Matrix, it takes time to immerse itself into Superman’s example.
Lex Luthor: Greatest Criminal Mind Of Superman: The Exile
I have to be honest, Superman: The Exile is an incredibly complex epic with its characters. But the most captivating of them all is between Lex Luthor and Brainiac. Lex spends the initial part of the saga in his natural habitat, trying to one-up Superman. Or being out to dominate any asset he can get his hands on, especially if it can one-up Superman. Naturally that includes Brainiac who is stuck in a metahuman body. But to properly do that, Luthor plays a corporate buyout game to get the resources.
For several issues, Luthor starts rumors to acquire STAR Labs, his only competitor in ground breaking science. Which really sets off a number of STAR staffers who used to work for him. There were plenty of times and appearances that made it look like he would, enough to give Jordan Belfort a run for his money. By the time STAR Labs sells off a psionics lab to stave off Luthor, he backs off. Why? Because the company that bought the psionics lab was a LexCorp shell company. Luthor pulled Disney’s long-term strategy to acquire the Spider-Man rights from Sony. It was really enthralling to see Luthor the white-collar crook instead of the tech bro for a change. Even Mr. Mxyzptlk doesn’t mess with him in the long run.
Brainiac… And Others
As for Brainiac, the over-the-top evil alien’s path to becoming such a grave threat is well presented. Most of the time, people treat him like he’s more of a joke, just a mentalist suffering delusions. But with Luthor trying to put a collar on him, and putting Brainiac under drugs, he starts to feel like a time bomb. The best case is probably when he is side-by-side Morgan Edge. TV watchers know that Edge as a ruthless business mogul, ready to murder and defame anyone who crosses him. Even Lex has trouble with him in the series. But next to the maniacal Brainiac he’s a small fry.
I suppose it’s best to mention the other villains of Superman: The Exile who serve as Superman’s dark reflections. Mongul represents what would have happened if Superman gave up his morals, inspiring fear instead of peace. In the meantime, Maxima represents how an example twists in the attempts to maintain it.
Superman: The Example
I once heard about how one of this series writers Dan Jurgens actually liked Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. Me, I think it would’ve been better if it was followed up with The Exile. Aside from an out of character Batman, a sense of helplessness is needed. Because it’s moments of doubt and the need for sublime perspectives that make a huge difference. Only then would the symbol of Superman grow beyond the surface.
Thanks for coming to the end and as always, remember to look between the panels.