The Superman of Earth-One is a superhero and the incarnation of Superman that existed during the Silver Age and Bronze Age publications of DC Comics. He is also known by the following names: Silver Age Superman, Bronze Age Superman, and Pre-Crisis Superman.
Contents
History
In the mid-1950s, following the decline of superhero comics after World War II and the end of the Golden Age of comics, the editors at DC decided to revive some of their Golden Age superheroes with completely new origins and backstories. Starting with the Flash in Showcase #4 in 1956, new versions of DC's former heroes were gradually introduced as completely separate characters with no connection to previous incarnations. This concept eventually became canonized with the introduction of DC's multiverse in 1960s DC Comics.
With the introduction of DC's multiverse, it was retroactively declared that the version of Superman published between 1938 and the early 1950s lived in an alternate dimension called Earth-Two, while comics featuring Superman published since approximately the mid-1950s took place in a universe dubbed Earth-One. This was confirmed by the introduction of the Earth-Two Superman as a distinct character in Justice League of America #73 (August 1969). However, since Superman was one of several DC characters continuously published throughout the 1950s, there is no clear dividing line between the Earth-One and Earth-Two versions of Superman, thus leading to a gray area between the Golden and Silver Ages. This was in part due to how Superman by that time had several comic books with different editors, thus allowing for inconsistencies between titles.
This began to change in the late 1950s, when Mort Weisinger was made group editor of all Superman titles and made an attempt to create a cohesive universe around Superman, the "first serious attempt at a constantly developing continuity in comics history". This was in part due to the advent of annuals which often reprinted earlier Superman stories, allowing readers access to older stories and thus obliging Weisinger and his writers to create a consistent history for the character. This history/continuity (and with it the version of Superman that would go on to become the Earth-One Superman) effectively began in 1958 as Weisinger allowed for few stories prior to 1958 to be reprinted or referenced.
There were a few exceptions, though, as several stories published before the mid-1950s retroactively took place on Earth-One, such as Superman #78 from September–October 1952, the first appearance of the adult Lana Lang in Superman comics. Also, any Superman stories published before the mid-1950s that featured or mentioned Superboy also took place exclusively on Earth-One, as the Earth-Two Superman, per the earliest Superman comics, never had a Superboy career. The Silver Age/Earth-One Superman's first appearance in comics was, retroactively, in Superman (volume 1) #46 (May 1947), the first time Superboy was referenced in a Superman story. The Earth-One Superman's first appearance (in a flash-forward) in a Superboy story was in Superboy #1 (March–April 1949).
Fictional biography
The Earth-One Superman's origin story was retold in various times; the most prominent retellings were in Superman #146 (July 1961), Limited Collectors' Edition #C-31 (November–December 1974), and Action Comics #500 (October 1979). Comic book magazine Amazing Heroes also provided a overview of Superman in the Silver and Bronze Ages.
As recounted in these retellings, Superman was born Kal-El on the planet Krypton to the illustrious El family whose genealogy had been manipulated for centuries by the Guardians of the Universe in the hope of one day creating the perfect hero. Krypton, however, was unstable and despite the best attempts of the Green Lantern of that sector they were unable to save the planet nor were warnings of Kal-El's father, Jor-El heeded. Determined to at least save their son, he and wife, Lara Lor-Van, sent Kal in an experimental rocket to Earth moments before the planet exploded. Unlike other versions of the character, his parents did not place him in the escape rocket as an infant but as a toddler and he was thus old enough to remember his parents and seeing them die with the planet.
Landing outside of the town of Smallville, the three-year-old Kal-El was found by elderly farming couple Jonathan and Martha Kent who sought to adopt him. To avoid questions as to where they had found the baby, the couple here left him on the doorstep of an orphanage and returned the next day. They formally adopted him and named him Clark after Martha's maiden name.
This version of Superman developed his full range of superpowers within minutes of arriving on Earth thus becoming "Superbaby". The Silver Age version of the character is widely regarded as one of the most powerful. While Silver Age writers initially used "Superbaby" as a joke, later writers commented on his early development of superpowers by saying that the Kents made a point of raising their son to be a hero from the very day he arrived on Earth. However, on seeing the sheer power that his son possessed (even to the point of being able to destroy planets as a toddler) and that the boy, despite that power, had a child's level of restraint and maturity, Jonathan Kent began to fear his son and had nightmares of him taking over the world. He and his wife soon lost that fear on seeing their son cry at the death of a dog on account of his being able to see the life force of every living thing. That night, an eight year old Clark Kent donned his red and blue uniform for the very first time and swore an oath never to kill and to preserve life in all its forms, and that if he should break that oath, renounce his power forever.
Allies
As the first prominent superpowered superhero of Earth-One, Superboy met few other peers his own age outside of his trips to the 30th Century to serve as part of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Earth-One's main other superpowered superhero during Superboy's era was the teenaged Aquaman (who called himself "Aquaboy"). After Superman reached adulthood, other superheroes made their debuts, including Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, and Martian Manhunter. The above group of heroes plus Superman decided to form the superhero team the Justice League of America.
Fellow Kryptonians
Besides Supergirl, other Kryptonians were revealed as having survived the explosion of Krypton. These included the denizens of the bottle city of Kandor, Superman's pet dog Krypto, and the prisoners in the Phantom Zone.
Equipment
As an adult, Superman made prominent use of his Fortress of Solitude. An elaborate facility located in the Arctic, the Fortress traditionally could only be accessed with the use of a giant-sized key only Superman could lift.
Superman also made extensive use of Superman robots, robots that could pose as Superman (or Clark Kent) as needed, with a fraction of his abilities, but the robots became largely disused by the early 1970s.
Post-Crisis use of Earth-One elements
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Along with the existence of his Earth-Two counterpart, Superman's Earth-One existence and history were erased from continuity, after the conclusion of 1985-86 miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths, following the destruction of the Pre-Crisis universe in that storyline. The Post-Crisis Earth would be an entirely new continuity, and the Post-Crisis Superman an entirely new person, but some aspects of the Earth-One version remained intact. However, Clark's career as Superboy, Supergirl, and Superman's tenure with the Legion of Super-Heroes were removed entirely from the new timeline. Writer John Byrne acknowledged that he intended to reintroduce several modified Silver Age aspects such as Superboy to the comics, but he was fired after two years due to "creative differences" with DC.
Infinite Crisis
A year after the Infinite Crisis, a number of the Earth-One elements have been restored to the Post-Crisis Earth (dubbed "New Earth"). Although several Byrne aspects, such as his portrayal of Clark's football days and love interest in Lana, remain in continuity, the Kryptonian criminal Jax-Ur has been re-introduced into "Post-Infinite Crisis" canon in the "Superman: Last Son" story arc, and Clark is revealed to have been made an honorary member of the Legion of Super-Heroes during his late teens. According to Clark, he met Mon-El and wrongly assumed him to have been his long-lost brother from Krypton, based on their similar names, and Superman still has a Legion flight ring in his possession. He is shown to have been wearing glasses as far back as his adolescent Smallville years, and he has actively been saving lives in a low-profile.
Other versions
Superman: Earth-One
Superman: Earth One is an original graphic novel written by J. Michael Straczynski and illustrated by Shane Davis. The story focuses on a young Superman's decisions to use his powers to help the world rather than for his own benefit. Due to the weekly series Trinity creating a new Earth-One, the story may be part of the DC Multiverse, as Straczynski said that it is not part of the main DCU.
All-Star Superman
Grant Morrison's critically acclaimed All-Star Superman draws inspiration from this version of Superman in order to "strip down the Man of Steel to his timeless, essential elements". Among older classic elements of the character are things such as:
A career as "Superboy" and the death of Jonathan Kent being what motivated Clark to leave Smallville.
Luthor being primarily a mad scientist able to escape at will from prison.
Clark Kent being clumsy and timid.
Robot duplicates that exist to aid Superman.
Superman: Birthright
In the miniseries Superman: Birthright, Mark Waid retold Superman's origin and restored various elements of the pre-Crisis/Silver Age version of the character, namely he and Luthor having been friends in Smallville until a ruined science experiment left Luthor embittered and angry at Superman. Waid said that he regards the Superman novels of Elliot S. Maggin—Superman's chief writer in the Bronze Age—as being his textbooks on the character. He also admitted that Birthright was inspired by Superman: The Movie, which was itself based on the pre-Crisis/Silver Age version of the character.
In other media
The 1980s TV series Superboy featured John Haymes Newton (Season 1) and Gerard Christopher (Season 2 onwards) in the role of a college-aged Clark Kent/Superboy. Like the Earth-One Superboy, he was depicted as being a peer (but not a friend) of fellow student Lex Luthor, who blamed him for the loss of his hair after he rescued him from a laboratory accident.
Superman (1978) was based upon the Superman of this era, showing things such as Lex Luthor being a terrorist/criminal rather than an evil businessman, Superman (not Clark Kent) being the dominant personality, and Clark's failure to save his adoptive father being what led him to leave Smallville and eventually become a hero.
Both The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure (1967–1968) and Super Friends (1973–1985) featured a Superman based on this era's version of the character, retaining elements such as Superman and Lex Luthor being friends before the latter's turn to evil, and Superman's close friendship with Batman.
Injustice (2021) features an adaptation of the Earth-One Superman, who wears the classic costume in contrast to the film's main version of the character, who wears a more modern costume. This heroic version of Superman is recruited by a multiverse-hopping Mister Terrific to combat the corrupted Superman, who ultimately defeats him due to Earth-One Superman holding back. When introduced by Mister Terrific, he claims that the alternate Superman hails from "Earth-9" and that he was brought to "Earth-1", but the latter corrects him, stating that his home reality is Earth-1 and that the Injustice universe is "Earth-22".