Readers of Doomsday Clock all SPOILERS thread

[phantom1592]

Ma and Pa Kent are great supporting characters for Superman. Their death never seemed to serve much purpose to me, but having them alive gives Clark a stronger connection to Smallville in his stories, as he has more reason to keep going back there.

I had no problem with them being dead... but I absolutely despised the WAY they died. Their death should serve a purpose. Superman: the Movie really nailed it. They need to die of natural causes. They need to impart that one last lesson that no matter how powerful Clark is... there are always some things he CAN'T do. He can't save everyone... he's not a god. Heart Attack, Stroke, Old Age... that's how they need to go out.

Car Accident!?! That's garbage. Clark COULD have stopped that. We always see that Bruce holds on to some guilt over his parents dying... but that is legitimately misplaced. he literally could NOT have done anything to save them. Clark though? If he wasn't playing around at having human life... he COULD have stopped the car. THAT was in his power... and he SHOULD carry that guilt around with him. Also a Clark dealing with THAT lesson would never be a reporter, no metropolis or lois… There would be that drive to 'never let mortal life distract him again...' and that is NOT what we want from Superman.

So yeah... I have no problem with them dying. But the way they did it?? Man, I always hated that.

[Vordan]

Ma and Pa Kent are great supporting characters for Superman. Their death never seemed to serve much purpose to me, but having them alive gives Clark a stronger connection to Smallville in his stories, as he has more reason to keep going back there.

We talk about “relatability”? What you just described is one of the most unrelatable things ever. I have friends who grew up in small towns, raised by loving families, some even lived on farms. None of them ever want to go back. Small towns in America are dying rapidly, go look it up. Superman constantly being nostalgic for Smallville and pining about the good ol’ days working on the farm is one of the most disconnected parts of his characterization. It’s rural fetishization by people who have never actually lived in a small town. Young people who can get out of their Smallvilles do so gladly and don’t want to go back generally.

The focus should be on Metropolis, which badly needs better fleshing out anyway. Most of the time it’s just a generic city without an ounce of personality.

[SecretWarrior]

We talk about “relatability”? What you just described is one of the most unrelatable things ever. I have friends who grew up in small towns, raised by loving families, some even lived on farms. None of them ever want to go back. Small towns in America are dying rapidly, go look it up. Superman constantly being nostalgic for Smallville and pining about the good ol’ days working on the farm is one of the most disconnected parts of his characterization. It’s rural fetishization by people who have never actually lived in a small town. Young people who can get out of their Smallvilles do so gladly and don’t want to go back generally.

The focus should be on Metropolis, which badly needs better fleshing out anyway. Most of the time it’s just a generic city without an ounce of personality.

I know people from rural Kansas and Illinois and Wisconsin who do enjoy going back for a visit. They also try to find parts of the city that remind them of home, ie country bars, line dancing, etc.

Smallville allowed Clark to test his powers in secret. And the Kents can play a similar role to Clark that Alfred does.



We saw Jor-El do this for Clark in JLU's For the Man Who Has Everything episode.

[SecretWarrior]

The Kents also help Kara and Conner too.

[dswynne]

We talk about “relatability”? What you just described is one of the most unrelatable things ever. I have friends who grew up in small towns, raised by loving families, some even lived on farms. None of them ever want to go back. Small towns in America are dying rapidly, go look it up. Superman constantly being nostalgic for Smallville and pining about the good ol’ days working on the farm is one of the most disconnected parts of his characterization. It’s rural fetishization by people who have never actually lived in a small town. Young people who can get out of their Smallvilles do so gladly and don’t want to go back generally.

The focus should be on Metropolis, which badly needs better fleshing out anyway. Most of the time it’s just a generic city without an ounce of personality.

Disagree. It's Clark's "small town values" that makes the hero that he is. It's also what endears him to Lois the City Girl. Having Smallville in Superman's life is just as important as having Metropolis in his life.

Btw, there is a reason why small towns in America are dying. It's called "Agenda 21". It's a UN policy platform that calls for the depopulation of a lot of areas, by forcing people into the cities, for sake of sustainability and "the environment". Go look it up.

[manwhohaseverything]

i have no qualms with clark going back to smallville. If this is clark turning post crisis, where he needs pa and ma as the moral authority. Then, i don't want it. It isn't relatable. It is basically saying clark is incompetent. An incompetent superman ain't superman at all.

[dswynne]

And Johns restored Superboy and the Legion (the real one) again....but there's absolutely no way that can be implemented right now into canon.

Actually, you can say that "Doomsday Clock" takes place on Earth-Nu52, now. What's being going on in the Justice League books, with the Doom War happening, is taking place on Earth-Rebirth.

And Cyborg, being a founding member of the Justice League starts on Earth-52, which leads into Earth-Nu52 (i.e. Post-Convergence), which leads to Earth-Rebirth.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

Btw, there is a reason why small towns in America are dying. It's called "Agenda 21". It's a UN policy platform that calls for the depopulation of a lot of areas, by forcing people into the cities, for sake of sustainability and "the environment". Go look it up.

Yes, look it up. Otherwise you mind find yourself falling for right-wing conspiracy theories.

Green space, clean energy, increased urban density...and global dictatorship. It’s hard to see how all of these things could connect, but — according to a popular right wing conspiracy theory — a UN resolution aimed at sustainable development could pave the way.

Theorists argue that Agenda 21, a 23-year-old non-binding UN resolution that suggests ways for governments and NGOs to promote sustainable development, is the linchpin in a plot to subjugate humanity under an eco-totalitarian regime.

Virtually none of the outlandish claims about Agenda 21 are true. Yet, as with all such baseless propaganda, the hysteria over it has had the effect of poisoning any kind of rational discussion of the very real challenges we face — challenges that are essential to tackle head-on in an increasingly complex and stressed world.

[dswynne]

i have no qualms with clark going back to smallville. If this is clark turning post crisis, where he needs pa and ma as the moral authority. Then, i don't want it. It isn't relatable. It is basically saying clark is incompetent. An incompetent superman ain't superman at all.

So...you never relied on a parent-figure for support or advice. Got it.

[dswynne]

Yes, look it up. Otherwise you mind find yourself falling for right-wing conspiracy theories.

Green space, clean energy, increased urban density...and global dictatorship. It’s hard to see how all of these things could connect, but — according to a popular right wing conspiracy theory — a UN resolution aimed at sustainable development could pave the way.

Theorists argue that Agenda 21, a 23-year-old non-binding UN resolution that suggests ways for governments and NGOs to promote sustainable development, is the linchpin in a plot to subjugate humanity under an eco-totalitarian regime.

Virtually none of the outlandish claims about Agenda 21 are true. Yet, as with all such baseless propaganda, the hysteria over it has had the effect of poisoning any kind of rational discussion of the very real challenges we face — challenges that are essential to tackle head-on in an increasingly complex and stressed world.

Never referred to ANY of the conspiracy theories surrounding Agenda 21, so don't infer that I am. In fact, some parts of the platform I do support, such as natural habitat restoration (to address strip mining and deforestation) and green energy projects. But some projects will mean ending certain background economies, such as the coal industry, which will force de-population of those areas (i.e. towns that rely on single-sector economies). Just saying.

[Vampire Savior]

We talk about “relatability”? What you just described is one of the most unrelatable things ever. I have friends who grew up in small towns, raised by loving families, some even lived on farms. None of them ever want to go back. Small towns in America are dying rapidly, go look it up. Superman constantly being nostalgic for Smallville and pining about the good ol’ days working on the farm is one of the most disconnected parts of his characterization. It’s rural fetishization by people who have never actually lived in a small town. Young people who can get out of their Smallvilles do so gladly and don’t want to go back generally.

The focus should be on Metropolis, which badly needs better fleshing out anyway. Most of the time it’s just a generic city without an ounce of personality.

What's disconnected from Superman is the idea you're suggesting that Clark should hate his home town. He was never like that. Smallville is a huge part of Superman's mythology and shouldn't be neglected. It gave us Pete Ross, Lana Lang, Conduit, and a bunch of other stuff, and even has an entire massive show about it that got a lot of people into the character. There's too much to mine to just disregard, and since Superman has two regular comics going all the time, there should be enough room to explore the various facets of the character's world. I'm not saying the writers will do that, but they should be able to.

[SecretWarrior]

So...you never relied on a parent-figure for support or advice. Got it.

Heck, sometimes parents give unsolicited advice, lol

[manwhohaseverything]

So...you never relied on a parent-figure for support or advice. Got it.

Have you ever known a word called "orphan"?So, no i didn't have the luxury. I had my aunt who adopted me. She is gone too.So, I find precrisis superman far more relatable.
Taking advice from parental figure rarely, is different from clark running back to ma and pa all the time for platitudes . The frequency in which clark kent does it is borderline pathetic. Ma and pa themselves are morally perfect one note characters.i don't want that. I would rather if they exist. They take in strays and meta human kids like in the nail series. They should serve no purpose for clark.Maybe have them for some cute family moments like fluff.

[SecretWarrior]

[Robotman]

I loved this episode. Clark being excited about Christmas on the farm was adorable.
I think having the Kents alive adds a lot to Superman’s character. The most powerful being on the planet can go back home and be doted over by his mom. I love it. The Man of Steel has his mom concerned if he’s getting enough to eat. Definitely adds to the “relatability” factor. As stated by other posters, their death in The New 52 was pretty dumb (and this is coming from someone who loved Morrison’s Action run). Jonathan dying of a heart attack is poignant as it shows that with all his godlike powers he still can’t stop his loved ones from aging and dying. The car crash caused by Vyn was weak.