Superman #13

[Superlad93]

Love me some proto space Justice League. No one will likely believe me when I say it, but I've actually really wanted proto Justice League set on Krypton that starts out idealistic in nature, but then gradually turns super shady and leads to Krypton's death. On top of that, I wanted Jor-El to be part of it, so this is legitimately and specifically what I've been looking for. Yay me lol

Bendis taking it a step further and making it a space cabal that where five of its six members are either the parents of (or father-in-laws), mentors to, or at least from the same world as future Earth heroes. That's fantastic to me because its equal parts obvious and subversive. I'm now in a position where I wouldn't at all mind seeing this group during their glory, less jaded years where they were doing their many good works.

Also Jor-El discussing the fate of worlds in his bathroom is amazing.

____________

Fully and completely sticking to my guns on the "Zaar is Jor-El's son" theory.

This might be a bit of a stretch, but I feel the logic is sound: Rogol Zaar is inspired by Legion of Super-Heroes foes and Fatle Five members Validus and Persuader. Well, I think he's decidedly more Validus inspired than Persuader on a conceptual level. In fact, I'm actually guessing that his axe will end up being what the actual Persuader of the 32st century uses. Bendis'll likely have Jon recognize the axe and assume that the Persuader (who wears a mask and is rather large) is Zaar still alive thousands of years into the future.

Anyways, I bring up Validus because of his fairly obscure origin: he's Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl's future son who captured, mutated, and sent back into the past to fight his parents and their friends by Darkseid. That origin seemed to be retconed away pretty hard, and while I can't say I know where Bendis will go with his Legion, I feel like he might not go for that.

My simple guess is that either Jor-El had an illegitimate child in his youth and was just totally unaware of him because the Circle kept it from him. I think he now knows because of either figuring it out or time traveling around looking for Jon.

So, I'm thinking it's a Validus situation because it's Clark in the place of Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl fighting family that they don't know is family. Also said family member is physically unstoppable like Validus was.

This sort of reimagining would fit putty snug in with Bendis Ultimate take on Legion lore. Not saying that Zaar will be Validus, but rather that this might be paying homage to that version of his origin without having to deal with the idea behind it specifically.

[TheFalcon72]

The REAL SHOCKING TRUTH about krypton... Is that you will have to wait until next issue.

I am way past ready for this arc to end. It's not that I didn't like the issue but we are up to 13 issues of circling round the same question with no answer and little in between.

I really agree with you. I read the issue last night after the Rugby League State of Origin and wondered if I’d missed something. This arc has been way too long.

I’m living Ivan Reis’ art work though.

[Yoda]

Fully and completely sticking to my guns on the "Zaar is Jor-El's son" theory.

There's also the time travel aspect that could play into it. If Jor El was tossed back in time like Jon, the "present" Jor El could have fathered Zaar in the past so that the Jor El we see in this flashback would not be aware of Zaar's origins. Convoluted and some kind of paradox I'm sure, but it'd work and kinda fits with the Legion example you mention.

[Kuwagaton]

I would say that the Zaar El idea is too prevalent, but it would have to be in hindsight because it's too early for most people to be incorrect and I defintely haven't put in the time for a theory of my own that would corroborate or refute it.

My first read of 12 was so frustrating because of the stall tactic. It has to be worse here but I've lowered those expectations. I don't really care where he's from anyway, it was just the principle.

[Superlad93]

There's also the time travel aspect that could play into it. If Jor El was tossed back in time like Jon, the "present" Jor El could have fathered Zaar in the past so that the Jor El we see in this flashback would not be aware of Zaar's origins. Convoluted and some kind of paradox I'm sure, but it'd work and kinda fits with the Legion example you mention.

Very, very true. Good point.

[Superlad93]

This sort of reimagining would fit putty snug in with Bendis Ultimate take on Legion lore. Not saying that Zaar will be Validus, but rather that this might be paying homage to that version of his origin without having to deal with the idea behind it specifically.

Just realized that this likely applies to Mon-El too if this theory is true. Zaar would, in a way, be "Ultimate Mon-El." Well, more like he'd be a true version of what Clark assumed Mon was when they first met, and that would be the big reveal. Plus, given what Bendis' Legion looks like, he seems far more conscious of making it so not everyone looks conventionally human, and I'd imagine that if given the opportunity to give Superman a half-brother while he's thinking along these lines, he'd be more incline to make him far more alien in look than Clark. So, then it becomes Mon-El but without the convenience of him looking harmlessly human.

Similar to Mon-El Clark (well, Kara actually) has to throw him into the Phantom Zone to solve the issue that he presents. And right after they do that Clark has some pretty specific commentary on what he feels about the use of the Phantom Zone when he says the "Phantom Zone is only a band-aid" and that they can't just toss everything they don't like into the Phantom Zone. Then when Zaar is in the Zone he talks about this being where the House of El dumps its "mistakes and broken dreams." Both Zaar and Clark actually form something of a critique of the classic Mon-El situation and the use of the Phantom Zone in general back in the silver age.

Obviously it's also confirmed that we'll also be getting normal Mon-El, but given the fact that Clark didn't meet the Legion till now (or soon) it's likely that he also didn't meet Mon-El back when he was a kid. Mon-El may be from the 32nd century.

[Dispenser Of Truth]

Just realized that this likely applies to Mon-El too if this theory is true. Zaar would, in a way, be "Ultimate Mon-El." Well, more like he'd be a true version of what Clark assumed Mon was when they first met, and that would be the big reveal. Plus, given what Bendis' Legion looks like, he seems far more conscious of making it so not everyone looks conventionally human, and I'd imagine that if given the opportunity to give Superman a half-brother while he's thinking along these lines, he'd be more incline to make him far more alien in look than Clark. So, then it becomes Mon-El but without the convenience of him looking harmlessly human.

Similar to Mon-El Clark (well, Kara actually) has to throw him into the Phantom Zone to solve the issue that he presents. And right after they do that Clark has some pretty specific commentary on what he feels about the use of the Phantom Zone when he says the "Phantom Zone is only a band-aid" and that they can't just toss everything they don't like into the Phantom Zone. Then when Zaar is in the Zone he talks about this being where the House of El dumps its "mistakes and broken dreams." Both Zaar and Clark actually form something of a critique of the classic Mon-El situation and the use of the Phantom Zone in general back in the silver age.

Obviously it's also confirmed that we'll also be getting normal Mon-El, but given the fact that Clark didn't meet the Legion till now (or soon) it's likely that he also didn't meet Mon-El back when he was a kid. Mon-El may be from the 32nd century.

Put like that, I wonder if Mon-El, should he be a 32nd century native, might be a 'legitimate' El descendant of that era? Still Lar Gand, Daxamite, but he's descended from Superman and has a Kryptonian name as well accordingly. If his original connection with the family is out the window (Halk Kar of all people seems to have implicitly taken that place back, even if I never expect it to be acknowledged), and given his time in the Phantom Zone/millennium of displacement was rarely brought up in what I've seen anyway, this might be a way of maintaining the familial bond. You could even maintain the big brother/little brother dynamic with him and Jon - albeit with a Meet the Robinsons style twist - and it'd cut off at the pass the question of where the family was for so long before reemerging sometime prior to the 853rd century.

[Superlad93]

Put like that, I wonder if Mon-El, should he be a 32nd century native, might be a 'legitimate' El descendant of that era? Still Lar Gand, Daxamite, but he's descended from Superman and has a Kryptonian name as well accordingly. If his original connection with the family is out the window (Halk Kar of all people seems to have implicitly taken that place back, even if I never expect it to be acknowledged), and given his time in the Phantom Zone/millennium of displacement was rarely brought up in what I've seen anyway, this might be a way of maintaining the familial bond. You could even maintain the big brother/little brother dynamic with him and Jon - albeit with a Meet the Robinsons style twist - and it'd cut off at the pass the question of where the family was for so long before reemerging sometime prior to the 853rd century.

I hadn't even considered the idea that Mon-El could be a 32nd century descendant Kal's. That's brilliant. I mean, Bendis would have to explain the "El" in Mon-El if he decides to not even call him by his far less known name, Lar Gand like Supergirl did, right? Or maybe in a fun twist, Lar Gand may have come up with the name Mon-El (possibly even in the same Monday inspired fashion Clark did) as a way to pay homage to being a descendant of the El family somewhere in his family? Whatever the case, making him an actual El descendant is the kind of "Ultimate" update that I could 100% see being done by Bendis.

Given the fact that Bendis just up an showed Mon-El with the character sheets, and him being on the cover of Millennium #2, it seems pretty clear that he's already on the team, so that likely does in fact drop his Phantom Zone lead poisoning deal.

Makes me wonder if Bendis will do away with the likes of Laurel Kent and Kent Shakespeare? I say this because I have this theory that he may be mixing some Legionnaires. My main possible example is grown ass Matter Eater Lad. Someone brought up the theory that he's now sort of a mix between his classic self and Calorie Queen. She was from the same world as him, but when she ate something the energy would add to her super strength. So, Matter Eater Lad may be that, but he's physically showing the affects in muscle mass? So, I'm thinking Bendis may just roll up Mon-El, Laurel Kent, and Kent Shakespeare into one character.

I mean, if we're talking about this being like Ultimate Spider-Man, then he's done that a bunch with like Liz Allan/Firestar, Rick Jones/Nova/The Watcher, and so on. So it's possible

[nightw1ng]

It's a profoundly weird thing, if that wasn't supposed to be an earth skyfather. As an addition to the Krypton mythos it's hilarious and a definitive bullet point in summarizing the writing of Bendis.

The one who mentioned his Chief Science Officer's cousin's Bar Mitzvah was identified 2 pages later as Myand'r, King of Tamaran and father of Starfire. So apparently, Bendis made it canon that there are Jewish Tamaraneans, lol. That definitely pulled me out of the moment.