<new>clark kent speculations

[Sacred Knight]

Oh I'm definitely reaching because I don't recall her ever reforming in quite this fashion. Mass never actually was removed and put back together before. But it does look to me like something is forming, as opposed to electrical charges. But I could be way wrong of course.

[magha_regulus]

I for one am prepared to be shocked. I have no idea what's going on and am waiting to see if i like this direction when it hits the trades and I can read it all in one swoop. Its definitely one of the most intriguing mysteries to come up in a while.

[vikramkhore]

Matrix? Doesn't he look more like an electric Supes? The effects looked more like electricity to me. Would fit right in with the Red/Blue Supers theory. It's already happening in Superwoman.

which effects bro?

[manduck37]

I'm going to throw a completely off the wall idea out there about Clark. We know that Nuperman's powers and memories were released in those energy bolts when he died. We know that the Kryptonite poisoning, the death at the hands of Rao and other things damaged his body to the point he became terminally ill. Now we know (thanks to Supergirl) that there was a regeneration matrix out there. Plus we know that Nuperman said he had a plan. So what if his plan was to have the Fortress and the Regeneration Matrix create a new body for him so that he could release his powers and energy into that body. Now his memories of being Superman and his powers are finding their way back to the main host body. The Con who had Superman's powers was drawn to Superman. Perhaps that energy is trying to find it's way home. The new body has the Clark memories copied to it but perhaps he didn't have time to transfer everything over. So the power release was a kind of fail safe to reassemble himself should anything happen. How's that for a crazy theory on who Clark is?

[manofsteel1979]

I'm going to throw a completely off the wall idea out there about Clark. We know that Nuperman's powers and memories were released in those energy bolts when he died. We know that the Kryptonite poisoning, the death at the hands of Rao and other things damaged his body to the point he became terminally ill. Now we know (thanks to Supergirl) that there was a regeneration matrix out there. Plus we know that Nuperman said he had a plan. So what if his plan was to have the Fortress and the Regeneration Matrix create a new body for him so that he could release his powers and energy into that body. Now his memories of being Superman and his powers are finding their way back to the main host body. The Con who had Superman's powers was drawn to Superman. Perhaps that energy is trying to find it's way home. The new body has the Clark memories copied to it but perhaps he didn't have time to transfer everything over. So the power release was a kind of fail safe to reassemble himself should anything happen. How's that for a crazy theory on who Clark is?

Not too far from the " Katra" theory Sacred Knight and I batted about a few months back. Certainty not THAT off the wall or out there because there is circumstantial evidence supporting the theory.

[manduck37]

Not too far from the " Katra" theory Sacred Knight and I batted about a few months back. Certainty not THAT off the wall or out there because there is circumstantial evidence supporting the theory.

Well, great minds think alike as they say The released energy was drawn to Superdad too. Between that and the DNA match, seems there are some legs to the "they are the same person" theory going around too. It seems like Nuperman had all the New 52 memories and Superdad had all the "lost" memories, like two halves of a whole. So perhaps new Clark is the holding spot for the possible merger. Which would also work towards restoring the secret identity.

[InfamousBG]

I think just maybe he is the New 52 Superman without any memories.

[Chris24601]

There's something that doesn't quite fit the scattered katra thing though...

"You'll "save me," is that it? Like you did BEFORE?"
"No idea what you're talking about."
"Months ago. When you sent me into hiding."
"I want to help you, but I don't kn--"
"Still playing the mystery man? You owe me answers!"
-Clark and Superman, Action #959

That just doesn't sound like what a piece Superman would be saying if he was an amnesiac or only had Clark's memories.

I could buy something like "I woke up in some lab/safe house/the Fortress with no idea how I got there and only now made it back to Metropolis." Basically something that labels this Clark as being as confused by events as everyone else is.

But instead this Clark Kent is selling a very specific narrative. That Nuperman sent him into hiding for protection months ago (i.e. prior to "Truth") while Superman posed as Clark Kent and indeed this Clark doesn't even seem to recognize that Superdad isn't the Nuperman who sent him into hiding as he demands an explanation from Superdad as to why Nuperman left him in hiding (hence the sarcastic "save me" line).

That doesn't feel like an amnesiac part of Nuperman's soul (he's too certain that this specific false story is the truth) or a depowered Nuperman (who said this where no one else could overhear it so there'd be no point to keeping up the pretense). This reeks of some third-party involvement with a specific purpose of re-establishing Clark's secret identity and this Clark is some sort of duplicate with either false memories or determined to not break cover under any circumstances.

The least nefarious option is that its a life-like android created by Nuperman as part of a plan to reclaim his secret identity that he started up before he learned of his terminal condition and never had a chance to shut down before he died so it just kept right on running with its directive of trying to show up at the same place/time as Superman (and with a story explaining why "Truth" was a lie) in order to prove they were two separate people to the general public.

Eventually, something in its programming will crack and it will reveal this plan to Superdad and more or less give him permission to take the identity of Clark Kent as his own ("My maker always felt that Superman should also be able to experience life as Clark Kent" or something to that effect).

The interesting thing about that actually is that it somewhat brings back the Silver Age disguise to the Byrne-era Superman... Kal-El/Superman/Clark White is the real man and Clark Kent (of New52) is the disguise.

This is particularly true in that, even if both Lois and Clark take on the identities of their New52 counterparts, there's no way to reveal they're married with a ten-year old son that doesn't completely blow the secret identity out of the water (seeing as how New52 Lois and Clark only met about 5 years ago). Thus Clark Kent (and Lois Lane) really are the disguises and Lois and Clark White/Superman (with a son) are the real identities (at least until something happens to restore the missing ten years).

[James Hunter]

This is a completely off the wall theory but I like the idea of this new Clark Kent being the Clark created by Id back in Waid's JLA run (issues #50-540. It was cool seeing the League splintered at the time and it would be a simple but effective way to bring a power-less Superman into the DCU.

Cheers.

James.

[_Beautiful_Temptress_]

I think, Clark Kent in Action Comics is a real New 52 Superman. In Action Comics he like in Batman / Superman Annual 2, without abilities and dressed in the same clothes. Besides, the Superman which was in Superman 52, died like "Superman" in the Earth 2.

During and after Convergence, was not the answer, how Superman was healed from a stab wound.

[magha_regulus]

The least nefarious option is that its a life-like android created by Nuperman as part of a plan to reclaim his secret identity that he started up before he learned of his terminal condition and never had a chance to shut down before he died so it just kept right on running with its directive of trying to show up at the same place/time as Superman (and with a story explaining why "Truth" was a lie) in order to prove they were two separate people to the general public.

I REALLY like this theory! It'ssuch a good idea and sounds like exactly the thing New 52 Superman would do.