We all know about the story of Superman. A planet explodes; a baby is rocketed off of the dying planet at the last minute; he is found by a caring couple who nurture and raise him to become the superhero we all know today. But what if none of that happened? Here is a short tale of a young boy named Kal-El on a faraway healthy planet called Krypton.
After claiming that Krypton was on the verge of dying and implosion, noted scientist Jor-El became the laughingstock of the planet when his predictions did not come true. Once one of the greatest minds of his time, Jor is now lucky to get a janitorial job. His wife Lara-El is a noted librarian who works in the greatest library in all of Kryptonopolis. Their son, Kal-El, goes to the finest school in the city, but he is an underachiever who constantly gets into trouble. Kal has little desire to do well because of what happened to his father, and because of that, his parents are very worried about his future. Recently, he has gotten involved with a rough crowd, and has luckily only gotten warnings from the authorities, because of how well known his father was.
Jor and Lara have sat down with Kal many times to try and set him straight. He has the potential and the smarts to succeed, but for some reason, he finds no motivation to do anything productive. He grew up at a time where his father is constantly ridiculed because of his mistake, and as a result, kids at school bullied Kal. He has found a solace with this gang, and he refuses to listen to the issues his parents bring up about his group. He has seen many therapists, and has gotten help, but he has shunned all of it and refuses to let anyone in.
One day, young Kal is walking home from school. He is heading home before meeting up with his gang to pull off the biggest heist any of them have ever committed. They were going to steal a truckload of valuable technology that could be worth millions of credits on the black market. Kal was excited to finally be going through with this after months of preparation and planning. As he is walking home to get his things, he sees an old homeless man sitting on the sidewalk. “Hey you!” says the old man, talking in Kal's direction. “Come here for a second.” Kal is sure he has never seen this man, so he keeps on walking. “Come here Kal-El, son of Jor-El!” The old man calls, and now Kal is intrigued. He has never seen this man before, so he walks over to see who this man is. “Who are you?” Kal simply asks the man, unsure of what answer he will get. “My name is Bruce, ” starts the old man. “And I am from a place far away from here.” “Are you from Kandor?” Kal asks, knowing that the capital city of Krypton is pretty far away. “No,” the old man says as he chuckles. “I am from a place much farther away, and a time very different from this one.” “So what do you want from me?” Kal asks, annoyed. “It is not what I want from you, it is what I can offer you.” Bruce states. “I come from a planet filled with superheroes. These men and women have extraordinary powers and use them to help those without powers and those in need.” “What does any of this have to do with me?” Kal asked, now intrigued as to who this homeless man really is. “I have been watching you for a while now, and all I see is wasted potential for what you could really be. You hang around with thugs and lowlifes because you think of them as bad boys, and they do not mock you for your father's mistake. You do not care about what they do, or who they hurt, as long as they try to protect you from others who would make fun of you.” Kal was shocked at what Bruce is saying because although he has never admitted it, that is exactly how he felt inside. How could this homeless man know so much about him? Know all that he has never spoken about, even to his parents? He was sure he had never met this man before, although there was a familiar feeling about him. “One of those heroes was greater than all the others,” Bruce continued. “His name was Superman, and he was the champion of the people, putting truth, justice and the American way; America being where he was from; before all else. He always does great things and is always putting his talents towards helping others, no matter what.” “Who is this guy, and how did he get his powers?” Kal asked enthusiastically, now drawn to the man's stories. “His name is Clark Kent, but that is what his adoptive parents call him. He is really from a dying world that imploded when he was a baby. He was the son of the scientist who predicted the disaster, so he was sent off planet right before the planet died.” Although Bruce never said the baby's true name, Kal had a pretty good idea who he was talking about. “Be all you can be Kal and do not waste your talent and kindness on the losers you hang out with now. That is all I wanted to say. Have a good day and stay out of trouble.” Bruce said as he put his head down. Kal started to walk away, thinking that the man must have been some sort of detective.
He took a few steps when he wanted to learn the true name of the Superman that he had spoken about. Kal turned around to ask, and the spot where Bruce was sitting was now unoccupied, with no one to be seen in either direction. Kal had no idea who that man was or where he went, but he went walking with a new look on life. He decided then and there to turn his life around, because although he did not know it, he had the potential to be super.
(The characters and planet are property of DC. I own nothing)
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