Notice! Spoilers for Action Comics #1071!There are tons of different members Superman Super-Family, but few people remember their oft-forgotten brother – who has just returned in a big way with a new villainous identity. While there’s no doubt that Superman always hoped to see Mon-El again, it’s unlikely he expected to see him as the new Ghost King.
Mon-El’s shocking return is revealed in Action comics #1071 by Mark Waid and Clayton Henry. In this story, the Phantom Zone has started to change and Superman can’t see what’s going on inside it. Considering the Phantom Zone contains some of the universe’s worst criminals, this naturally worries Superman. With no other choice and wanting to get to the bottom of this, Superman enters the Phantom Zone, where he meets the Ghost King – also known as Mon-El.
When he first enters the Zone, Superman has to fight for his life against criminals from the Phantom Zone and new monsters that have appeared in the zone, such as giant spiders. Although Superman manages to combat some of these threats, he is ultimately defeated and captured by the Ghost King. Although this seems like a horrible thing to happen, it is revealed that this new Ghost King is none other than Mon-ElSuperman’s long-lost brother.
Mon-El officially returns to DC Lore as the new Ghost King, a Superman villain
Action Comics #1071 by Mark Waid, Clayton Henry, Michael Shelfer, Matt Herms and Dave Sharpe
Even the most die-hard Superman fans often forget about Superman’s “older brother”, Mon-El, who first appeared in Superboy #89 by Robert Bernstein and George Papp. In this classic comic, a strange rocket crashes on Earth and Superboy immediately investigates it. What he finds is a boy, about his age, who has a locket given to him by Jor-El. Even more alarming, this boy quickly begins to develop Kryptonian powers, just like Superboy, leading Clark to believe that Mon-El simply must be his long-lost brother.
Eventually, Superboy begins to realize that some things just aren’t adding up. For example, Krypto doesn’t recognize Mon-El, and Mon-El seems completely immune to kryptonite. Both things point to Mon-El not being Kryptonian and therefore not Clark’s brother. All of this is true, as once Mon-El regains his memories, he remembers that he is actually Lar Gand, a Daxamite. His Daxamite biology is what eventually forces him into the Phantom Zone, as although Mon-El is immune to kryptonite, he is deathly allergic to lead. Without the ability to cure him of lead poisoning, Clark sends him to the Phantom Zone to preserve his life.
The Ghost King was once the most dangerous resident of the Phantom Zone
Action comics #5 by Grant Morrison, Andy Kubert, Jesse Delperdang, Brad Anderson and Pat Brosseau
The Phantom Zone contains many dangerous villains, but one of the most dangerous is none other than Xa-Du, the first Kryptonian banished to the Phantom Zone. Enraged at being trapped in the Phantom Zone, Xa-Du plotted his revenge against Jor-El, the man who discovered the alien prison. This desire for revenge led to several attacks on the El family, most notably shortly before the explosion of Krypton, where Xa-Du attempted to kidnap a baby Kal-El, but was thwarted by Krypto. Xa-Du has been a persistent threat to Superman and the rest of the Super-Family over the years, but it appears that Mon-El has taken on the title of Ghost King.
It’s not exactly clear how the original Ghost King was defeated and dethroned, especially since it’s generally impossible to kill people in the Ghost Zone. Mon-El has also never been evil, as he is portrayed as a great hero and friend to Superman every time he appears. As said before, Superman even considered Mon-El his brother at one point, and he spent years trying to figure out a way to save Mon-El from lead poisoning. It’s extremely unlikely that Mon-El would have turned into a true villain, but it’s not impossible, especially after spending decades in the Phantom Zone while Superman lived out his life on Earth.
Superman’s long-lost brother Mon-El returns to DC Lore – but what is he doing?
Does the crown mean more than your brother?
There are many mysteries awaiting Superman inside the Phantom Zone. Despite being an important part of their tradition in recent decades, it is the only place that has not been explored much. Now that the Phantom Zone appears to be changing, Superman has taken the plunge to truly explore it and discover exactly why this iconic location is becoming more dangerous than ever. Although Superman originally sent his brother Mon-El there to save his life, it appears that Mon-El was not just waiting, instead usurping the Ghost King’s throne and potentially becoming Superman most dangerous enemy.
Action comics #1071 is now available from DC Comics!