Superman’s origin undergoes the biggest change in years when he discovers that his father tried to save EVERYONE from the destruction of Krypton (Clark’s rocket was plan B)

Notice! Spoilers ahead for Action Comics #1074!A trip to the past Superman Homeworld reveals a surprising secret about his origin and one of the most controversial pieces of Man of Steel lore. The Phantom Zone has never been Superman’s favorite thing, and he’s been discovering a lot about it recently.

Thanks to the powerful being known as Aethyr, the Phantom Zone and its inhabitants have undergone some serious changes, and this has made Clark doubt his father’s intentions behind pioneering the terrifying dimension. But a chance trip to Krypton reveals the truth behind the Phantom Zone and Jor-El’s wild maneuver to save his people.

Superman’s father tried to save Krypton with the Phantom Zone

Jor-El’s experiment was meant to save, not punish

In Action Comics #1074 by Mark Waid, Clayton Henry, Michael Shelfer, Matt Herms and Dave Sharpe, Superman survived the Phantom Zone’s cruelest punishment, the Eye of the Zone, and ended up on Krypton decades ago. Unfortunately, he arrived when the planet was already starting to destabilize and went straight to the only place he believes can help: the House of El. Taking the name Klar-Ken, Superman arrives at Jor-El and Lara’s house and is greeted by his motherwho is carrying a baby Kal-El with her.

While Superman talks to his mother, Jor-El returns from a meeting with Krypton’s Scientific Council, furious that they refused to listen to him and his warning about the imminent threat to the planet. After calming down, Jor-El meets with Clark, who asks his father if he can help repair the solar bands that allow Superman to access his powers once again. Jor-El agrees and takes Clark to his lab. where Superman sees all the inventions his father created, including a Phantom Zone projector.

Superman asks what the device is and how his father intended to use it. After swearing Clark to secrecy, Jor-El discusses the Phantom Zone with his son and tells him about the benefits of the twilight dimension, namely its ability to protect those within it. Jor-El reveals that he believes the Phantom Zone can be used as a lifeline to save the entire Kryptonian population. Unfortunately, Ro-Zan from the Scientific Council invades and seizes the Phantom Zone projector and arrests Jor-El, Lara and Superman.

The Phantom Zone Could Have Changed Everything for Superman

Jor-El had no choice but to use a rocket to save Kal-El

This is an interesting reveal, as much of the current arc has seen Superman questioning how his father could have knowingly helped develop the Phantom Zone (which Krypton’s ruling council used to exile its worst criminals). But the idea that Jor-El wanted to use the liminal void to save his people fits much more along the lines with the progressive and compassionate scientist that Superman knows his father was. It’s a shame that his project was accepted by the Scientific Council, which is no doubt about to launch its first wave of bans now that it has the projector.

It also clarifies why Jor-El didn’t spend more time on bigger or better rockets to help more Kryptonians, or at least one that could save the entire El family. Jor-El was trying to save as many of his people as possible (not to mention that he had to operate away from the eyes of the contemptuous and vengeful Scientific Council). The Phantom Zone was the best way forward, but when the plan failed, it’s not hard to believe he only had time to get a vessel that could hold a baby Superman as a last resort.

It’s incredible to imagine that Jor-El was that close to saving his people. If the Science Council hadn’t intervened, Jor-El could have saved waves of Kryptonians. Maybe not the entire population, but definitely more than the handful that exist today. Yes, they would have been trapped like specters in the void, but Kryptonians were some of the most intelligent and advanced people in the DC Universeand they could have found a way out eventually. But because of greed, paranoia and fear, the Phantom Zone has become a pit of suffering rather than a lifeline.

Superman can’t change the past, but he knows his father’s true intentions

A dark question finally has a positive answer

Unfortunately, the past is the past and the people of Krypton were doomed to die. But the only positive is that Superman knows for sure that his father wanted the Phantom Zone to be a tool that could save his people. Clark had trouble with the dimension and hated thinking about the role his father played in how she was used for cruel and unusual punishment. But now that he knows what Jor-El really wanted, Superman can finally leave that part of his past behind.

Action Comics #1074 is now available from DC Comics.