Spoilers for Future State: Superman: Worlds at War #1 ahead!
In DC’s and in his absence, a Superman-centric religion has sprung up. Readers get a glimpse of this new faith in the main feature in Future State: Superman: Worlds at War #1 by writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson, artist Mikel Janin and colorist Jordie Bellaire; the issue is in store now.
Much has changed for the DC Universe in Future State. Gotham City, once a hotbed of masked crusaders, is under the thumb of an oppressive, anti-vigilante regime called the Magistrate. Jon Kent, the son of Lois Lane and Clark Kent, has taken on the mantle of Superman and now protects a war-torn Metropolis from the forces that would destroy it. His father, as mentioned before, has left Earth, trapped on WarWorld and at the mercy of Mongul and his hordes. Yet, Superman is a larger-than-life figure, and when he is gone, his presence will still be felt—in this case a brand-new religion.
The new religion is based in Superman’s boyhood home town of Smallville, and in this issue a young pilgrim has arrived, looking for answers. Vendors have lined the street, selling trinkets and gifts inspired by Superman; for example, one offers the young seeker a necklace made of rocks found in the field where Superman's rocket crashed. There are sermons as well that impart deep, metaphysical meaning on many of Superman’s adventures. The pilgrim continues their voyage, arriving in a field with a Superman altar erected in the middle of it. Gathered around it are other followers, who take turns revealing what Superman meant to them. Comic fans joke that Superman’s wide variety of powers, coupled with his strength and invulnerability, make him a god, and fans get to see that carried out to its logical conclusion here.
Interestingly enough, this is not the first time people have seen Superman as a messiah figure. In the early 1990s, a cult that worshipped Superman sprang up. The cult hung out in the background, making one last appearance during the Reign of the Superman story, and it was revealed that the arrival of the four different Supermen had caused the cult to fracture.
Superman is capable of inspiring people to do the right thing. In the dark world of Future State, this gets turned up on its ear. Superman himself would scoff at the idea of a religion based around him—it runs counter to everything he believes in. Yet the people of Future State need hope, and this may be the only way they get it.
