Warning: spoilers for Action Comics #1039 are ahead.
As the world's first superhero, DC Comics is foundational to understanding his character. His status as being the Last Son of Krypton informs his perspective as a hero, driving him to protect Earth so it doesn't suffer the same fate as his home planet. Superman's origin as a refugee from a faraway planet has continued to make him relevant to contemporary times, an idea that circulates in part four of the "Warworld Saga" from Action Comics #1039, by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Riccardo Federici, Lee Loughbridge, and Dave Sharpe.
Imprisoned on Warworld, Superman is without his powers as the planet is drenched in the rays of a red sun. Clark is forced to fight in gladiator battles alongside other "strays," or individuals captured from societies that the Monguls have long since destroyed. Not used to having to fight without his powers, Clark is taken in by another prisoner named Kryl-Ux, who chastises him for his lack of training. As he gets to know his fellow prisoner, Clark correctly identifies that he is Phaelosian based on his speech patterns, to which Kryl-Ux responds, "That word is meaningless now... But yes, I was Phaelosian once... Then Warworld came. Now my family's house is ashes... There is no one to left to smile for me... And this chain is my only legacy."
Kryl-Ux presents a dark and tragic inverse of Superman's character, had Clark never made it to Earth, where he was able to flourish thanks to the solar system's yellow sun. He offers an alternate vision of Superman whose story is based in oppression, rather than empowerment. Kryl-Ux's story challenges the optimism of Clark's origin story, because his condition so closely resembles Superman's. In doing so, Action Comics #1039 boldly examines the Superman mythos outside the realm of power, reestablishing the character as a champion of the oppressed without needing to use his powers once.
Kryl-Ux's refusal to identify as a Phaelosian in the present contrasts sharply with how Clark still identifies as Kryptonian, despite the destruction of his home world. For Clark, being Kryptonian is a source of power, literally, as his alien physiology makes him exceptional on Earth, but it also endows him with a responsibility to continue his family's legacy. In comparison, Kryl-Ux's Phaelosian identity is entwined with his own oppression with the loss of his family and cultural heritage. Kryl-Ux saying that, "this chain is my only legacy" is indicative of this fact, symbolizing not only his physical enslavement, but also the problem of his own heritage. The "chain" of his lineage truly is his only legacy, as he no longer has any children. His existence in the present is tied to a past that no longer exists. This powerfully contrasts Superman's status as the Man of Tomorrow, whose legacy is often presented in progressive and futuristic , despite Krypton's destruction.
Superman's interactions with Kryl-Ux on Warworld have illustrated the universality of his character's most basic question: how does one build a legacy from destruction and loss? While Clark's story on Earth is an uplifting one, Johnson's writing reexamines it with a critical edge, identifying how it would be so much more tragic if he wasn't as fortunate. Now more than ever, Superman's story is focused on legacy, between the events of Action Comics and Jon Kent's Superman: Son of Kal-El series. The "Warworld Saga" has explored the dark side of this theme, providing fans with a compelling alternate look at Superman's significance beyond his powers.
