"Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" Part 2 Quiz

Answer: Jordan Elliot

The reporter asks Jordan if doesn't mind him interviewing Lois about Superman. He responds dismissively by claiming that "he weren't nothin' special" and that "us workin' slobs" are the "real heroes." Despite this, his name contains a clue to his true identity as the first syllable of his first and last names are Jor-El, the name of Superman's biological father.

Answer: A golden key

The entrance to Fortress of Solitude consisted of a large gold-colored door with a giant keyhole that was opened by a massive golden key, shaped like an arrow, so large it could only lifted by someone with strength on par with Superman. Because of its size, the key was normally left outside the Fortress, hanging on brackets beside the door.

It is not really explained why Superman felt the need to destroy the key, rather than bring it inside. However, doing so creates a sense of drama that matches the tone of finality that characterizes this story.

Answer: The Legion of Super-Villains

The Legion of Super-Villains are evil counterparts of the Legion of Superheroes and like them are from the thirtieth century. They consist of Saturn Woman, Lightning Lord, and Cosmic King - names that mimic those of the Legion of Superheroes' founding members, Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, and Cosmic Boy.

They recognize Lex Luthor and are momentarily surprised to discover that his body has been taken over by Brainiac. Recovering their poise, they explain that according to legend, during these days, "Superman met his greatest foe in battle and was no more." Based on this, they wish to join in the "assured and predestined slaughter of Superman." Brainiac naturally assumes that he is Superman's greatest foe (although it turns out that he is sorely mistaken) and accepts their help because of their knowledge of future events.

Answer: An impenetrable force-field erected by Brainiac

Many well-known superheroes make cameo appearances, including Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman, and Captain Marvel, but none of them can break through Brainiac's force-field that completely surrounds Superman's fortress. Brainiac and his allies begin attacking Superman's fortress with weapons from Brainiac's ship. Superman destroys most of these from long range with his heat vision.

However, when he and his faithful companion Krypto the Superdog attempt a more direct counter-attack, they are driven away by the Kryptonite Man, whose powers seem to have mysteriously increased tenfold.

Answer: Elastic Lad

The Trophy Room of Superman's fortress contains all sorts of amazing souvenirs from his adventures, including the serum that gives Jimmy the power to stretch his limbs like rubber, much like similar but quite distinct superheroes, such as Plastic Man and Elongated Man, as well as the Marvel character Mr. Fantastic.

In past issues over the years, he had a number of adventures in the guise of Elastic Lad. He decides that he can put these powers to good use in Superman's hour of need. Lana Lang also wants to help Superman and reveals that many years ago she and Lois too gained superpowers by bathing in a magic lake. Conveniently, Superman has a pool of this "magic lake water" in his Trophy Room, along with suitable costumes in display cases for Jimmy and Lana to wear. Lana does not specify if she had a super-alias to go with the powers she acquires through this method, which are similar to those of Superman himself.

Answer: Lightning Lord

Accompanied by Jimmy Olsen, who has become Elastic Lad, her counterattack takes the villains by surprise. The Kryptonite Man tries to attack her, but unlike Superman, she is immune to his radiation because she is not Kryptonian and knocks him to the ground. Brainiac, who has taken possession of Luthor's body, tries to threaten her, when Luthor regains control long enough to tell Lana what has happened to him and begs her to kill him, which she does.

However, the Legion of Super-Villains is not as easily overcome. Cosmic King uses his transmutation abilities to remove her powers; Lightning Lord then fatally electrocutes her. Jimmy also suffers a terrible fate.

He succeeds in disabling Brainiac's force-field generator, but then, in a grotesque scene, Brainiac manages to reanimate Luthor's corpse, allowing him to shoot Jimmy dead and resume his attack on Superman's fortress. Rather mysteriously, Brainiac's force-field does not disappear, even though its power source had been disabled, keeping Superman's allies locked outside.

Answer: Krypto the Superdog

The Kryptonite Man swaggers in, blustering about how much he will enjoy killing Superman and demanding that he come out and face him. He is then shocked when Krypto bursts through a wall and launches himself straight at his throat. This shows supreme bravery on Krypto's part as he is intelligent enough to know that the Kryptonite Man's radiation will kill him, but he does not hesitate.

The Kryptonite Man has only a moment to express his disbelief before Krypto ends his life with a snap of his jaws.

There is then a heart wrenching scene in which Krypto lets out a mournful howl before succumbing entirely to the kryptonite poisoning. Elsewhere in the fortress, Superman hears this and immediately knows that his faithful friend is gone.

Answer: Nothing

After chasing off the Legion of Super-Villains, Superman goes outside to face Brainiac, who is rapidly losing control of Luthor's corpse, as rigor mortis is setting in and his limbs are stiffening. Brainiac expresses confusion and dismay, as he had been convinced that he was destined to defeat Superman, especially as the Legion of Super-Villains had said that according to their legends, this was the day that Superman fell to his greatest enemy. Luthor's body then collapses, and in a rather pathetic scene, Brainiac's head starts crawling towards Superman on little mechanical legs, making empty threats before shutting down completely. Superman is left to puzzle over this turn of events, which he finds oddly anticlimactic.

Answer: Mr. Mxyzptlk

A classic Superman villain who debuted in 1944, Mr. Mxyzptlk is an imp from the fifth dimension with apparently unlimited power to alter reality at whim. Normally appearing as a clownish little man, he materializes in response to Superman's challenge to show himself, having a more sinister appearance and wearing a darker costume. Lois notes that he didn't look funny anymore. He explains that as an immortal being, he has a big problem in filling his time. Hence, he spent the first two thousand years of his existence doing nothing at all; growing weary of this, he then spent the next two thousand years being saintly and benign. Tiring of that, he spent his time being mischievous. Two thousand years later, he has grown tired of that too and has decided to spend the next two millennia being evil. Mr. Mxyzptlk boasts that he is in fact Superman's greatest foe who was referred to in the thirtieth century legend. This reminds Lois of the statuette of Superman holding a strange device that was given to him the night before by his friends from the Legion of Superheroes, who had time travelled from the thirtieth century. She believes that they were trying to give him a clue and encourages Superman to think of what it might be. He then recognizes the device depicted in the statuette as the phantom zone projector, which can be used to trap people in another dimension where they become intangible. Retrieving the actual projector, he turns it on Mr. Mxyzptlk, who panics and attempts to return to his own dimension. This turns out to be a mistake, as he is simultaneously pulled into both the fifth dimension and the phantom zone at once, which tears his very being apart, destroying him. Of course, if one is so inclined, one could point out the plot holes in this turn of events (e.g., why didn't he just use his powers to disable the projector before Superman could use it?), but it is still a dramatic and effective resolution to the story in my opinion.

The Time Trapper is a major antagonist for the Legion of Superheroes who resides at the end of time. Vandal Savage is an immortal villain who has frequently caused trouble for the Justice League, especially the Flash. The Anti-Monitor is the major villain in "Crisis on Infinite Earths."

Answer: Permanently remove his powers

Although Superman was clearly justified in killing Mr. Mxyzptlk, who was intent on killing him, and who he regarded as too powerful and malevolent to allow to survive, he is overcome by guilt at breaking his self-imposed prohibition against taking life. Feeling that he no longer deserves to be Superman, he enters a storeroom where he keeps samples of gold kryptonite and does not return. Gold kryptonite was first introduced into Superman comics in 1962 and it was explained that it is kryptonite that has been affected by atomic radiation and that the effect of exposure is to permanently remove a Kryptonian's ability to process yellow sunlight, reducing them to the status of an ordinary person without any superpowers. According to Lois' account of events to the Daily Planet reporter who is interviewing her, she never saw Superman again. With Mr. Mxyzptlk gone, the force-field preventing Superman's friends from entering the Fortress disappeared and they were able to investigate. Captain Marvel tears open the door of the gold kryptonite chamber and finds a hidden passageway leading out of the Fortress, and concludes that Superman had walked out into the sub-zero weather to freeze.

However, a search did not find his body. Although not stated directly, it is rather strongly hinted that Lois' husband, Jordan Elliot, is Superman, who had long considered Lois the love of his life. A rather blatant clue is that their infant son, Jonathan, is shown picking up a piece of coal and changing it into a diamond with his bare hands!