Superman's History
Many years ago, the doomed planet Krypton was destroyed in an unimaginable cosmic conflagration: in a last-ditch effort to save their son, desperate scientists Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van placed their son, Kal-El, in an experimental rocketship, and sent the last hope of their people to the stars. Eventually, the Last Son of Krypton would crash-land on Earth in the Kansas town of Smallville and be found by a kindly couple, farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent, who would raise him as their own son, Clark.
As time went on, and the boy Clark Kent learned the truth of his powers and heritage, he donned an 'action suit' based on the clothing of the lost planet Krypton and would become the hero Superman, defender of all mankind. His early career would be marked by tragedy, a team-up with the future heroes of the Superman Squad, including Kal Kent, the Unknown Superman of A.D. 4500 and the Superman of the 5th dimension to hold back the hideous Chronovore causing him to miss the death of his adoptive father.
After moving to Metropolis, Clark found work at the Daily Planet under editor-in-chief Perry White, affecting a persona of a clumsy, cowardly wimp when in his civilian disguise in order to evade suspicion that he was also Superman. He would fall in love with Lois Lane (though their relationship would be strained by his need to hide the secret of his dual identity), befriend cub reporter Jimmy Olsen as both Clark and Superman, and work alongside the likes of Cat Grant, Ron Troupe, and Steve Lombard. As Superman, he would battle against the likes of the immeasurably brilliant, sociopathic criminal mastermind Lex Luthor, the alien, city-miniaturizing monster Brainiac, the tyrannical computer-sun Solaris, the pitiable imperfect clone of Superman himself, Bizarro, the Kryptonian criminals of the Phantom Zone, the energy-draining Parasite, the delusional, robotic science-fiend Mechano Man, and far, far more among a legion of friends from across the expanse of time and space, all of whom he would defeat. He would help form Earth's premiere defensive team, the Justice League, alongside the likes of Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, and the Green Lantern of Sector 2814, worked alongside the likes of the Legion of Super-Heroes, befriended the scientific genius Leo Quintum, traveled to far-off realms such as New Olympus, contended with the menace of the many varieties of Kryptonite, rescued the space-shuttle Columbia, retrieved the shrunken Kryptonian bottle city of Kandor, raised the lost ship Titanic, adopted a baby Sun-Eater, and took in the sickly infant universe of Qwewq. In all these deeds and more, he would be seen as Earth's greatest hero.
His final adventures began when saving Leo Quintum and his workers from a mission to the Sun sabotaged by Luthor; in diving into the sun, Superman's cells were overloaded with yellow solar radiation, which, while temporarily granting him enhanced abilities, would also time destroy his body from the inside, ultimately killing him. With his remaining days so limited, Superman resolved to prepare the Earth for his passing.
