DC Comics Replaces Superman Before Man of Tomorrow Soars Into Theaters

2 weeks ago 18

Published May 25, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT

Patrik Walker is an Emmy Award–winning writer who covers all things Comics & Superheroes. His work can also be found at the Dallas Cowboys, The Sporting News, and CBS Sports, among other outlets. One of the most respected names in his field, he is also a diehard enthusiast of all things comics, anime, gaming and movies — thriving in spaces where discussions involving those or similar topics reign supreme.

James Gunn might not approve of this, or maybe he would, considering he's an actual reader of DC Comics and not simply a floating studio face seeking a payday off of the Superman franchise. One thing, among so many, that has kept the franchise interesting over the last several decades is DC Comics' fearlessness of offering up Superman variants, and they've done it again in 2026.

Writer: Kenny Porter
Artist: Danny Earls
Colorist: Nick Filardi
Letterer: Lucas Gattoni
Length: 32 pages
On sale: May 27, 2026
UPC: 76194139214100111
SKU: 0326DC0165

DC Swaps Out Superman So ... Where's Kal?

Per the official release: "The ofifIn a corner of far-flung space, a world explodes. A lone rocket escapes the destruction and races through space, ultimately landing on a small farm in small-town Kansas. A kindly couple steps with trepidation toward the alien craft as the door opens. Out steps a man named Jor-El, the sole survivor of the planet Krypton! As Jor-El fits in to his new home, he realizes that he can help the world, not just with his newfound powers but with his intellect as well. Witness how a Man of Steel and Science saves the world!"

OK, so, that's not exactly father-of-the-year material.

That is, unless Jor-El never has a son on Krypton that would eventually become Kal-El, meaning there was no infant child to save during the extinction level event. DC Comics will definitely have to touch on that angle, one would think, lest they plan to leave it to the readers' very active imaginations.

Superman: Father of Tomorrow Has Some Explaining to Do

"-- And my family and planet are dead." - Jor-El

Those are the words presented by his universal translator to the Kents in his first-ever meeting with them, suggesting he wasn't alone on Krypton, but that he instead did have a wife, at minimum, and one could argue that "family" is defined as also having a child (or children), while others might contend that a family could consists only of spouses.

So ... did Jor-El do the unthinkable and leave his family, potentially including Kal, to die on Krypton? Were they already dead before he saved himself? Does Kal even exist in this storyline?? Questions that need to be answered, and will be (hopefully) when Superman: Father of Tomorrow #1 hits local comic book shelves on May 27, in what is expected to be one hell of a read — possibly even a controversial and divisive one.

The good news for Corenswet's Superman, however, is that his father put his life first, even if it was with the intent of DCU's Kal becoming overlord of Earth. Jeez, Jor-El has some explaining to do lately, save for the one in the Snyderverse that actually was father-of-the-year material.