Superman: Man of Tomorrow #20 just saw the Man of Steel smashing Krypton conspiracy theories as he takes on the internet and a crew of nasty trolls.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Superman: Man of Tomorrow #20, from Josh Trujillo, Stephen Byrne and Clayton Cowles, now available digitally.
Superman: Man of Tomorrow has been showcasing the more human side of Kal-El, as seen recently with him spending time with a prisoner as his mother died. It’s a series that highlights the warm, classic feel of the Man of Steel at his finest in a way that can’t always shine through with him involved in wars with the Justice League or fighting off aliens that plan to take the planet.
But in Superman: Man of Steel#20, Superman has a different kind of enemy: the Internet. And in this fight, he ends up smashing some Krypton conspiracy theories endangered many lives and almost destroyed his own reputation.
In this non-continuity story, Superman’s worried about rumors making the rounds online after Bibbo Bibbowski claimed people were harassing him, thinking he was Superman. The hero even addressed this after a drone attack, but as Lois admits, it just gave the story power and created a movement. There are more lies now being spread with a list of suspects out there, as well as their medical and other personal info. Clark realizes a lot of damage is being done to innocents, which defeats the purpose of him hiding his identity.
Some of the lies suggest that Clark is there to take over Earth, while others are manipulating his heroics, origin and even who he works for. Lois digs deeper at the Daily Planet as she can tell it’s getting out of hand, especially in the digital age where gossip mongers like Cat Grant go viral with this misinformation. Sady, Lois discovers it’s all stemming from Krypt-Anon, a group dedicated to spreading fake conspiracies around DC. Clark knows they’re out to destabilize Metropolis and get to him, especially as his kind nature will result in him giving them attention.