Superman: Son of Kal-El #2 reveals which classic WildStorm Universe character is poised to become Jonathan Kent’s mastermind nemesis.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Superman: Son of Kal-El #2, on sale now
Jon Kent has been adjusting to his new role as the new Superman of Earth, and all that entails. While he’s already trying to be a more proactive figure and saving lives where he can, he’s already seemingly caught the attention of a very dangerous individual who could pose a serious threat.
Jon Kent may have just ended up with his own bald super-genius arch-nemesis in Superman: Son of Kal-El #2 by Tom Taylor, John Timms, Gabe Eltaeb, and Dave Sharpe, with former WildStorm Universe mastermind Henry Bendix poised to become one of his fiercest foes.
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One of the undercurrents of Superman: Son of Kal-El #2 is the position the island nation of Gamorra plays in the current DC Universe. A small country located in the South Pacific, Gamorra Island was a frequent location within the Wildstorm Universe. Now, it’s been reimagined as one of the more controversial countries on the planet. To the public, the nation presents itself as a utopia of advancement and scientific advancement. However, the experiments being conducted on the populace have resulted in many trying to flee the nation by any means necessary — even risking their lives in unsafe boats if it means getting away.
Jon learns about it from watching the Truth, an online stream hinting at the lives that could be lost without intervention. Superman does just that, saving a boat of refugees, bringing them all to Metropolis and ensuring that the police treat them humanely. Doing so exposes risks the exposure of the truth about Gamorra, with Jay — himself a refugee from the nation — revealing that President Henry Bendix will likely turn his full attention to the new Superman in response to his intervention, and will want to destroy him for revealing hints of Gamorra’s true problems.
Henry Bendix first appeared in StormWatch #1 by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi as a vital member of the Wildstorm Universe. A naturally-born genius, his encounters with the mysterious Weavers resulted in the discovery of his eventual turn towards villainy — but that until that fateful day came to pass, that he could serve the world as a hero. His work as the head of StormWatch eventually took a darker path thanks to his obsession with the secrets of the universe, leading to his discovery of the Bleed and an alliance with more nefarious forces on his Earth. Despite this, he served as the commander of Stormwatch for a time as the “Weatherman” before eventually going up against his former allies (then known as the Authority) and eventually dying in combat against the Midnighter, only to survive within the body of his son, Henry.
Following the restoration of the DC Universe, a new version of Henry Bendix was introduced as one of the minds that had produced Midnighter and turned him into such a deadly threat. But it seems that, like with many of the other former Wildstorm characters as of late, Bendix has been given a new role in the reconstructed DC Universe. Bendix’s new appearance in Superman: Son of Kal-El sets him up to be a further threat going forward, and one who could possibly become something of Jon’s version of Lex Luthor.
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