Superman: Birthright - Changes in Continuity

Changes in Continuity

• In this series, Clark has the power to see the "aura" that surrounds all living things and fades away at the moment of death, something not shown in the Man of Steel mini-series. Clark can literally "see" when a person or animal dies, an experience that he finds profoundly disturbing. Because of this, Clark refuses to take a life, making him a vegetarian. This was influenced by a passage in Elliot S! Maggin's novel Miracle Monday. This "Soul Vision" created controversy among some segments of fandom, and as of now, its status in continuity has yet to be explored. However, in other comics he informs both Lex Luthor (in Lex Luthor: Man of Steel) and Superboy that he can see their souls.
• The Superman: Birthright miniseries reinstated several Silver Age elements of Superman, one of which is Kandor. After the mini-series was completed, its place in canon was shown in Superman (vol. 2) #200. Superman was thrown out of time and saw both versions of his origin: the Man of Steel and Birthright limited series. Entering the universe of the Birthright limited series, he experienced temporary amnesia. Afterward, he discovered/remembered the new history:
  • The city had been shrunken and was kept in the Fortress of Solitude.
  • When shrunken in Kandor, Superman again has no more powers in the Red Sun Krypton-like environment.
  • The city is once again from Krypton (but populated by non-Kryptonian aliens as well as native Kryptonians).
  • The citizens also recall Brainiac stealing their city from Krypton, and not the wizard Tolos.
  • It was not explained how Tolos got a hold of the "bottle city" from Brainiac. It had been speculated and later confirmed by Geoff Johns that Brainiac encountered the wizard and he stole one of the bottle cities from Brainiac's collection.
  • Apparently, a hundred years have passed in the city (while the world outside has aged normally). Because of this, Superman (or the ideal of him) had grown to god-like status and is worshiped in Kandor.
• Among alterations to Superman's power spectrum, Superman's enhanced vision was strengthened, capable of detecting x-rays (hence his ability to see through walls), as well as "seeing" the transmissions and detection radii of satellites, enabling him to fly between and around their fields of vision to travel incognito. He has been able to see radio waves as early as the 1980s, as he traced his enemy the Toyman's radio broadcast in Alan Moore's Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? two-part story. This is primarily a case of showing how Superman deals with today's ever advancing communications technology.
• As in the Silver Age comics, Superman uses his eidetic memory combined with his super-speed to learn and comprehend vast amounts of knowledge.
• Franklin Stern, a character from post-Crisis continuity, is no longer publisher of the Daily Planet. That position belongs to Mr. Galloway, a rotund, obnoxious man.
• Lex Luthor is stated several times during the story to be a leading astrobiologist. In pre-Crisis continuity, Luthor was a brilliant scientist with no specialty, then later an industrialist in post-Crisis continuity. Birthright's version of Luthor is a combination of both versions of the character, and though his knowledge as a general scientist is apparently unmatched (he is referred to as the smartest man in the world), astrobiology is his particular forte.
• Lex Luthor is shown to have spent some time in Smallville, Superman's hometown. He attended high school with Clark Kent for at least a few months, befriending him in the process. This is a departure from the previous continuity, where he was born and raised in Metropolis' notorious Suicide Slum neighborhood. Though the Birthright limited series is no longer canon, it is known that Clark met Lex at some point early on before he became Superman, having been referenced in the 52 maxiseries (which was co-written by Birthright author Mark Waid). Also, Luthor now admits to being from Smallville, while in Birthright, he refused to admit he had ever been to the town and had erased all evidence of his being there.