Today, as part of our summer spent looking back on Metropolis' beloved superheroes, we honor Superman's ultimate sacrifice. The moment our television screens showed the Man of Steel collapsing in reporter Lois Lane’s arms is emblazoned in the minds of almost every citizen, not just of Metropolis, but the world.
On the morning of August 16th, 2017, Superman was giving an interview with WGBS’ Cat Grant and students of Metropolis’ Roosevelt High School as part of a campaign to help children connect and empathize with their protectors. The interview was live-streamed across the nation, with millions of teenagers watching Superman speak to people their own age. Unfortunately, at 9:39 AM EST, a breaking news broadcast interrupted Superman only 39 minutes into the scheduled two-hour interview.
Superman, on the set of the Cat Grant show, only 9 hours before his death. (Image Credit: Cat Grant Show, WGBS)
6 hours prior, the creature named "Doomsday" had first appeared in rural Indiana. No one knows where Doomsday came from or why he was so strong, but over the course of the next 4 hours, Doomsday cut a path of destruction across the midwestern and north-eastern United States. His first notable target, beyond the damaged trees and wildlife he left in Indiana, was Interstate 71 in Ohio at 7:47AM EST. There, he attacked a semi-truck, killing the driver and damaging five more vehicles which resulted in two more deaths. Another semi-truck driver reported the incident to state police, resulting in the Justice League of America arriving to help.
The Justice League, at that time consisting of the now-deceased second Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, alien queen Maxima, superheroines Fire and Ice, then-former Green Lantern Guy Gardner, and the necromancer Bloodwynd, intercepted Doomsday at a LexOil refinery just outside Canton, Ohio at 8:23AM EST. Our superheroes put up a strong fight, with Guy Gardner being the first to attack the best and Fire and Bloodwynd following immediately after.
However, Doomsday unfortunately proved to be too much for the Justice League. Blue Beetle was placed in the hospital in critical condition after being smashed into multiple support structures by Doomsday. Former Green Lantern Guy Gardner's face was beaten so badly that he nearly lost an eye from swelling, and Booster Gold was launched into the sky by a brutal punch from Doomsday. National News began to report the event, soon reaching Superman inside his interview with Cat Grant and Roosevelt High School.
Guy Gardner, Bloodwynd, Maxima, Fire, Ice, and a heavily injured Blue Beetle in the rubble of the LexOil refinery. Blue Beetle was transported to the hospital by Maxima immediately after this photo, where he remained in a coma for two weeks. (Image Credit: Howard Geraldo, Ohio News)
With the news of the horrific injuries and widespread destruction, Superman abandoned his interview and rushed to join his remaining teammates. His assistance was immediately well-received, saving Booster Gold from an unfortunate crash landing in the Pennsylvanian forests. “Superman saved me from a nasty crack-up. I remember warning him about the monster…that it was like a walking doomsday machine,” Booster Gold told reporters soon after the events of August 16th. That’s where the name ‘Doomsday’ came from, Superman addressing the monster by the name as he and Booster Gold returned to the battle in Ohio.
Unfortunately for everyone, Doomsday’s new name would soon prove to be accurate. Over the next two hours, Doomsday continued to cut a path of destruction through the north-eastern United States. In a neighborhood just outside of Canton, Superman, Gold, Fire, Bloodwynd, and Gardner gathered their forces to try and halt Doomsday. “Superman cut loose with his heat vision and Bloodwynd with those strange eyebeams of his. Fire concentrated her flame on Doomsday, Gardner used his ring, and I drained my power cells into my gauntlet blasters,” Gold continued, “but all we managed to do was knock loose some of his restraints! And then… well, I don’t remember too much… all I can recall is seeing Doomsday charge at us like some big angry bull.”
Superman was the only member of the Justice League to remain relatively unharmed after that attack. The rest of the Justice League was rendered unconscious from the attack, and the Man of Steel was forced to turn back from capturing Doomsday to rescue his fallen teammates and a civilian family from the burning house they were trapped in.
Superman saves his teammates and a civilian family from the burning home. This was the last time most of his team would see him alive. (Image Credit: Howard Geraldo, Ohio News)
After the rescue, Gold, Gardner, Fire, and Ice were all transported to the hospital in critical condition, Bloodwynd teleported to recuperate, and Maxima was still with Blue Beetle. Superman was alone in the battle. Doomsday’s next target was Kirby County, only 50 miles northwest of Metropolis. There, Superman, rejoined by Maxima, battled Doomsday for nearly 30 minutes. Doomsday destroyed multiple cars and buildings, and leveled a grocery store before Maxima snapped a lamppost and set off an explosion. The blast leveled the middle of the town, killing 37 people. After the explosion, Maxima was too injured to continue the fight and was forced to withdraw.
The fateful battle with Doomsday continued for another three hours. Superman was briefly joined by fellow hero Guardian, based out of northern Maryland. The duo managed to briefly displace Doomsday from his march towards Metropolis, battling him in the foothills of nearby Mount Curtiss, but their efforts were unsuccessful against the beast. Even the Army air support units that briefly assisted Superman in the battle were unable to turn the tides.
Doomsday finally entered Metropolis at 2:08 PM EST, making his presence known by destroying a construction site in Park Ridge. Superman made one last-ditch attempt to remove Doomsday from the vicinity of Metropolis by rocketing him into space, but the beast broke free of his grip.
Superman fights Doomsday in Park Row, only two hours before his death. (Image Credit: James Olsen, Daily Planet)
All of Metropolis shook as the battle between Superman and Doomsday continued to rage across the city. Superman attempted to limit the devastation wrought upon the city, repeatedly leaving the fight multiple times to hold buildings up and catch falling civilians, but he wasn’t able to save everyone. 3276 people died in the initial battle, with 1632 more dying after the fact and 17430 total casualties reported. Even LexCorp’s Supergirl’s assistance couldn’t spell the end of Doomsday, the young heroine only being sent plummeting to the ground and vanishing for hours after her attempt to help.
In the end, three hours after Doomsday entered Metropolis, he and Superman reached Broadway, just outside of the Daily Planet headquarters. There, Superman made his final stand against Doomsday. The pair traded blows back and forth, each hit strong enough to shatter windows and be heard from 50 miles away. “It was horrific to watch,” explained Cat Grant, one of the many reporters on scene in Superman’s final moments. “They were hitting each other so hard, I don’t think anyone could have survived it.”
One minute to Doomsday, as the pair trade blows. (Image Credit: James Olsen)
Finally, at 5:17 PM EST, Doomsday and Superman surged forward in a last attack. Their final blows shattered the tense silence that had fallen over Metropolis, no, the world, and everyone watching froze. The Man of Steel and Doomsday sank to their knees, unmoving.
Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane, who first gave our hero the name Superman, was the first to reach his body. She held him in her arms as paramedics rushed to the scene in a last desperate attempt to save the world’s greatest hero.
Superman is cradled in his dying moments by Metropolis Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane. (Image Credit: James Olsen)
Despite the best efforts of Guardian, who provided CPR until paramedics could arrive, civilians Professor Emil Hamilton and Bibbowski who attempted to restart Superman’s heart with a energy unit hooked up to defibrillator paddles, the paramedics on scene, and the best doctors at Metro General Hospital, Superman was pronounced dead by Dr. Jorge Sanchez at 6:23 PM EST.
The entire world mourned his death. Superman was far from a hero of Metropolis; he helped people around the globe. The full Justice League roster accompanied Superman’s coffin during his funeral procession, and the President of the United States delivered his eulogy. He was truly the world’s greatest hero, and Earth suffered greatly for the three months he was dead. Superman’s role may have been taken up by his successors in the form of the first Superboy and Steel, but no one could truly replace Superman.
We will always be thankful that, only three months after his devastating defeat, Superman returned to the world of the living. Our world, as we now know from first-hand experience, is much better off with Superman in it. May the Man of Steel live on for decades more.
