Recaps

Barry told Batman about Flashpoint and delivered a letter from Thomas Wayne, while searching for the missing Kryptonian Luke. In London, Diana felt uneasy about lost memories and studied an old photograph of herself with an unidentified man, determined to find him.

• Barry found the Justice League members safe in the restored timeline but could not remember what had happened to Luke.
• Barry told Batman how his attempt to save his mother had changed the world and asked him to find Luke, Superman's cousin.
• Barry left Batman a letter from Thomas Wayne, whose words made Batman remove his cowl and cry.
• Diana declined a young professor's invitation, reflected on her recurring nightmares, and suspected that something unknown had changed.
• Diana examined an old photograph of herself beside an unidentified man and resolved to find him.

Clark trained with Luke to control his strength, then stopped a bank robbery when the bandits took his mother hostage. After surviving a shotgun blast and overpowering the robbers, he faced a police officer’s questions about his abilities.

• Luke trained Clark in combat and strength control, telling him to call for help if strange dangers arose around town.
• A week later, Clark accompanied his mother to the bank, where three masked bandits robbed the customers and took Lady Kent hostage.
• Clark knocked down the bandit who grabbed his mother, then survived a shotgun blast and defeated the armed leader.
• One bandit fled, while Clark stayed behind with his mother and was hailed as a hero by the bank’s customers and staff.
• A police officer questioned Clark about the robbery and pointed out the shotgun hole in his clothes, asking whether his strength had also protected him.

After Clark exposed his superhuman strength while stopping a bank robbery, Luke helped shield him from police scrutiny and urged him to stop hiding. Clark faced the loss of his quiet life and considered revealing himself to the world, while Luke proposed a fabricated Super Soldier Serum origin and the codename Homelander.

• Clark failed to convince the police that ordinary farm work explained how he bent a shotgun and survived a blast, but Luke arrived and persuaded the officer to focus on the escaped robber instead.
• Luke took Clark and his unconscious mother to the hospital, where Jonathan arrived and stayed by his wife's bedside.
• Luke reassured Clark that he had dealt with the bank's surveillance footage, but warned that witnesses would spread rumors and his peaceful life was over.
• Luke urged Clark to embrace being a public symbol rather than hide, and Clark asked whether he should admit he was an alien.
• Luke suggested claiming that Vought Corporation's Super Soldier Serum had given Clark his powers, then proposed the codename Homelander.

Luke helped Clark decide to become a public hero, then temporarily appeared as Superman to distract the town from Clark’s growing reputation. He gave Clark a Superman uniform and welcomed him as a superhero intern, leaving him to prepare for his own debut.

• Luke advised Clark that he could show people his goodwill by stepping forward, and Clark chose to become a hero.
• Rumors about Clark stopping two armed robbers spread through town, troubling Jonathan and Martha and making Clark feel isolated for a week.
• Luke appeared in Metropolis as Superman, drawing the media’s attention away from Clark and allowing the rumors about him to fade.
• Clark discovered Luke’s Superman uniform in the basement, and Luke told him they were both Superman and that Clark would take over after his temporary debut.
• Luke handed Clark a Superman uniform and named him Superman Reserve, Metropolis’s superhero intern.

Luke gave Clark the Superman suit and assigned him patrol duties in Metropolis as Clark began balancing school, training, and hero work. Meanwhile, Lex grew resentful of Superman’s fame and vowed to steal the spotlight, though he was currently focused on helping Clark with his love life.

• Luke gave Clark the Superman suit, welcomed him into the Superman Family, and warned him about the burdens of public attention.
• Luke assigned Clark patrol duty in Metropolis and told him to minimize collateral damage and learn to fly.
• Clark spent his days at school and football practice and his nights flying to Metropolis to handle cases and earn headlines in the Daily Planet.
• Lex complained to Luke that Superman had overshadowed his achievements and argued that people should be wary of the powerful stranger.
• Luke suggested Lex create publicity for himself, and Lex vowed to compete for attention after helping Clark solve his singlehood problem.

Lex took Clark to prepare him for a local equestrian competition where he could impress Lana, while Bruce Wayne returned from years abroad and learned how much Gotham had changed. Bruce planned to return to Gotham and make changes there.

• Lex drove to the Kent home and persuaded an exhausted Clark to attend the equestrian competition and learn to ride so he could impress Lana.
• Lex told Clark that he would teach him to ride and revealed that horseback riding was among the skills he had learned as a child.
• Alfred welcomed Bruce Wayne at Lukla Airport after Bruce returned from years of traveling and training with the League of Assassins.
• Alfred told Bruce that the world believed him dead and that a new flying superhero called Superman had appeared in Metropolis.
• Bruce asked about Gotham, and Alfred said it had never changed, prompting Bruce to say it was time for Gotham to change.

Luke considered the hunt for different Kryptonite varieties and the emerging Justice League, then planned to return to the Marvel Universe after Clark’s training. In Universe 1024, Peggy Carter managed S.H.I.E.L.D. in Luke’s absence and learned that Howard Stark had located Wakanda.

• Luke approved Clark’s leave to train with Lex and read that Bruce Wayne had returned to Gotham, while deciding not to approach the wary Batman.
• Luke reviewed the Kryptonite varieties his archaeological team had found and studied the Justice League locations on a map, reflecting on Diana and Wally West.
• Peggy Carter discussed S.H.I.E.L.D.’s academy, Hydra, and political pressure with Nick Fury, insisting that the organization’s authority came from Superman’s role in protecting the world.
• Peggy asked Natasha for news from Howard, who had found Wakanda and reported its vast vibranium reserves and isolationist stance.

Clark trained in horseback riding and entered Smallville’s equestrian competition on Luke’s champion thoroughbred, hoping to impress Lana. When an armed criminal attacked the event, Clark protected her and defeated him after discovering the man had a steel body.

• Clark practiced riding with Lex, and Lex suggested he enter beginner-friendly events to impress Lana.
• Luke lent Clark his thoroughbred, Lightning Barry, and warned him to watch for newly mutated residents and Lana’s necklace.
• Clark entered the town competition and began the sprint race on Lightning Barry.
• A masked criminal shot Clark’s horse and moved toward Lana, prompting Clark to leap in and attack him.
• The criminal revealed his steel body and overpowered Clark until Clark adapted, countered his attacks, and knocked him unconscious.

After Clark exposed his powers at the racetrack, Luke explained Kryptonite and Lex traced the mutant’s powers to a cave filled with green ore. Lex later found a black crystal that corrupted him and provoked Clark’s violent impulses, leaving Clark having knocked Lex unconscious.

• Clark defeated the Kryptonite-mutated bandit at the racetrack, and Lana saw him use his powers.
• Luke told Clark that Lana’s necklace contained Kryptonite and that its radiation weakened him, while Luke was unaffected as a Super Saiyan.
• Lex questioned the paralyzed bandit and learned that he had gained his powers after hiding in a cave covered with glowing green ore.
• Lex recalled the bandit had hidden an unusual mineral in a Jeep’s trunk and later obtained a dark, irregular black crystal.
• The crystal’s influence made Lex attack Clark with a sword and urged Clark to give in to his violent impulses.
• Clark snapped the sword, struck Lex into a wall, and left him unconscious.

Luke discovered a Kryptonite cave near Smallville and arranged for Vought Corporation to claim its contents. When he found Clark rampaging under the influence of Black Kryptonite, Luke fought him and launched him from the atmosphere toward Earth.

• Luke warned Professor Bass that the Kryptonite belonged to Vought Corporation, then allowed him to keep a mineral as a memento.
• Luke found only Green Kryptonite in the cave and left after instructing the staff.
• Luke learned Lex was investigating the bank robber and suspected Clark, then teleported to Smallville after hearing explosions.
• Luke confronted Clark, whose negative personality had taken control, and knocked him down with a punch and a kick.
• Luke seized Clark, carried him into space, and kicked him back toward Earth to try to break the corruption.

After Black Kryptonite gave Clark and Lex negative personalities, Luke subdued them and kept them under observation until Clark recovered. He then coached Clark to address the public, and Superman made his debut at a Vought Corporation press conference.

• Luke beat Clark into obedience, concluded Black Kryptonite had caused his negative personality, and returned him to Lex's estate with the unconscious Lex.
• Over the following days, Luke repeatedly stopped Clark from escaping while Lex quietly encouraged Clark's schemes; after nearly two weeks, Clark's negative personality disappeared.
• Clark worried that he had harmed innocent people, and Luke reassured him that no casualties had been reported and Vought Corporation would cover the property damage.
• Luke told Clark to restore public trust with a press conference and encouraged him to present himself honestly as a symbol of hope.
• A week later, Luke introduced Superman at a Vought Corporation press conference, where Clark stepped onto the stage and declared, "I am Superman."

Clark revealed to the world that he was Superman, and Luke explained the pressures and consequences of living as both Clark Kent and a superhero before bringing in Lex to help manage Superman’s public image. In Gotham, Bruce began planning how to fight the city’s criminal networks, found a potential ally in James Gordon, and added Superman to his notebook as someone worth watching.

• Clark identified himself as Superman at Vought Corporation’s press conference and revealed his name and Kansas upbringing, prompting worldwide debate about his origins and power.
• Clark worried about the public backlash, and Luke explained the strain of balancing his ordinary life with his responsibility as a superhero.
• Lex arrived after recovering from Black Kryptonite’s effects, and Luke appointed him to help shape Superman’s image and handle the public pressure.
• Bruce studied Gotham’s mob bosses and decided that political office could not defeat the corrupt system, while Alfred confirmed that James Gordon was an upright officer.
• Bruce chose Falcone as his first target and, after watching news coverage of Superman, wrote his name in his notebook as worth watching.

After Clark revealed his identity, he and Lex discussed the government’s efforts to claim control over Superman while Luke negotiated for Vought Corporation. An unidentified spacecraft appeared near the Moon, and General Zod broadcast a worldwide ultimatum demanding that Earth surrender Carl-El within twenty-four hours.

• Clark learned that reporters were overwhelming Jonathan and Martha in Kansas, while Lex argued that the government’s attitude mattered more than the public reaction.
• Lex told Clark that Luke was negotiating to make Superman Vought Corporation’s debut idol, but Clark rejected becoming a weapon for the Federal Government.
• General Swanwick learned that an unresponsive spacecraft had entered synchronized lunar orbit and reported the discovery to the White House and The Pentagon.
• General Lane revealed that a spacecraft had been found beneath an Arctic glacier and that the surrounding ice suggested it had been there for at least eighteen thousand years.
• General Zod hijacked global television and radio signals, identified himself as an alien, and demanded that Earth hand over Carl-El within twenty-four hours.

Luke activated the Kryptonian spaceship and corrected Jor-El’s assumption that he was Clark, then used the ship to show Jor-El information about Clark. The activation alerted General Zod and his followers to Earth, where Zod intended to rebuild Krypton using the Codex of Birth held by Clark.

• Luke activated the Kryptonian spaceship and used his knowledge of Kryptonian language to understand its controls.
• Jor-El mistook Luke for his son, but Luke introduced himself as a survivor from a Kryptonian outpost and showed him information about Clark Kent.
• Luke explained that he had obtained Clark’s master key to draw attention to Superman and pressure the Federal Government during negotiations.
• The spaceship’s activation revealed Earth’s location to General Zod and his followers.
• General Zod resolved to rebuild Krypton and sought the Codex of Birth that Clark possessed.

As General Zod’s ultimatum put Earth’s leaders on edge, Luke learned from Joe-El that Zod had escaped the Phantom Zone and was searching for Carl-El. Luke spotted a Kryptonian craft heading toward Kansas to confront Clark, setting the next part of his plan in motion.

• World leaders failed to agree on a response to General Zod’s ultimatum, while rumors accused Superman of bringing the aliens to Earth.
• Clark returned to Kent Farm, ignored government summonses as Luke had advised, and waited for his brother’s instructions.
• Luke told Joe-El that Zod had escaped the Phantom Zone, and Joe-El warned that Zod had to be stopped.
• Luke reassured Joe-El, removed the master key from the Kryptonian spaceship, and ended their conversation.
• Luke saw a smaller craft leave Zod’s ship and head toward Kansas, led by a female commander and accompanied by two other Kryptonians.

General Swanwick ordered a fighter strike after a Kryptonian aircraft entered Kansas, while Clark met a female commander searching for the Codex at Kent Farm. The commander threatened Clark’s family, and he crashed into the house while trying to stop her from crushing them with a jeep.

• General Swanwick detected an unidentified aircraft entering Kansas and ordered fighter jets to attack it.
• Clark told Jonathan he had found his direction in helping people, then heard an aircraft approaching and sent him inside.
• The female commander arrived at Kent Farm, identified Clark as Carl-El, and demanded the Codex on General Zod’s orders.
• Clark claimed his alien name was Kakarot and said he came from the Saiyan planet.
• The commander broke into the barn and searched Clark’s spacecraft, but found no Codex.
• The commander flipped a jeep toward Clark’s family, and Clark crashed into the house while trying to catch it.

Clark fought the Kryptonian invaders to protect his family, but General Zod seized his parents and forced him to choose between surrender and finding another way to save them. Just as Clark thought of asking Luke for help, Luke arrived carrying the defeated female commander.

• Clark rescued Jonathan and Martha from the collapsing house, then attacked the Kryptonian female commander in a rage and overwhelmed her as Earth's atmosphere impaired her senses.
• Two Kryptonian warriors attacked Clark, while fighter jets strafed them and lost two aircraft and four pilots in the counterattack.
• Clark defeated one warrior with a Wing Chun Inch Punch and learned from General Zod's broadcast that his parents had been captured.
• Clark considered contacting Luke for help, and Luke arrived carrying the unconscious female commander.

Luke captured Faora and told Clark that Zod was holding Jonathan and Martha to secure the Codex of Birth, then prepared to negotiate their release. In a secret room, Luke revealed to Faora that he was a Kryptonian with a General Gene-Template, leaving her stunned and instinctively compelled to obey him.

• Clark urged Luke to help rescue Jonathan and Martha, but Luke explained that Zod wanted the Codex of Birth and would keep them safe as bargaining chips.
• Luke gathered the captured Kryptonian warriors, including Faora, and sent them to the Netherworld to give himself leverage in negotiations with Zod.
• Luke told Clark that Lex could handle the military response while he watched Zod's spacecraft and considered negotiating.
• Faora woke in a secret room restrained by green-stone shackles, and Luke told her to carry a message to Zod proposing a deal.
• Luke revealed to Faora that he was a Kryptonian with a General Gene-Template, and she felt an instinctive urge to obey him.

Clark met General Zod aboard the Kryptonian spacecraft, where Zod tried to win him over to rebuilding Krypton on Earth. After Clark refused to sacrifice Earth, Zod planned to pressure him through his attachments, but a caped figure arrived at the ship.

• Clark worried that Zod might harm his adoptive parents and asked Lex to contact the Kryptonian ship.
• Clark agreed to meet Zod alone and boarded a beetle-like aircraft piloted by Explorer Ilton.
• Zod weakened Clark aboard the ship, then showed him a vision of Krypton being rebuilt at Earth's expense and demanded the Codex of Life.
• Clark refused to help Zod destroy Earth, and Zod resolved to use Clark's concern for humans to make him surrender the Codex.
• Zod dismissed the possibility that Clark would resist and planned to exploit his adoptive parents, but a dark-red-caped figure arrived before the spacecraft.

Luke tried to persuade General Zod to abandon his plan to transform Earth, but Zod refused and challenged him to fight. After Luke proved his strength in a fierce battle in space, Zod returned to the spaceship and resumed negotiations with him.

• Luke scolded Lex for failing to stop Clark from rushing off, then flew to Zod's spaceship.
• Luke revealed that he was a Kryptonian General and offered to help Zod rebuild Krypton, but Zod rejected his proposal to spare Earth.
• Luke and Zod fought in space as North American Aerospace Defense Command watched the battle through satellite footage.
• Luke damaged Zod's armor and defeated his attack, then urged him to reconsider their cooperation.
• Zod ended the fight and returned to the spaceship, where he and Luke sat down to negotiate again.

Luke negotiated with Zod, persuading him to abandon his plan to turn Earth into a new Krypton in exchange for help rebuilding Krypton. Zod and his warriors signed a contract to work for Luke for ten years, while Luke secretly bound Zod’s soul to his Netherworld after death; he then freed Clark and told him Zod had agreed to his terms.

• Zod returned to the spaceship with Luke and told Ilton that their conflict had been settled, then ordered the others to withdraw because Luke was Kryptonian kin.
• Luke offered to help Zod rebuild Krypton, and Zod agreed to give up conquering Earth if Clark handed over the Codex.
• Luke offered Zod’s warriors employment under a contract, and Zod negotiated the term down from thirty years to ten before signing.
• Luke entered Clark’s cell, freed him from the restraints, and claimed Zod had agreed to work for him for life.

Luke helped Clark and Zod settle the Codex dispute, then prepared to leave Metropolis with the Kryptonians. He departed after entrusting his businesses and advice to Clark and Lex, leaving Lex to take on his new roles.

• Luke restored Clark’s ability to act and told him to look for Zod’s redeeming qualities before introducing him to Joe-El, who explained Krypton’s destruction and Clark’s origins.
• Clark and Zod negotiated for two weeks, exchanged their captured people, and agreed to remove the Codex from Clark’s cells in return for Zod leaving Earth.
• Zod apologized to Clark for killing Joe-El and warned that Earth’s inhabitants would fear or worship someone like Clark.
• Luke transferred his businesses to Clark and Lex, revealed that Zod and his subordinates had signed soul contracts, and prepared to leave with them.
• Luke vanished from his office without saying goodbye to Clark, while Lex accepted his new positions as owner of Vought Corporation and agent of Metropolis’s Man of Tomorrow.

Luke brought Zod and the Kryptonians to Sakaar, where their ship crashed into a junkyard and they encountered the local scavengers. After Zod’s forces wiped out the scavengers, Luke met Scavenger 142 and offered her a ride if she wanted to leave Sakaar.

• Luke contacted the Vishanti and used their help to send the Kryptonian Spaceship through the Source Wall.
• The ship emerged from a wormhole over Sakaar and crashed into a junkyard, where Scavenger 142 watched from her craft.
• Zod ordered Ilton to check the ship’s weapons, and the Kryptonians killed the scavengers who charged them.
• Luke recognized that they might be on Sakaar and teleported to Scavenger 142 to ask about the planet and Asgard.
• Luke offered Scavenger 142 a ride if she wanted to visit her hometown, then vanished.

Luke watched Beta Ray Bill defeat a team of Korg warriors in Sakaar’s arena. Before the host could announce Bill’s victory, a mysterious caped figure landed in the arena and demanded to know where he was.

• Luke entered Sakaar’s Main City and inferred that Hulk and Thor had not yet appeared in the arena.
• Luke watched the Grandmaster introduce Beta Ray Bill as Sakaar’s champion and learned of Bill’s strength and history.
• The Grandmaster sent thirty Korg warriors against Bill, promising freedom to whoever defeated him.
• Beta Ray Bill quickly killed all thirty Korg warriors, earning the crowd’s applause and the Grandmaster’s approval.
• A black-cloaked figure landed before Beta Ray Bill and asked where he was.

Zod entered Sakaar’s arena and challenged Beta Ray Bill, condemning him for submitting to the Grandmaster. After the Grandmaster forced Beta Ray Bill to attack, Zod overwhelmed him and continued toward the fallen champion.

• Luke recognized Zod in the arena and stayed in his VIP room, expecting the Grandmaster to take notice of the Kryptonian.
• Zod confronted Beta Ray Bill and condemned him for accepting life as the Grandmaster’s arena fighter.
• Beta Ray Bill explained that the Grandmaster had used his people as hostages, but Zod called him a coward and demanded to know who ruled the arena.
• The Grandmaster ordered Beta Ray Bill to attack Zod, and Beta Ray Bill struck him with his golden war hammer.
• Zod withstood the hammer blow, shattered Beta Ray Bill’s arms with a punch, and sent him crashing into the arena wall.
• Zod strode toward Beta Ray Bill and declared that no one there could stop him.