Episode 38 - Many Lives, Many Origins Installment 1 - Superman: Birthright Part 1

Episode 38 - Many Lives, Many Origins Installment 1 - Superman: Birthright Part 1

From It All Comes Back to Superman by Michael Bailey

February 10, 2026 · 1h 5m

About this episode

The episode begins a new series exploring the various origins of Superman, starting with Superman: Birthright.

This time out I'm starting a new series that will run irregularly through 2026 called Many Lives, Many Origins . Superman has one of the best origins in comics. It's up there with Batman and Spider-Man as having a backstory that is timeless and just about perfect. Rocketed as a baby when his home world exploded, found by a kindly couple and raised as their son, Superman discovered that he possessed powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men and decided to use those powers to help mankind. Those basic elements have been part of Superman's backstory since his first appearance in Action Comics #1. While those elements and that basic overview have been a constant in Superman's life, the particulars of those elements have changed. Evolved in some cases, regressed in others. The names of his birth parents have undergone small changes. The names of the kindly couple that found him have changed. Is Krypton a pulp, science fiction wonderland full of rhondors and jewel mountains or is it a cold, sterile place that "deserved to be blown up"? Was Superman ever Superboy? Did he have his powers as a baby, or did they take years to develop? The differences are what I find fascinating…

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