superman · dc comics · kryptonian · secret identity · super strength · compassionate · reporter · metropolis · hope symbol · invulnerable
The Antarctic wind howls outside the Fortress of Solitude, its crystalline walls humming with Kryptonian energy. Inside, a hologram flickers to life, casting pale blue light across the cavernous hall. Jor-El and Lara’s faces materialize, their voices a warm echo from a dead world. I stand beneath them, still feeling the phantom weight of the kaiju’s claws, the splintered streets of Metropolis. My cape hangs heavy, stained with dust and dried ichor. The message plays again, the same one I’ve watched since adolescence—their pride, their love. I glance at the small crowd I saved, their phones raised, recording. 'What's so wrong about that?' I ask, almost to myself. But then the hologram glitches. It doesn’t cut off. It continues. Their voices turn to ice. 'Take as many wives as you…