Superman (Volume 3) #25 is an issue of the series Superman (Volume 3) with a cover date of January, 2014. It was published on November 27, 2013.
Synopsis for "Krypton Returns: Part 4"
Having been sent to Argo City, a few days before Krypton's destruction, Superboy has protected Kara Zor-El from H'El. After a small fight, Superboy defeats H'El, who disappears in a flash of light.
At the same time, in the city of Kryptonopolis, months before Krypton's destruction, Superman has met with a stranger who knows about his travel in time. This stranger is Jor-El, who has come from an alternate future created by H'El's changes in the timeline. Jor-El explains to Superman he comes from a future where Krypton never died and after sending young Kal-El to Earth, he was imprisoned because his warning about Krypton's explosion proved false. He was sentenced to hard labor on the moon of Cyrok, but first wave of the temporal tsunami hit. Everyone returned to Krypton, where H'El, who had become leader, calmed the populace and promised to find a way to counter this menace. However, Jor-El took a sample of H'El's skin and discovered that he was the one who created H'El in the first place. His research also made him aware of the temporal paradoxes H'El had caused. Superman and Jor-El go to the research center previously destroyed by the Eradicator cult, where father and son plan to reach the planet's core and stop H'El once and for all. Although Superman hoped there could be a way to save Krypton without endangering the timeline, Jor-El says that the only way the timeline can be saved is to ensure Krypton's destruction.
Back on Argo City, Superboy erases Kara's memories of him.
Meanwhile, in Valley of Wartros, during the Great War, Supergirl and the clones have also defeated H'El, who tries to convince Supergirl into killing him. Supergirl refuses, but he grabs her lance and commits suicide, disappearing just like he did in Argo City.
As Superman and Jor-El travel to Krypton's core, they realize they are in the exact moment and place where H'El will achieve his victory. H'El appears before them and Jor-El imprisons him in a force field with a gas that will break him down to his cells. Believing there can be a way to stop H'El without killing him, Superman burns Jor-El's equipment with his heat vision. H'El, who is left disfigured, attacks them but Superman punches him over and over again, having realized how H'El's chronal powers work. The combination of the gas and Superman's attacks cause H'El to lose control of his chronal powers and Superman freezes him with his super-breath, spreading H'El's essence across space and time.
Meanwhile, Superboy realizes Argo City's gravitational belt will not be strong enough to save the city when Krypton explodes. To ensure Kara survives, Superboy uses his powers to their maximum capacity, lifting the entire city and throwing it to space. As Krypton explodes around him, Superboy dies happy with the knowledge that he did the right thing and became the hero he was meant to be.
As Superman and Supergirl reunite in the present, they realize Krypton is dead and they have succeeded in their mission. However, the Oracle informs them of Superboy's sacrifice. Mourning the loss of their friend, Superman and Supergirl return to Earth. But in a small moment, Krypton returns to life, right before it disappears once again.
Appearing in "Krypton Returns: Part 4"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Kara Zor-El (Alternative timeline)
- Jor-El (Alternative timeline)
- Kon (Alternative timeline)
Villains:
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Krypton
- Valley of Wartros
- Kryptonopolis
- Argo City
Items:
Vehicles:
See Also