Superman Just Spoke the Saddest Sentence in His Entire History
Warning: Contains spoilers for Action Comics #1100.The Superman franchise and its eponymous hero are generally regarded as very uplifting, and it’s easy to see why. One of Superman’s defining traits has always been that he sees the best in everyone and rarely gives up hope, no matter how dark things get. Fans, and even DC Comics themselves, often jokingly call Superman a Boy Scout, but oftentimes, his overwhelming positivity is exactly what people need, and he’s long since become a symbol of hope not just in DC, but in the real world, as well.
It’s hard to find a more positive and uplifting character than Superman, but that doesn’t mean he’s without moments of sadness and tragedy. Across almost 80 years of history, Superman has gone through plenty of hard times that even he would often barely recover from, if at all, and surprisingly, the saddest moment of his entire history has just been given to fans, made even worse by the simple fact that Superman himself doesn’t even understand how sad it is.
Why One Line In Action Comics Is So Sad For Superman
In DC’s landmark Action Comics #1100, to bring back Superman after he became King Omega at the end of DC K.O., a team of Booster Gold, Mary Marvel, and Martian Manhunter went back in time to get Superboy to help look for his older self throughout space-time. Doing so gave a young Clark glimpses of his history, including learning that his old friend Lex Luthor would become his archenemy, but all he said in response was, “I can reason with Lex.”
While the nature of Clark and Lex’s relationship as children is often inconsistent, if it even exists, Action Comics re-establishes the idea that they were good friends, and Clark was noted to have been depressed when Lex moved out of Smallville. That interpretation always makes it tragic to see them become enemies, but what’s even worse is how confident Superboy is that he can change Lex, even though the readers know that he can’t, and that Superman will eventually see Lex as nothing more than a monster.
Superman’s Saddest Line Is What Makes Him DC’s Greatest Hero
Superboy thinking he can reason with Lex is sad for its sheer irony, but at the same time, it highlights what makes Superman such a great hero. As previously discussed, Superman is the kind of person who always sees the best in everyone, including his villains, with him even giving his most heinous enemies at least a chance at redemption more often than not. One can see it as a blatantly naive mindset, but it speaks to Clark’s character that he wouldn’t want to live in a world where people can’t change, and that’s a message everyone can live by.
Among Superman's biggest villains, Lex might be the one Superman has given up on trying to change the most, but not only is it heartwarming that he still thought it was possible, but if anything, one could make the case that Superman failing to change Lex strengthened his resolve to get to people before they’re beyond hope, all of which would make him an even better hero. That’s a lot of nuance to get out of a single line of dialogue, but that, of course, is what makes it so powerful.
Metropolis · Daily Planet Edition
Superman
Trivia Challenge
🌏OriginsLast son
☠VillainsKneel!
⚡PowersInvincible
🎥FilmsBelieve
💫LegacyHope
01
Before he was Clark Kent, Superman was born Kal-El on a distant planet doomed to destruction. His parents Jor-El and Lara placed him in a rocket ship as an infant, sending him across the cosmos to Earth. What is the name of Superman’s home planet?
✓ Correct! Krypton was a scientifically advanced planet that exploded due to its unstable core. Jor-El, Superman’s father, was the only scientist who foresaw the catastrophe and managed to save his son by launching him toward Earth in a small spacecraft.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Krypton. Thanagar is Hawkman’s homeworld, Apokolips is Darkseid’s domain, and Oa is the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps. Krypton’s destruction is the defining event of Superman’s origin story.
02
Superman’s greatest love is a fearless, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who works alongside Clark Kent at the Daily Planet. She’s known for her relentless pursuit of the truth and for being one of the few people who sees both the hero and the man. Who is she?
✓ Correct! Lois Lane has been Superman’s primary love interest since her debut in Action Comics #1 in 1938. A brilliant investigative reporter, she’s as iconic as Superman himself — tough, smart, and unafraid to chase the biggest stories in Metropolis.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Lois Lane. Diana Prince is Wonder Woman, Lana Lang is Clark’s high school sweetheart from Smallville, and Cat Grant is a gossip columnist at the Daily Planet. Lois Lane is Superman’s iconic partner.
03
Despite being nearly invulnerable under Earth’s yellow sun, Superman has one famous weakness — a radioactive mineral from the remnants of his destroyed homeworld. Exposure to it drains his powers and can even kill him. What is this substance called?
✓ Correct! Kryptonite is the irradiated remnants of planet Krypton. Green Kryptonite is the most common and deadly variety, but there are many other types — Red Kryptonite causes unpredictable behavior, Gold Kryptonite can permanently strip his powers, and Blue Kryptonite affects Bizarro.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Kryptonite. Vibranium is from Marvel’s Black Panther universe, Nth Metal is tied to Hawkman, and Red Sun Ore isn’t a real DC substance. Kryptonite is the iconic green-glowing mineral that is Superman’s ultimate weakness.
04
In 1978, a then-unknown actor donned the cape and made the world believe a man could fly. His portrayal of Superman became the gold standard for superhero films and he starred in four Superman movies. Who is this legendary actor?
✓ Correct! Christopher Reeve’s portrayal in Superman: The Movie (1978) is widely regarded as the definitive live-action Superman. His performance perfectly balanced the heroic confidence of Superman with the endearing clumsiness of Clark Kent, setting the template every Superman actor has followed since.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Christopher Reeve. Henry Cavill played Superman in the DCEU starting with Man of Steel (2013), Brandon Routh starred in Superman Returns (2006), and Tom Welling played young Clark in TV’s Smallville. Reeve was the original big-screen Superman.
05
Superman’s greatest enemy isn’t a superpowered alien — he’s a brilliant, ruthless human billionaire who believes Superman is a threat to humanity’s potential. This bald-headed genius has been Superman’s archenemy for over 80 years. Who is he?
✓ Correct! Lex Luthor is the ultimate foil to Superman — where Superman represents hope and selflessness, Luthor represents ambition and ego. Despite having no superpowers, his genius-level intellect and vast resources make him Superman’s most persistent and dangerous adversary.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Lex Luthor. Brainiac is an alien android who collects cities, Darkseid is the god-like ruler of Apokolips, and Doomsday is the monster who famously killed Superman. But Lex Luthor is the definitive archenemy — Superman’s dark mirror.
06
After crash-landing on Earth as a baby, Kal-El was found and adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, a kind farming couple. They raised him with strong moral values in a small rural town. Where did Clark Kent grow up?
✓ Correct! Smallville, Kansas is the quintessential American small town where Jonathan and Martha Kent raised Clark with heartland values of honesty, compassion, and humility. It’s the foundation of who Superman is — not the powers from Krypton, but the character instilled by his Kansas parents.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Smallville, Kansas. Gotham is Batman’s city, Metropolis is where Clark moves as an adult to work at the Daily Planet, and Coast City is Green Lantern’s home. Smallville is where the Kents raised Clark on their farm.
07
As Clark Kent, Superman disguises himself as a mild-mannered reporter working at Metropolis’s most famous newspaper, alongside Lois Lane and photographer Jimmy Olsen. Their editor-in-chief Perry White runs the newsroom. What is the name of this newspaper?
✓ Correct! The Daily Planet, with its iconic globe on the rooftop, is one of the most recognizable fictional newspapers in pop culture. Working there gives Clark Kent both a cover identity and a way to stay informed about threats to the city and the world.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is the Daily Planet. The Daily Bugle is Spider-Man’s Marvel universe newspaper, the Metropolis Star and Gotham Gazette are lesser DC publications. The Daily Planet — with its spinning globe — is Superman’s journalistic home.
08
This Kryptonian military commander was banished to the Phantom Zone for treason before Krypton’s destruction. He escaped and came to Earth seeking vengeance, famously demanding that others “Kneel before” him. His iconic portrayal by Terence Stamp cemented him in pop culture. Who is this villain?
✓ Correct! General Zod is one of Superman’s most terrifying foes because he has all of Superman’s powers but none of his morality. Terence Stamp’s portrayal in Superman II (1980) made “Kneel before Zod” one of the most quoted villain lines in film history. Michael Shannon later reimagined the role in Man of Steel (2013).
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is General Zod. Bizarro is a flawed clone of Superman, Parasite drains powers through touch, and Metallo is a cyborg with a Kryptonite heart. General Zod is the Kryptonian military leader whose cry of “Kneel before Zod!” echoes through decades of Superman stories.
Mission Complete Your Kryptonian Record
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Are you the Man of Steel — or still stuck in a phone booth?
Action Comics #1100 perfectly reminded fans of how tragic Clark’s lost friendship with Lex is with one line, but as sad as it is, that reminder does a lot to capture the essence of what makes Superman such an iconic character. That, of course, made it all the more appropriate for it to feature in such a landmark issue of the Superman franchise, and it surely won’t be the last moment like that for years to come.