Alan Moore closed Superman’s classic era in 1986, and 40 years later, that ending is aging like fine wine. The story is “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow,” a grim, poetic farewell to the original Superman that Moore wrote for DC Comics.
Moore came to American comics in the mid-1980s after building a reputation in Britain with titles like V for Vendetta and Miracleman. He arrived in the States with a run on Swamp Thing, at the time one of DC’s underperforming titles. With artist Dave Gibbons, Moore threw out nearly everything fans thought they knew about Swamp Thing, and the book soared to high sales and critical acclaim.
That revisionist approach reached its peak with Watchmen, the grim work that changed the course of the comics medium entirely. Some doubted Moore could handle a Superman story, let alone one bringing decades of story points to a close. Doubters were silenced when “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow” debuted.
The Story’s Core
Kal-El was born on Krypton, a scientifically advanced planet that exploded due to its unstable core. His parents, Jor-El and Lara, placed him in a rocket ship as an infant and sent him across the cosmos to Earth. There, Jonathan and Martha Kent found him as a baby and raised him with strong moral values in a small rural town.
Clark Kent grew up in Smallville, and his greatest love was Lois Lane, the fearless, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who worked alongside him at the Daily Planet. She is one of the few people who sees both the hero and the man.
Superman has one famous weakness: Kryptonite, the irradiated remnants of his destroyed homeworld. Exposure to it drains his powers and can even kill him. Green Kryptonite is the most common and deadly variety, though there are many others — Red Kryptonite causes unpredictable behavior, Gold Kryptonite can permanently strip his powers, and Blue Kryptonite affects Bizarro.
The Definitive Superman
Christopher Reeve made the world believe a man could fly in 1978 with Superman: The Movie. His portrayal became the gold standard for superhero films, starring in four Superman movies. Reeve balanced the heroic confidence of Superman with the endearing clumsiness of Clark Kent, setting a template every Superman actor has followed since.
Superman’s greatest enemy is not a superpowered alien. It is Lex Luthor, the brilliant, ruthless human billionaire who believes Superman is a threat to humanity’s potential. Luthor has been Superman’s archenemy for over 80 years, a foil who represents ambition and ego while Superman stands for hope and selflessness.
Why It Still Works
Moore’s ending is bleak and poetic, and it holds up because it respects the character’s history. It does not erase the past; it gives it a fitting close. That restraint is rare in an industry built on reboots.
The story ages well because it was never about spectacle. It was about loss, legacy, and the weight of being a hero. That emotional core has not dated.
Moore’s run on Swamp Thing showed he could rewrite a character. Watchmen showed he could rewrite the medium. “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow” showed he could close an era with dignity.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1978 | Superman: The Movie debuts |
| 1986 | Crisis on Infinite Earths streamlines DC continuity |
| 1986 | “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow” debuts |
| 1986 | Watchmen debuts |
Forty years on, the ending still resonates. It is a quiet, devastating close to a long-running story, and it remains one of the best Superman stories ever told.
See the video the story is built around at Screen Rant.
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