History ComicBook / WhateverHappenedToTheManOfTomorrow

* ActionGirl: Lana. And she does make a difference in the story where even Superman couldn't because the superpowers she gains aren't affected by Kryptonite. Though they can be removed by transmuting the elements in the treatment she took. She's also much more willing to snap Luthor's neck and rob Brainiac of his host than Superman probably was.

** Lex Luthor spends most of the story in [[MindRape complete]] [[AndIMustScream agony]] and finally [[ICannotSelfTerminate begs Lana to kill him]], which she does.

** Bizarro, strangely enough, has never been more [[NotSoHarmlessVillain terrifying]] ''or'' more pitiable than he is here. In his desperate quest to become Superman's "perfect imperfect duplicate," Bizarro destroys his own planet on purpose (because Krypton was destroyed by accident), comes to Earth as an adult (because Superman came as a baby), kills lots and lots of people (because Superman ''never'' kills) and finally, because [[InsaneTrollLogic Superman is]] ''[[InsaneTrollLogic alive]]'', kills himself with blue kryptonite. His last words are [[TearJerker "Hello, Superman, hello."]]

* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: Several villains try this against the Fortress of Solitude, but none of them really succeed.

* AnyoneCanDie: Since it was the swan song of MediaNotes/{{the Silver Age|Of Comic Books}} Superman, Alan Moore was given a free hand on who would die. As a result , most of Superman's supporting cast and nearly all of his antagonists (with the exceptions of the Legion of Super-Villains and possibly Toyman, the Prankster and Metallo) perish.

* BackForTheFinale: All of Superman's friends and enemies. Superman even lampshades this, in order to ascertain [[HiddenVillain who the true Mastermind is]]. He figures out it is Mxyzptlk, because he is the only Silver Age villain not to make an appearance yet.[[note]]Also, he was puzzling over why Brainiac's force dome was still up despite Brainiac being destroyed.[[/note]]

* BigBadWannabe: Brainiac and the League of Supervillains in particular want very much to be Superman's greatest foe, but in the end look rather pathetic (Brainiac ditching Luthor's corpse and desperately trying to reach Superman in the midst of a total system failure, the League running back to the future with their tails between their legs after triggering Supes' BerserkButton).

* TheCameo: Several.

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: And possibly {{Foreshadowing}}, too. This was the first time Superman openly admitted IJustWantToBeNormal. John Byrne's Superman depicted Clark Kent as the "real" persona, instead of being a facade Superman used when he wasn't fighting crime.

** Also Brainiac, who controls the middle of the comic as the visible BigBad.
* ClarkKenting: He pulls it once again! Tim Crane doesn't seem to recognize Clark Kent nor Superman behind Mr. Elliot's mustache and nutmeg brown hair with gray temples.

* CurbStompBattle: All the fights in the story are extremely quick and one-sided.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: A bit meta, but what else would you call it when an immortal [[RealityWarper all-powerful]] extra-dimensional being like Mxyzptlk is killed as a direct response to him bragging about how he's going to spend a few thousand years being unapologetically evil?
** In a more straightforward sense, Mxyzptlk is caught by surprise and panicking after seeing the Phantom Zone projector, so he literally ''does not think his next move through'' and says his own name backward, the fastest escape route that comes to his mind, which ends up being his own undoing. [[spoiler: Just as Superman planned.]]
** The Legion of Supervillains gloat about murdering Lana Lang '''to Superman's face(!)''', threaten to do the same to Lois, and are legit ''shocked'' when Supes lashes out with killing intent.
** Considering how easily Lara dispatches of him, it's unclear how exactly Brainiac thought to be able to hurt Superman.

** [[SugarWiki/FictionIdentityPostulate All comic books are imaginary stories, so this non-continuity story is no less valid than any in-continuity story.]]
** Another phrase which might have a double meaning is the characters from the future commenting that Superman never being seen again after facing his greatest foe. Aside from giving up the mantle of Superman rather than dying, the "Greatest Foe" could refer to either Mr. Mxyzptlk or to Superman himself now that he has broken his oath to never kill.

** Also, Superman's realization that Mxyzptlk must be the mastermind, as he is the only villain not to appear yet.

** I never saw ''Superman'' again.[[note]]Because Superman now goes by Jordan Elliot, and doesn't have powers anymore, so he isn't "Superman" anymore.[[/note]]
** When the time-traveling Supergirl from the past asks where her present-day self is[[note]]since time travelers can't materialize in eras they already been to[[/note]], Superman tells her that she's [[KilledOffForReal "in the past."]]
** "Greatest Foe". Not only, as noted above, there is a possibly double entendre about the "foe" being Superman himself, but "foe" is a more general term than "villain" or "enemy", possibly indicating anyone in an adversarial relationship. And while in this story he is more outright evil, Mxyzptlk was more of a playful trickster in former stories, falling more under the definition of "foe" than "villain".

* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: The death of Mr Mxyzptlk, whose humanoid EnergyBeing form is torn in half on panel, as he screams in pain and horror... Also, Lana Lang being fried by electricity from [[PsychoElectro Lightning Lord]].

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Jordan Elliot's true identity is hinted at by his son's name: Jonathan.
** And by the fact that not only has he named his son after his adoptive father, he's renamed himself in tribute to his Kryptonian father: [=JORdan ELliot.=]
* ForgotAboutHisPowers: The Kristin Wells version of Superwoman is one of the heroes trying to break down the forcefield around the Fortress of Solitude -- even though she's capable of teleporting and walking through walls, and therefore should have no problem getting through it. For that matter, walking through walls is Martian Manhunter's power too. Of course it's later justified when it turns out Mr. Mxyzptlk was maintaining the forcefield with his own sorcery, presumably canceling out any powers that could have breached it.
** Then again, that doesn't explain why no one tried to go under it.

** Doubly so for Brainiac, thinking that said foe ''had'' to be him. He is proven very wrong.

* GoOutWithASmile: The last thing Superman does is give Lois a smile.

* HeroicSacrifice: Krypto, who manages to kill the Kryptonite Man before he can reach Superman, but is fatally poisoned in the process.

* HumanoidAbomination: Mr. Mxyzptlk's true form, which is also an EnergyBeing.

* IJustWantToBeNormal:
** Clark, er, Jordan got his wish. Jordan mocks Superman in the beginning of the story, proclaiming that the ordinary working Joe is the ''real'' hero, then when teased by Lois about really enjoying his life, Jordan remarks that Superman was deluded into thinking the world couldn't go on without him.
** This is arguably the resolution of MediaNotes/{{the Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}} Superman's entire character arc as the writers, attempting to make him more interesting, had been focusing for a long while on Superman's isolation from humanity and lack of true peers and companions. What had always stopped him from taking this step was the assumption that the world couldn't get along without him.

* KarmaHoudini: The Legion of Super-Villains, opportunistic assholes that they are, travel back in time to take part in "the assured destruction of Superman". In the course of the conflict, Cosmic King depowers Lana Lang, rendering her helpless, and Lightning Lord fries her to a crisp. All because she tried to defend her beloved friend. Later, Lightning Lord has the sheer ''BALLS'' to not only [[KickTheDog taunt Superman about this]], but simultaneously threatens to do the same to Lois Lane. Clark understandably is not amused by this, and unleashes a beam of heat vision that burns Lightning Lord's arm. His partner, Saturn Queen, sees in Superman's mind the intent to kill, and all three choose discretion as the better part of valor, fleeing back to their own time. Despite killing the hero's childhood friend and former love interest, these three cowardly bastards escape scot free, with no comeuppance, unlike every other villain in this story. Granted, it isn't known what happened to them after they fled back to the 30th century, so it is conceivable that they were met with some kind of punishment after their forced retreat.
* KilledOffForReal: As an imaginary story, the body count is possibly the highest it will ever get in a Superman story: Terra-Man, Parasite (before the story begins), Bizarro (along with the Bizarro world), Pete Ross, Metallo (possibly, if you take the dialog at face value), Supergirl (offscreen), Lana Lang, Jimmy Olsen, Lex Luthor, Brainiac, The Kryptonite Man, Krypto and Mr. Mxyzptlk.

* ManlyTears: Supes is sobbing at the end of ''Superman'' #423.
* MeaningfulRename: '''Jor'''dan '''El'''liot, the identity adopted by Clark after losing his powers.

** Lois isn't lying when she says she never saw Superman ever again after he walked into the Gold Kryptonite room.
** Supergirl knows that two of her can't exist at the same time. Superman tells her that "Supergirl is in the past."

** Krypto attacks Kryptonite Man, who screams that Krypto will die if he continues to attack. Krypto doesn't care.

* NotQuiteDead: Apparently, Brainiac survived the loss of his body, so long as he could take over someone else's. In particular, Luthor's.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Everybody, really. Superman is deeply disturbed by this; when the nuisances of the past come back as murderers, what happens when the murderers come back? Special note to Toyman and Prankster (who murder Pete Ross and out Superman's secret identity) as well as Bizarro (who destroys Bizarro World on purpose and goes on a killing spree to try and carry being Superman's opposite to its logical extreme) and Mxy (who turns out to be why all of Superman's enemies have become worse than they acted before). Ironically, Toyman and the Prankster are murderers Post-Crisis.

* PortalCut: Happens to Mr. Mxyzptlk when he tries to teleport at the same time as Superman sends him into the Phantom Zone.

* RedEyesTakeWarning

* SandInMyEyes: Saturn Girl says that "some 20th century virus" is causing her eyes to water.

* TeleportGun: Superman kills Mxyzptlk with the Phantom Zone projector.
* TemporalParadox: (Possible) Ontological example. Lois and Superman realize that the Phantom Zone projector was their only hope of defeating Mxyzptlk because of the statuette they received from the time-traveling Legion of Superheroes. However, the Legion likely knew to do this, because Lois survives and gives an account of the Legion's assistance, which the Legion then learns about a millennium later. So Lois' survival depends on the Legion going back in time, but the Legion going back in time depends on Lois' survival. It is ''possible'' there is an original timeline where Superman figures out to use the Phantom Zone projector without the Legion's assistance. Yet, if that's the case, that means the Legion traveled back in time just to give Superman [[ContrivedCoincidence a totem with the exact right clue]], even though they expect him to die in the Arctic right after.
* ThatManIsDead: Through SelfDeprecation.

* ThouShaltNotKill:
** Averted, to much regret:

** Saturn Queen is shocked that Superman's ''not'' bluffing when he attacks the trio with heat vision after their murder of Lana Lang, noting he's prepared to ''kill''.

* TooDumbToLive: The Legion of Supervillains, very nearly. Come on, Lightning Lord, you just murdered Superman's oldest and closest friend. What did you think he'd do, arrest you?
* TheTrickster: Mxyzptlk remains one. He's just gone from Anansi to (post-FaceHeelTurn) Loki.
* TwoFirstNames: Lois' husband Jordan Elliot--which subtly [[{{Foreshadowing}} foreshadows]] his true identity.
* UnluckyChildhoodFriend:
** Lana Lang.
** Pete Ross gets tortured and killed.

* UnwittingPawn: Basically all the main villains end up being this for Mr. Mxyzptlk with the possible exception of the Legion of Supervillains (but again, only maybe). The most clear examples would be the Prankster and Toyman who weren't even able to explain why they acted in the way they did when confronted.

** In an interesting variation on the trope, however, Mxyzptlk didn't get bored over time but was like that from the start, since noticeably the ''first'' 2,000 years of his life are the ones he spent doing nothing, before even trying doing anything, and for some reason decided to divide his life in chunks of 2,000 years spent doing the same thing rather than experiencing variation. Which might imply that there was something off about Mxyzptlk in the first place beyond this trope.

Superman makes his last stand, and survives by the skin of his teeth. He defeats Brainiac, but realizes there's one last villain: [[Characters/SupermanMisterMxyzptlk Mr. Mxyzptlk]]. Bored after spending 2,000 years as [[HarmlessVillain a mischievous imp]], Mxyzptlk has decided to try being [[NotSoHarmlessVillain truly evil]]. Superman is no match for Mxyzptlk's godlike power, but thanks to a warning from the ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes, he's able to kill Mxyzptlk using the Phantom Zone projector. Appalled that he's violated his [[ThouShaltNotKill code against killing]], Superman exposes himself to gold kryptonite ([[DePower permanently robbing himself of all powers]]) and apparently commits suicide by exposure to the elements.

Characters/{{Superman|TheCharacter}} really hit his stride in UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks, which introduced things like multi-colored Kryptonite, Characters/{{Supergirl|TheCharacter}}, [[Characters/SupermanBizarro Bizarro]], and the Fortress of Solitude. Even today, much of what the average person knows about Supes (not counting [[ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman his death]]) comes from that period.

Just as this story was [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] Superman's "epilogue" following ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'', a similar story has come in the wake of ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'', Characters/{{Batman|TheCharacter}}'s ''ComicBook/WhateverHappenedToTheCapedCrusader'' The two stories are similar in presence, but while "Tomorrow" was a tribute to the Silver Age Superman (whose tenure is typically dated to last all the way through UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks and ended with ''Crisis on Infinite Earths''; the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] Superman, Kal-L would later return in ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis''), "Caped Crusader", which followed in the death of Bruce Wayne in ''Final Crisis'', is a tribute/epilogue to '''all''' versions of the Bruce Wayne Batman, as told by the various versions of his allies and enemies. Both storylines, however, maintain a theme of renewal: "Tomorrow" sees the future of Superman passed onto the next generation, and "Caped Crusader" sees Batman reborn to continue his crusade against injustice.

* AsideGlance: This being one of the very last Superman stories from UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|Of Comic Books}}, it naturally ends with Supes' signature closing trope.
* AnyoneCanDie: Since it was the swan song of UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|Of Comic Books}} Superman, Alan Moore was given a free hand on who would die. As a result , most of Superman's supporting cast and nearly all of his antagonists (with the exceptions of the Legion of Super-Villains and possibly Toyman, the Prankster and Metallo) perish.

* GrandFinale: This story serves as the final ending for [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] Superman, as it has many of his greatest enemies defeated for good and concludes with him [[EarnYourHappyEnding earning his happy ending]].

** This is arguably the resolution of UsefulNotes/{{the Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}} Superman's entire character arc as the writers, attempting to make him more interesting, had been focusing for a long while on Superman's isolation from humanity and lack of true peers and companions. What had always stopped him from taking this step was the assumption that the world couldn't get along without him.

* DarkerAndEdgier:
** Invoked by Lois when Mxyzptlk appears.
--->'''Lois:''' He didn't look ''funny'' anymore.
** Compare this story to any other [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] Superman story. Let's just say it's made clear very quickly that this is ''final'', given the number of deaths that occur.
* DeadGuyJunior: After retiring from superheroics, Superman takes the name Jordan Elliot, which is clearly based on his dead father Jor-El.
* DeadSidekick: Bye, Pete Ross, Jimmy Olsen and Krypto.

** In a more straightforward sense, Mxyzptlk is caught by surprise and panicking after seeing the Phantom Zone projector, so he literally ''does not thing through'' and says his own name backward, the fastest escape route that comes to his mind, which ends up being his own undoing. [[spoiler: Just as Superman planned.]]

Characters/{{Superman|TheCharacter}} really hit his stride in UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks, which introduced things like multi-colored Kryptonite, Characters/{{Supergirl|TheCharacter}}, [[Characters/SupermanBizarro Bizarro]], and the Fortress of Solitude. Even today, much of what the average person knows about Supes (not counting his death) comes from that period.

Back at the FramingDevice, Tim Crane thanks Lois for her story, leaves, passing Lois's husband Jordan Elliot. It's revealed that '''Jor'''dan '''El'''liot is actually Superman and that he's in his retirement, happy to enjoy an ordinary life for once. Jordan, crazy in love with Lois, [[AsideGlance winks at the audience]], enjoys a HappyEnding... and misses the fact that his infant son is exhibiting SuperStrength.

Franchise/{{Superman}} really hit his stride in UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks, which introduced things like multi-colored Kryptonite, ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}, [[Characters/SupermanBizarro Bizarro]], and the Fortress of Solitude. Even today, much of what the average person knows about Supes (not counting his death) comes from that period.

Then came the ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'', a mega-event that reset the continuity of every DC title. Thus began the modern, Creator/JohnByrne era of Superman which strove to be more "realistic". Realizing that Silver Age Superman deserved a GrandFinale, editor Julius Schwartz hired Creator/AlanMoore, and Superman ur-artist Creator/CurtSwan. The first issue was inked by none other than Creator/GeorgePerez and the second issue was inked by Kurt Schaffenberger (who was also best known for defining the look of ComicBook/LoisLane, and his work on ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'' and the Captain Marvel Family tales), and made the last Silver Age tale -- an "imaginary story." Published in September, 1986. For Moore, a lifelong Superman fan, specifically the Silver Age Superman, this story was the "final" Superman story. For many writers, it's one of the greatest Superman stories ever written, with Creator/NeilGaiman claiming that the opening is the greatest triple entendre in comics and a goodbye to a Superman that existed in Moore's heart.

[[FramingDevice Daily Planet reporter Tim Crane]] comes to interview Lois Elliot (née [[ComicBook/LoisLane Lane]]) on the anniversary of the death of Superman. [[FirstPersonPeripheralNarrator Lois tells the story]] in a WholeEpisodeFlashback.

After Superman's life has settled into an easy groove as all the villains lie low, he spends his time helping UsefulNotes/{{NASA}} with experiments. Of course, the villains then go berserk, attacking Metropolis in increasingly grisly ways. Superman takes his friends to the Fortress of Solitude, pursued by the Kryptonite Man, the Legion of Supervillains, and creepiest of all, an enslaved ComicBook/LexLuthor, [[MindRape mind-raped]] and taken over by the remains of ComicBook/{{Brainiac}}.

Just as this story was [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] Superman's "epilogue" following ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'', a similar story has come in the wake of ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'', Franchise/{{Batman}}'s ''ComicBook/WhateverHappenedToTheCapedCrusader'' The two stories are similar in presence, but while "Tomorrow" was a tribute to the Silver Age Superman (whose tenure is typically dated to last all the way through UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks and ended with ''Crisis on Infinite Earths''; the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] Superman, Kal-L would later return in ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis''), "Caped Crusader", which followed in the death of Bruce Wayne in ''Final Crisis'', is a tribute/epilogue to '''all''' versions of the Bruce Wayne Batman, as told by the various versions of his allies and enemies. Both storylines, however, maintain a theme of renewal: "Tomorrow" sees the future of Superman passed onto the next generation, and "Caped Crusader" sees Batman reborn to continue his crusade against injustice.

** The heroes trying to help Superman include Franchise/{{Batman}}, Robin, Franchise/WonderWoman, [[Comicbook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]], ComicBook/MartianManhunter, ComicBook/GreenArrow and Hawkman. None have that significant role to play since they were all locked out.

* DeadSidekick: Bye, Pete Ross, ComicBook/JimmyOlsen and Krypto.

* SuperEmpowering: Lana and Jimmy use devices in Superman's Fortress to give themselves temporary super powers to help Superman.