Line #30 ComicBook/SupermanSavageDawn


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/superman_savage_dawn.jpg]]
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3	''Superman: Savage Dawn'' is a ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' [[BatfamilyCrossover family crossover]] story arc published in 2016. It is told in the ''ComicBook/ActionComics2011'', ''Superman[=/=]Wonder Woman'' and ''ComicBook/Superman2011'' titles. The writers in charge are Creator/GregPak, Creator/PeterTomasi, [[ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman Dan Jurgens]], and Creator/GeneLuenYang. ''Superman Annual'' #3, released in December 2015, serves as a prologue.
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5	''Savage Dawn'' is the conclusion of the story started in ''ComicBook/SupermanTruth'', which saw Superman lose a significant portion of his powers and be forced to go on the run. [[Characters/DCComicsVandalSavage Vandal Savage]], the villain responsible for Superman's predicament, reveals his plan to TakeOverTheWorld and has captured the ComicBook/{{Justice League\|OfAmerica}}. To stop him, Superman must save his allies and reclaim his lost powers.
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8	!!''Superman: Savage Dawn'' contains examples of:
9	* AlasPoorVillain: Vandal's "children" that are sent as guinea pigs to the comet first. They seem to return stronger than ever[[spoiler:, but the power is to much for them to handle with such little experience and, before long, they begin to disintegrate before ultimately exploding. All are shown pity from those they were attacking, but the young bullied kid turned "dream come true" barbarian warrior, Salvaxe, was repeatedly tried to be reached to and reasoned with by Superman. To no avail, in the end.]]
10	* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: Savage tears the Fortress of Solitude out of the ground and uses it to bring the comet to Earth, which empowers his extended family (translation: thousands of illegimate children all over the world) to fight for his behalf.
11	* AndTheAdventureContinues: [[spoiler:With Savage defeated, Superman attempts to just spend time with Lois and Jimmy before he hears a cry for help, leading him to rush off to help once more...]]
12	* AntiVillain: For all her hostility towards Superman, Wrath genuinely believed her actions were in humanity's best interests. She is appalled upon realizing Vandal's plan will only benefit him.
13	* ArcVillain: The primary antagonist is Vandal Savage, who orchestrated Superman's power loss, directed the other villains' actions and captured the Justice League.
14	* ArcWelding: ''Superman Annual'' #3 conects Vandal Savage's origin to Krypton. In Krypton's distant past, a radioactive comet threatened to hit the planet; but Im-El, Superman's ancestor, used a missile to divert the comet's course away from the planet. The comet passed Earth's orbit and one of its fragments imbued Vandal with immortality.
15	* BadassInDistress: The Justice League is captured by Savage.
16	* BattleAura: Superman manifests a green aura after getting powered by Kryptonite.
17	* BroughtDownToBadass: Powers or not, Superman is still a badass superhero.
18	* CastingAShadow: Wrath.
19	* TheCavalry:
20	** Steel, Lana Lang and the Justice League United arrive to help Superman fend off Vandal's initial attack.
21	** A large army of superheroes helps Superman and his allies take on Vandal's comet-empowered army.
22	* TheChosenMany: Everyone descended from Vandal Savage, in his eyes. Being descended from him prompts many otherwise ordinary people to gain superpowers when he pulls his comet closer to Earth.
23	* DaddysLittleVillain: Everyone descended from Savage becomes this. During the final battle, the MassSuperEmpoweringEvent that grants his descendants power, combined with Savage's WeCanRuleTogether speech, prompts ordinary "Chosen" people to suddenly attack Superman and the Justice League.
24	* DeadlyUpgrade:
25	** Steel has created a PoweredArmor that can help Superman fight Savage's forces. Unfortunately, it is powered by [[KryptoniteFactor Kryptonite]]. Superman uses it anyway.
26	** After the armor is trashed, Superman directly exposes himself to a crate full of Kryptonite, which kills his infected cells and gives him new powers, but further risks his health.
27	* EiffelTowerEffect: The comic establishes a flashback to medieval Rome by showing Vandal Savage admiring a newly painted Art/SistineChapel, instead of the dozens of others churches in the area.
28	* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Subverted. Superman thinks Vandal took his family away from the destruction of his ship to save them, but Vandal reveals he was using them to test out the comet's powers before he tests them himself.
29	* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Savage tries to win Superman to his side by showing him a vision of a world where Savage rules and Superman is the leader of Earth's superhuman defenders, but when he sees Lois and his other human friends reduced to basically slaves, Superman affirms that he isn't the kind of man who believes that strength alone solves anything.
30	* EvilIsOneBigHappyFamily: Subverted. The villains from ''Truth'' (Wrath, HORDR_ROOT and Mr. Bend) all answered to Savage but had plans to overthrow him. At the same time, Vandal treats his servants like garbage.
31	** Played straight after Vandal uses the comet to give superpowers to his illegimate children, which number in the thousands. They all attack Superman and his allies en masse.
32	** And subverted in the end when Vandal admits he's only using his "children" and only cares about himself.
33	* GodhoodSeeker: As ''Superman Annual'' #3 shows, Vandal wants to obtain power so he can unite Earth under his rule. First, he wanted to reach the comet that made him immortal in the first place. Now, he wants the powers of Superman and the Justice League. The way he puts it, eternal life is meaningless without eternal power.
34	* GreaterScopeVillain: Savage was this in ''Truth'', but only takes direct action in ''Savage Dawn''.
35	* GrandFinale: ''Savage Dawn'' will end the story started by ''Truth''.
36	* GreenRocks: The comet that made Vandal immortal possesses several fragments that can give their holder powers similar to Superman's, which is why Vandal wanted to reach the comet through the course of history.
37	* HarmfulHealing: Superman' lost his powers because Savage had infected some of his cells and disrupted their ability to absorb sunlight. To counter that, Superman exposes himself to Kryptonite, which will burn away the infected cells and allow him to power up again. The plan works to an extent: Superman gains new powers but is slowly dying as a result.
38	* HesBack: Combined with HoistByHisOwnPetard - Savage shoots Superman and sends him tumbling down towards the Fortress of Solitude. Instead of dying on his fortress, the fortress detects Superman's DNA and restores him, his powers and his costume to full. The look on the man's face couldn't be any more glad.
39	* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:The last of Savage's children, Puzzler, comes to realize he's more than just the sum of his parts and helps Superman destroy the comet. Somewhat ironic, as he had the least direct interaction with Superman, but was the only one who made a HeelFaceTurn and survived.]]
40	* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Metallo]] pulls one after being gravely injured, asking Superman to [[spoiler: take his Kryptonite heart]]. Clark initially refuses, but eventually acquiesces to the request. His internal narration even says that [[spoiler: (Metallo)]] just showed everyone what it meant to be a hero.
41	* ItsAllAboutMe: Savage's entire motivation of stealing Superman's powers is because he wants them all for himself. To him, everyone else is either a tool to be manipulated or an enemy to be destroyed.
42	* ItsPersonal: Superman is ''not'' happy Vandal stole the Fortress of Solitude, considering an insult to his Kryptonian heritage.
43	* JerkassRealization: Superman finally understands that he had friends the entire time trying to help him whenever and wherever possible. This goes double for Lois blowing his secret identity.
44	* MightMakesRight: Something Vandal Savage thinks both he and Superman should be doing with their amazing powers -- to rule the planet with an iron fist.
45	* MythologyGag:
46	** Issue #50 ends with Clark, Lois and Jimmy eating at the World's Finest cafe (referencing the title of the original ''ComicBook/WorldsFinest1941'' comic), at the corner of Siegel and Shuster.
47	** Superman charges up his flight by manipulating gravity the same way he does in Film/ManOfSteel.
48	* NewEraSpeech: Vandal Savage's speech to the entire human race as his master stroke is complete provides the page picture.
49	* OhCrap: Superman is shocked when Vandal hijacks the Stormwatch carrier, the one spacecraft more powerful than the Justice League Watchtower.
50	* PoweredArmor: Superman wears one powered by Kryptonite.
51	* ShoutOut:
52	** Savage says Superman wants to save the world but doesn't want to change it, basically the same thing ComicBook/{{Ultron}} told ComicBook/TheAvengers in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron''.
53	** After Savage uses the comet to imbue his army with superpowers, one of his minions says he feels like [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]] after eating one of his Mushrooms.
54	* TheSociopath: Vandal is simply at his worst here.
55	* StormingTheCastle: Superman and his friends break into Vandal's ship to save the Justice League. Vandal, however, sets the ship to [[SelfDestructMechanism self-destruct]].
56	* TinyHeadedBehemoth: One of Savage's empowered children is a child given a hulking body while still retaining his regular head.
57	* ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend: Even after their breakup during ''Truth'', Wonder Woman remains one, and refuses to allow Clark to face Savage's threat alone. Clark for his part, is much more accepting of it this time around.
58	* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Vandal casually murders HORDOR_ROOT when it's revealed that he is one of Vandal's offspring, yet being a robot prevents him from partaking in the power boost the meteor provides.

Context ComicBook / SupermanSavageDawn