History ComicBook / ForTheManWhoHasEverything

"For the Man Who Has Everything" is a classic ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' story by writer Creator/AlanMoore and artist [[ComicBook/{{Watchmen}} Dave Gibbons]]; it was published in ''Superman Annual'' #11 (1985). [[PragmaticAdaptation The story was later adapted]] into a [[Recap/JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS1E2ForTheManWhoHasEverything very popular episode]] of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'', being one of the most faithful adaptations of one of Moore's comics. It also received a live action (and far looser) adaptation in ''Series/{{Supergirl|2015}}''. The story was also included in the trade omnibus of ''ComicBook/WhateverHappenedToTheManOfTomorrow''.

"For the Man Who Has Everything" is a classic ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' story by writer Creator/AlanMoore and artist [[ComicBook/{{Watchmen}} Dave Gibbons]]; it was published in ''Superman Annual'' #11 (1985). [[PragmaticAdaptation The story was later adapted]] into a [[Recap/JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS1E2ForTheManWhoHasEverything very popular episode]] of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'', being one of the most faithful adaptations of one of Moore's comics. It also received a live action (and far looser) adaptation in ''Series/{{Supergirl|2015}}''. The story was also included in the trade omnibus of ''ComicBook/WhateverHappenedToTheManOfTomorrow''.

In reality, Superman has fallen under the spell of [[LotusEaterMachine an alien plant called the Black Mercy]], which grants [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor a logical extrapolation of its victim's fondest desires]]. Superman is discovered by Franchise/{{Batman}}, Franchise/WonderWoman, and ComicBook/{{Robin}} (Jason Todd), who have come to the Fortress of Solitude to celebrate Superman's birthday. They run afoul of Mongul, the powerful supervillain who trapped Superman in the Black Mercy's grasp; while Wonder Woman engages Mongul in battle, Batman desperately tries to figure out a way to remove the plant.

* TheCameo: Among the great powers of the cosmos that pay tribute in Mongul's fantasy are [[TheWorfEffect some of the DC Universe's biggest heavy hitters]] -- [[ComicBook/MartianManhunter J'onn J'onzz]], ComicBook/AdamStrange, and {{ComicBook/Hawkman}} and Hawkwoman. As a background joke, Dave Gibbons also includes Bolphunga the Unrelenting from "Mogo Doesn't Socialize", another story he did with Moore that year.

* MeaningfulName: Batman (Franchise/WonderWoman in the animated version) bred a new rose as a gift for Superman, calling it "The Krypton". It's ruined at the end of the story. Superman is aware of the irony and meaning.

* BrickJoke: At the beginning of the comic, Wonder Woman says she got Superman a recreation of Kandor made by Themiscyran jewelcrafters. At the end, Superman receives this gift -- and, appropriately given the title, hastily puts away the Kandor replica he already has.

* BrickJoke: At the beginning of the comic, Wonder Woman says she got Superman a replica of Kandor made by Themiscyran jewelcrafters and that she hopes he doesn't already have one. At the end, Superman receives this gift -- and hastily puts away the Kandor replica he already has.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: It is rare for Superman to truly unleash on someone with intent to kill, but that's what he does after the Black Mercy is removed and he's pieced together what happened. Mongul is lucky Superman is the nicest guy in the universe, or he'd have been turned into paste.

The story works around the idea of TheFinalTemptation: Superman's mind is trapped in an illusion [[HappilyEverAfter of him living a happy life]] on an intact [[DoomedHometown Krypton]]. In the illusion, he's married to a former actress and has a large, loving family. However, Krypton is shown to have changed since the time it would have been destroyed, turning from the [[CrystalSpiresAndTogas idyllic representations]] in the {{Canon}} to [[TheEighties a dystopia teetering on social collapse]]. Amongst other things, [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} Kara]] is in the hospital after being assaulted by an anti-PhantomZone protester. Further compounding the problem is Kal-El's estrangement from his father, [[IgnoredExpert Jor-El]]; while the latter was often portrayed as a heroic visionary in UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}}, this Jor-El is a bitter shell who turned to [[StrawCharacter radical reactionary politics]] after [[CryingWolf wrongly predicting]] Krypton's self-destruction (his wife [[MissingMom dying]] of [[SoapOperaDisease "wasting sickness"]] might have something to do with it, too).

The Black Mercy also appears in Season 2 of ''Series/{{Krypton}}''.

"For the Man Who Has Everything" is a classic ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' story by writer Creator/AlanMoore and artist [[ComicBook/{{Watchmen}} Dave Gibbons]]; it was published in ''Superman Annual'' #11 (1985). [[PragmaticAdaptation The story was later adapted]] into a [[Recap/JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS1E2ForTheManWhoHasEverything very popular episode]] of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'', being one of the most faithful adaptations of one of Moore's comics. It also received a live action (and far looser) adaptation in ''Series/{{Supergirl 2015}}''. The story was also included in the trade omnibus of ''ComicBook/WhateverHappenedToTheManOfTomorrow''.

The ''Series/{{Supergirl 2015}}'' episode, "[[Recap/Supergirl2015S1E13ForTheGirlWhoHasEverything For the Girl Who Has Everything]]," makes rather more significant changes. Kara retains her old memories and spends a while trying to get out of the dream world before accepting that it's "real," and her sister Alex has to actually enter the dream herself to get her out. The Black Mercy then dies once it's pulled off, allowing the perpetrator Non to live to fight another day after a beating from Supergirl.

The [[Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse animated version]] removes the darker aspects of the original dream world and gives Superman a mostly idyllic life. In this adaptation, he is a Kryptonian farmer with his wife Loana (three guesses as to which two characters she's an amalgamation of -- her voice actress is the same as ComicBook/LoisLane's, to boot), his son Van-El, and [[ComicBook/KryptoTheSuperdog a pet dog named Krypto]]. Jor-El appears as a contented, doting grandfather (who is somewhat dismissive of Kal-El's farming lifestyle), and his bitterness at his false prediction is reduced to a single line about how his reputation took years to salvage. Brainiac even appears as [[AIIsACrapshoot a dutiful household A.I.]] The only clues something is amiss are a constant stream of random earthquakes and Jor-El's voice continually changing. Jason Todd is also absent from this adaptation; Batman instead escapes from the Mercy's dream with Wonder Woman's help, and Wonder Woman is the one who puts the plant on Mongul.

The ''Series/{{Supergirl 2015}}'' episode, "For the Girl Who Has Everything," makes rather more significant changes. Kara retains her old memories and spends a while trying to get out of the dream world before accepting that it's "real," and her sister Alex has to actually enter the dream herself to get her out. The Black Mercy then dies once it's pulled off, allowing the perpetrator Non to live to fight another day after a beating from Supergirl.

* PrecisionFStrike:

** Rather obviously, it becomes a CurseCutShort in ''Justice League Unlimited'', as Wonder Woman fires the weapon just before she can say "hell".

* BewareTheNiceOnes: It is rare for Superman to truly unleash on someone with intent to kill. Mongul is lucky to be ''alive''.
* ABirthdayNotABreak: It's Superman's birthday and he gets a house call from someone who wants him dead.

* HurlItIntoTheSun: Or a Black Hole. You know, whatever.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: This is Superman's greatest desire after all: just live as a normal man.
* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Batman actually says this.

* OhCrap: Mongul has a minor one. When he hears Superman scream his name, he knows he only has a fraction of a second before a ''very'' pissed off Kryptonian arrives.

:: Rather obviously, it becomes a CurseCutShort in ''Justice League Unlimited'', as Wonder Woman fires the weapon just before she can say "hell".

* ArcWords: "He is content."

* LotusEaterMachine: The Black Mercy.

"For the Man Who Has Everything" is a classic ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' story by writer Creator/AlanMoore and artist [[ComicBook/{{Watchmen}} Dave Gibbons]]; it was published in ''Superman Annual'' #11 (1985). [[PragmaticAdaptation The story was later adapted]] into a [[Recap/JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS1E2ForTheManWhoHasEverything very popular episode]] of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited''. It also received a live action (and far looser) adaptation in ''Series/{{Supergirl 2015}}''. The story was also included in the trade omnibus of ''ComicBook/WhateverHappenedToTheManOfTomorrow''.

* SayMyName: In the comic, after Robin rips the Black Mercy off, Superman screams Mongul's name so loud that he knocks Robin over. Not only that, the word "'''MONGUL'''" fills the ''[[PaintingTheFourthWall entire panel]]''. See [[http://maxlevelgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/supermanannual11a.jpg here.]]