History ComicBook / SupermanExile

** At one point, Superman and the Cleric talk about whether he could have done something other than kill the Kryptonian criminals. Superman reflects that he could have just left them to die on that now-dead Earth, or he could have taken them back to his own universe to stand trial, but in the second case he couldn't imagine how they could be convicted in any court given the unprecedented nature of their crimes, and in both cases Superman couldn't be sure they wouldn't be able to find some way to restore their powers and come after him again.

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: While Mongul himself is just evil, Draaga's only real conflict with Superman is due to their contrasting codes of honor, as Draaga values honorable combat but his belief in the value of a warrior's death conflicts with Superman's refusal to kill.

* PaperThinDisguise: Basically applies; the man who broke into Clark's apartment and was killed by Intergang forces in his place was small-time private detective Matt Stockton, hired by former [=LexCorp=] scientist Amanda [=McCoy=], who looked enough like Clark to pass for him in a dimly-lit apartment while he was wearing a heavy coat and hat.

* TakeAThirdOption: At one point, Superman and the Cleric talk about whether he could have done something other than kill the Kryptonian criminals. Superman reflects that he could have just left them to die on that now-dead Earth, or he could have taken them back to his own universe to stand trial, but in the second case he couldn't imagine how they could be convicted in any court given the unprecedented nature of their crimes, and in both cases Superman couldn't be sure they wouldn't be able to find some way to restore their powers and come after him again.

During ''ComicBook/TheSupergirlSaga'', Superman was forced to break [[ThouShaltNotKill his one rule]] and execute three Kryptonian criminals. Despite Superman's best attempts, he couldn't put the act behind him - having attacked Brainiac in rage, scared out of his wits by his own mortality and being haunted by terrible nightmares wouldn't let him. Ultimately, during the [[ComicBook/{{Invasion}} Dominator invasion]], Superman began sleepwalking--or rather sleep-vigilanting--as Gangbuster. Rattled by this revelation, Superman was going crazy and he couldn't trust himself anymore. After a few preparations, Superman made the decision to exile himself from Earth to protect the planet from his unpredictability. However, doing so would lead to a number of revelations for the Man of Steel, in particular his past.

* TakeAThirdOption: At one point Superman and the Cleric talk about whether he could have done something other than kill the Kryptonian criminals. Superman reflects that he could have just left them to die on that now-dead Earth, or he could have taken them back to his own universe to stand trial, but in the second case he couldn't imagine how they could be convicted in any court given the unprecedented nature of their crimes, and in both cases Superman couldn't be sure they wouldn't be able to find some way to restore their powers and come after him again.

This story would mark a number of first appearances, including the ComicBook/PostCrisis first appearances of Mongul and Warworld, the first appearance of the alien warrior Dragga and the first appearance of the Kryptonian artifact the Eradicator. Part of this story would be adapted in the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' two-parter "Warworld!"

* TakeAThirdOption: At one point Superman and the Cleric talk about whether he could have done something other than kill the Kryptonian criminals. Superman reflects that he could have just left them to die on that now-dead Earth, or he could have taken them back to his own universe, but in the second case he couldn't imagine how they could be convicted in any court given the unprecedented nature of their crimes, and in both cases Superman couldn't be sure they wouldn't be able to find some way to restore their powers and come after him again.

* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: The Cleric basically gives Superman this speech to help him get over his grief at the deaths of the Kryptonian criminals, assuring Superman that his only sins were in the cause of justice and he genuinely had no other choice but to kill in that case.

* PaperThinDisguise: Basically applies; the man who broke into Clark's apartment and was killed by Intergang forces in his place was small-time private detective Matt Stockton, hired by former [=LexCorp=] scientist Amanda [=McCoy=], who looked enough like Clark to pass for him in a dimly-lit apartment while he was wearing a heavy coat and jacket.

* HopeSpot: One issue sees Superman arrive on a lifeless planet with fields and plants that he can farm, intending to set himself up on this planet to live in isolation using his farming experience from childhood. However, after he spends a month or so tilling the land and preparing a small house for himself, this plan is ruined when the planet’s ecosystem is revealed to exist in a vast cycle where terrible storms basically destroy the existing environment and leave more barren dirt behind. With his X-ray vision confirming that this is a regular part of the planet’s life cycle, Superman leaves once again, bitterly musing that he should have known this ‘perfect’ landscape was too good to be true.

* FourLinesAllWaiting: Good grief, this story has them. Between Supes' time in space, the Intergang attacks, Matrix wandering Metropolis. There's even a sidestory where Luthor tries to get STAR Labs.

* HeKnowsTooMuch: Morgan Edge has Intergang put out a hit on Clark Kent after information about the group gets out before he left. They end up murdering some poor schmoe breaking in the same time the hitmen did and it's Matrix's appearance as Clark does everyone calm down. At least until Edge's boss, ComicBook/{{Darkseid}}, takes matters into his own hands.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: All the Cleric

* PoweredArmor: Jose Delgado dons one in the style of Gangbuster as part of his recovery. However, the powered armor he receives from [=LexCorp=] puts him under the control of Lex Luthor until Professor Hamilton finds out how to extract the chip that gives Lex the control.

* PoweredArmor: Jose Delgado dons one in the style of Gangbuster as part of his recovery. However, the powered armor he receives from [=LexCorp=] puts him under the control of Lex Luthor until Alexander Hamilton finds out how to extract the chip that gives Lex the control.

* PoweredArmor: Jose Delgado dons one in the style of Gangbuster as part of his recovery.

* MrExposition: The Cleric provides this for Superman when he reveals some of Krypton's past.

* XanatosGambit: Luthor pulls one of these in the "Hostile Takeover" storyline in order to obtain STAR's psionics labs

This story would mark a number of first appearances, including the PostCrisis first appearances of Mongul and Warworld, the first appearance of the alien warrior Dragga and the first appearance of the Kryptonian artifact the Eradicator. Part of this story would be adapted in the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' two-parter "Warworld!"