Superman & Batman: Generations
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| Superman & Batman: Generations Superman & Batman: Generations II Superman & Batman: Generations III |
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 Cover of the trade paperback of Superman & Batman: Generations II. Art by John Byrne. |
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| Publisher | DC Comics |
|---|---|
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Limited series |
| Publication date | (I) 1999 (II) August - November 2001 (III) March 2003 - February 2004 |
| Number of issues | (I and II) 4 (III) 12 |
| Creative team | |
| Creator(s) | John Byrne |
| Collected editions | |
| Generations | ISBN 1563896052 |
| Generations II | ISBN 1563899906 |
Superman & Batman: Generations is the umbrella title of three Elseworlds comic book limited series published by DC Comics in the United States, written and illustrated by John Byrne. The story arcs placed Superman, Batman, and the other members of the DC Universe in a single timeline, showing the characters aging and being replaced by their progeny.
Contents |
[edit] Publication history
Superman & Batman: Generations was published as a four-issue limited series in prestige format from January to April 1999. It was later collected as a trade paperback (ISBN 1-56389-605-2) in 1999.
Superman & Batman: Generations 2, like its predecessor, is a 4-issue prestige format limited series that ran from October 2001 to January 2002; it dealt with other DC heroes in chapters set between the times of the stories in the first series. It was also collected as a trade paperback (ISBN 1-56389-990-6) in 2001.
Superman & Batman: Generations 3 is a twelve part limited series. Unlike the previous two series, it was published in standard format, and ran from March 2003 to February 2004.
[edit] Plot summaries
[edit] Generations
Generations follows Superman and Batman from the beginning of their careers to the far future. Each issue contains two stories each; each story takes places ten years after the previous one.
- 1939: The Vigilantes--Superman and Batman meet for the first time, at the Metropolis World's Fair, where they are initially suspicious of each other. They eventually realize they are both on the side of good, and team up to defeat the Ultra-Humanite.
- 1949: Family Matters--Clark Kent is now married to Lois Lane, and Bruce Wayne's ward Dick Grayson is preparing to leave for college. Lex Luthor teams up with the Joker to kill the Man of Steel. Towards that goal, the two villains kidnap the pregnant Mrs. Kent. Batman and Superman are able to defeat the two villains and rescue Lois; however, in the process the Kents' unborn baby is exposed to gold kryptonite, which means the child will never develop superpowers. The Kents decide to keep the knowledge of his heritage a secret from the child. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne's wife is revealed to be expecting as well.
- 1959: Strange Days---While defeating the combined forces of Bat-Mite and Mr. Mxyzptlk, Batman and Superman confront the problems of age and family. Bruce realizes that it may be time for him to retire and let Dick Grayson take over as Batman; unbeknownst to him Alfred is helping to train young Bruce Wayne Jr. ("BJ") to become the new Robin. The Kents discover that their young daughter Kara is developing superpowers. In the closing panels, an aged Lex Luthor meets young Joel Kent and tells him the truth about his heritage.
- 1969: Changing Times---Kara Kent has begun assisting her father as Supergirl, while Lois Kent is diagnosed with cancer, and Joel Kent is reported missing in action in Vietnam. Dick Grayson, the new Batman, confronts the Joker's Son, who is revealed to be the aged Joker himself. Grayson is killed by the Joker, but Bruce Wayne Jr. (the new Robin) switches uniforms with the fallen crimefighter so that the Batman legacy can continue.
- 1979: Twilight of the Gods---The story opens shortly before the wedding of Bruce Wayne Jr. and Kara Kent. Lois is still alive, thanks to her new physician Dr. Rothul. The wedding is halted by the appearance of a super-powered Joel Kent, who violently kills his sister Kara. Dr. Rothul is actually a disguised Lex Luthor; he reveals to the world that Clark Kent is Superman, then breaks the neck of Lois Lane Kent. Joel's powers are the result of a serum created by Luthor. The serum is unstable (as Luthor knows), and Joel dies a few minutes later. Superman discovers that Joel had fathered a child with a young Vietnamese woman, and ask BJ to raise the boy as his own. Meanwhile, a seventy year old Bruce Wayne, on the trail of the mysterious Ra's al Ghul, is captured by agents of the criminal mastermind.
- 1989: Crime and Punishment---Bruce Wayne Jr., the third Batman, flies to the Fortress of Solitude to arrest Superman. Superman has been hunting Luthor for the past ten years and finally catches up with him (though not before Luthor engineers the deaths of Jimmy Olsen, Lucy Lane, and Perry White, Jr.). Luthor exposes Superman to gold Kryptonite, and reveals that he is really the Ultra-Humanite. After his rocket crashed after fleeing the 1939 World's Fair, the Ultra-Humanite had his brain transplanted into the body of his assistant Lex Luthor (then known as "Ell"). The Ultra-Humanite's plan is to move his brain from Luthor's aging body into Superman's. Superman has no choice but to use lethal force on the Ultra-Humanite to escape. The Ultra-Humanite manages to broadcast the image of Superman killing him over worldwide television. Even though he had acted in self-defense, Superman pleads guilty and requests to be sent into the Phantom Zone.
- 1999: Beginnings and Endings---Batman III is brought to Ra's al Ghul, who is actually Bruce Wayne, Sr. In 1979 Wayne Sr. had challenged Ra's al Ghul to face him in the Lazarus Pit; Wayne survived and discovered that the Pit had rejuvenated him and given him incredibly long life. In the years since, Wayne Sr. turned al Ghul's criminal empire into a force for good. Wayne asks Bruce Jr. to take over the operation while he returns as Batman. Batman frees Superman from the Phantom Zone, and they investigate the Ultra-Humanite's death. Batman deduces that the Ultra-Humanite must have perfected the super-serum he used on Joel Kent, and was planning to use it after transplanting his brain into Superman's body (as the serum only works on Kryptonians). The serum restores Superman's powers, and he shares it with his grandson Clark Wayne, aka Knightwing. Superman leaves Earth in the capable hands of Batman and his grandson.
- 2919: 1929---Batman travels through space to Superman's Fortress of Solitude, now an asteroid in a distant galaxy. Due to Superman's Kryptonian heritage and Batman's Lazarus Pit treatment, the two have aged at a very slow rate. As they reminisce, Superman recalls that they had actually met in 1929 when they were teenagers. Clark and Lois Lane were winners of a journalism contest held by Bruce Wayne, owner of the Gotham Gazette. While in Gotham City to receive his award, Superboy joins forces with Bruce (wearing a prototype "Robin" costume) to defeat a gang of criminals. As the story concludes, the two are joined by Lana Lang who, thanks to magical powers, has also gained a long life and married Superman.
[edit] Generations 2
The second series, rather than dealing with a decade jump between stories like the original, takes jumps of 11 years. Starting in 1942, each issue again tells two stories, ending in the year 2019 at the end of the fourth issue. While the first series focused on the Batman and Superman families, the second features other characters from the DC Universe, especially from the Justice Society and Justice League.
- 1942: Battlefields--Hawkman and the Blackhawks attempt to stop a giant Nazi robot. Green Lantern arrives to help, but exhausts his power ring saving Hawkman. The robot launches a rocket, which Blackhawk member Chuck stops at the cost of his life. Superman and the Spectre arrive, and make short work of the robot. Superman rips open the machine to reveal its operator, the Ultra-Humanite, who uses a chunk of kryptonite to hold off the Man of Steel and make his escape. Back in Gotham City, Lois Lane discovers that Lex Luthor developed the robot and sold the plans to the Nazis. She is captured and held captive with Robin, but the two are saved by Batman, disguised as one of Luthor's henchmen.
- 1953: Absent Friends---A long missing Commissioner Gordon collapses in the doorway of Wayne Manor. He tells Bruce he knows his secret identity, and warns him of a new threat--a mysterious criminal known as "The Head of the Demon". Meawhile, Wonder Girl (a mystical projection of Wonder Woman) flies to North Korea in search of Steve Trevor's downed plane, while the real Diana Prince Trevor goes into labor. Wonder Girl finds Trevor, but he dies en route to Paradise Island. At the same moment Diana gives birth to a baby girl, Lois Kent gives birth to her daughter, Kara Kent. Clark arrives late; as Superman, he had been stranded on a planet with a red sun until he manages to send a signal and attract the attention of Green Lantern Abin Sur.
- 1964: Children's Hour--Bruce Wayne Jr. is stopped by his mother from going out as Robin with Batman II, while Kara Kent tries on her Supergirl costume for the first time. She flies to Wayne Manor to see BJ, who is unhappy with his situation. Supergirl points out that he promised not be Robin with Batman; he didn't say anthing about Supergirl. The teens fly off and find Kid Flash, who is facing the Weather Wizard and the Mirror Master. When Kid Flash is knocked unconscious, Supergirl and Robin drop in and defeat the criminals, only to be knocked out by Gorilla Grodd. Meanwhile, Barry Allen calls Diana Trevor looking for Kid Flash. Diana's daughter Stevie decides to go looking for Wally as the new Wonder Girl. She is drawn to a warehouse in Central City, where Gorilla Grodd is preparing to transfer the teens' superpowers into his body. Supergirl, who had been playing possum, rips aparts the machines holding the teens, and the four young heroes subdue the criminals. Supergirl and Wonder Girl realize that they share a special bond due to being born at the same moment; the bond is what drew Wonder Girl to the right location. The teens decide to form a crime fighting team and, after rejecting the name "Junior Justice Society", decide to call themselves the Justice League.
- 1975: Troubled Souls---Batman III is summoned to Arkham Asylum, where he is told that the Joker is acting strangely. After reviewing the surveillance tapes from the Joker's room, Batman realizes that the Joker is being slowly killed by the ghost of Dick Grayson. With the help of Doctor Occult, Deadman, and the spirit of Alfred Pennyworth, Grayson's spirit is convinced not to murder the Joker, and goes into the light with Alfred. Bruce Wayne, in his Batman costume, visits the dying Joker, whose last request is to know the Batman's identity. Batman replies that, with all the pain the Joker has caused, he deserves nothing, and leaves. In a subplot, test pilot Hal Jordan barely survives the flight of an experimental rocket plane, and decides to retire and go into politics.
- 1986: To Hunt the Hunter---Superman tracks Luthor down to one of his hideouts, but discovers it is a computer simulation. The faux Luthor plays a hologram of Joel Kent killing Supergirl (from the first series) just to torment the Man of Steel. Meanwhile Wonder Woman II, Kid Flash II, and Green Lantern discuss Batman III. Since the death of Supergirl, Batman's actions have become increasingly violent and dangerous. The JLA reluctantly decide they have to stop Batman. The three heroes track down Batman and try to restrain him, but he manages to overpower them. While fighting, Batman becomes enraged and begins savagely beating a helpless Green Lantern. When Kid Flash screams that he is killing the Lantern, Batman snaps out of his rage and flees to his home. There, he collapses in front of his wife Mei-Lei, crying for help.
- 1997: Turning Points---Batman III, preparing to leave in search of Ra's al Ghul, tells his son Clark Wayne that he must be Batman now. Clark reveals that he known for some time he is adopted, and that only a true Wayne can be Batman. Clark instead takes the identity Knightwing. On patrol in the new Batmobile, Knightwing comes across a rampaging robot that had been used by the villain Ransak. Knightwing struggles with the robot, while Superman watches helplessly from the Phantom Zone. At the last minute, Superman manages to briefly appear before Ransak, causing a distraction that allows Knightwing to short out the robot. He finds a young girl, the daughter of the real Ransak, inside the suit. Meanwhile President Barbara Gordon and former President Hal Jordan meet to discuss a major threat. The renegade Green Lantern Sinestro has vowed to kill Jordan, who had turned down Alan Scott's offer to become Earth's new Green Lantern. Kid Flash II, Green Lantern Kyle Rayner, and Blackhawk try to stop Sinestro, but are unsuccessful. Kyle flees to the White House with Sinestro in hot pursuit. Sinestro arrives and blasts Scott, then prepares to kill Jordan. Jordan takes Kyle's ring and, reasoning that the ring's weaknesses are in the mind of the user, manages to defeat Sinestro. Jordan and his wife Carol Ferris are taken to Oa, where Jordan is once again offered the role of Green Lantern.
- 2008: This Ancient Evil---Knightwing faces a threat from the past, a robot with the brain of Lex Luthor. He manages to defeat Luthor with the aid of Cyborg, the fifth Flash, and Green Lantern (Hal Jordan, his youth restored by the power ring). Clark Wayne then leaves to marry Amanda Mason, the young girl that had once faced him as Ransak. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne and Bruce Jr. visit the dying Mrs. Wayne in the hospital, where she tells them a secret (which is not revealed until Generations 3).
- 2019: Father to the Man---Batman and Knightwing arrive at the Fortress of Solitude, where Superman shows them the Chroniscope, a Kryptonian device that can view the past and future. Knightwing plays a message from Jonathan Kent recorded 99 years ago. Pa Kent tells how he had used the Chroniscope and had accidentally seen the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne. As the Waynes were scheduled to visit the county seat that week, Pa Kent decides to warn the Waynes. Before this can happen, the Waynes are kidnapped by the Ultra-Humanite. Young Bruce Wayne escapes and, disguising himself with a fox head, helps Superboy stop the kidnappers. Kent then shows Thomas Wayne the Chroniscope. Several weeks later, Pa Kent is shocked to read that the Waynes were murdered. Using the Chroniscope, he learns that the Waynes decided not to change the future, as their death was responsible for creating the Batman. In 2019, Superman consoles a stunned Bruce Wayne with the knowledge that his parents realized they were creating a great force for good.
[edit] Generations 3
Generations 3 starts in the year 1925, with each following issue jumping forward a century, except issues #7 and #8, who both partially dealt with the 26th century as well the 19th century. The story features characters from the future timelines of the DC Universe, especially Jack Kirby's New Gods.
- Century 20: Crosstime Crisis---In 1925, Clark Kent, Pete Ross, and Lana Lang are surprised when Saturn Girl bursts into the Kent home looking for Superboy. A spaceship has crashlanded near Smallville, filled with strange armored creatures. Superboy investigates and is attacked. The army, commanded by Captain Sam Lane arrives. Young Bruce Wayne learns of the crash and flies to Smallville to help, while Lana and a young Lois Lane enter Saturn Girl's time machine. Superboy destroys the aliens with a device provided by Bruce. Near death, Saturn Girl uses her powers to erase knowledge of the event from everyone's mind. Upon Saturn Girl's death, the time machine returns to the 30th century, with Lois and Lana aboard.
- Century 21: Doomsday Minus 1---As Knightwing introduces his twin daughters Supergirl Red and Supergirl Blue, the robotic brain of Lex Luthor escapes. Superman is troubled by memories of an alien invasion in 1925 that no one remembers. He travels to New Genesis to confer with Highfather, but when he arrives he sees the fire pits of Apokalips go out. The Supergirls and Omac fight Luthor and his mysterious allies, but he soon gains the upper hand and neutralizes Omac. Knightwing arrives, but Luthor's allies vanish before they can be apprehended. Luthor tells Knightwing this is the day the world ends.
- Century 22: Out of the Ashes---Thanks to Luthor, all power sources on Earth have been neutralized. Civilization is in ruins, and the survivors, led by Batman and his descendants, live in an underground complex. The surface is left to mutant animals and a few humans, including a boy named Kamandi. Superman has not been seen in nearly a century. Knightwing, now posing as Superman, and the Supergirls are all that are left to face attacks by Parademons. Batman manages to revive the dormant Brother Eye satellite. He has been keeping tabs on Kamandi, who is a descendant of Buddy Blank, aka Omac, and plans to revive the One-Man Army Corps as a weapon against the Parademons.
- Century 23: Return of the Warrior---Stephanie Trevor, the second Wonder Woman, is fatally injured while fighting Parademons, and the Supergirls take her to Paradise Island. Her mother, now Queen of the Amazons, unsuccessfully attempts to revive Stephanie with the Purple Ray. Angered over her daughter's death, Wonder Woman returns to Smallville to fight the Parademons before they can destroy the OMACs. Meanwhile, stranded on New Genesis, Superman suffers from terrible nightmares. His wife Beautiful Dreamer probes his thoughts and is able to unlock the memory of the 1925 invasion that Saturn Girl had repressed 300 years earlier.
- Century 24: Family Secrets---As Bruce Wayne, Jr. lays dying, Batman tells Wonder Woman the reason for his son's longevity. As seen at the end of Generations 2, the dying Mrs. Wayne giver her son and ex-husband a tape to play after she dies that reveals Bruce is not BJ's father. From sounds on the tape, they deduce it was recorded in London. BJ uses the Lazarus Pit to become young enough to help Batman. The two travel to London and meet Cyril Sheldrake, the former Squire. Cyril takes them to a recording studio where they are attacked by one of the many roving gangs infesting London. They manage to subdue the gang and listen to the tape. It reveals that BJ is Bruce's son; Mrs. Wayne lied to trick BJ into using the Lazarus Pit to become young (something he had refused to do before). As BJ dies, the spirit of Kara Kent appears, and takes the spirit of BJ to the afterlife.
- Century 25: Love in the Time of Apocalypse---On Apokalips, Desaad and other members of Darkseid's elite guard open an incubating chamber, revealing the revived Darkseid. On Earth, Supergirl Blue is in love with Green Lantern Ator, but since her body has been stuck at the physical age of 11 for 300 years, Ator is uncomfortable continuing the relationship. Several other Green Lanterns uncover the buried robot body of Lex Luthor, who immediately goes on a rampage. While the Green Lanterns fight Luthor, Supergirl Blue retrieves a sample of gold Kryptonite, which she uses to remove her powers, allowing her to age. She flies back to Gotham City with Batman in his jet, where Ator has managed to contain Luthor. Luthor uploads his mind into the city's computer, and leaves Ator with an atomic bomb. Ator contains the explosion with his power ring, but is trapped inside with the radiation. The now powerless Supergirl Blue is unable to save her lover, and must stand by and watch him die.
- Century 26: History Lesson (Part 1)---Metron of the New Gods opens a portal that allows Superman to return to Earth. There he is attacked by Supergirl Blue and a superpowered Batman. Eventually, Superman convinces Batman he is the real thing, and Batman tells what has happened. In addition to the Parademons returning every 100 years to attack Smallville, civilization had been destroyed by Lex Luthor. At one point he blanketed the Earth in green Kryptonite radiation, killing Clark Wayne and Supergirl Red. Luthor manages to destroy all the OMAC soldiers, including the original Buddy Blank. Supergirl Blue uses Luthor's serum to restore her powers, and convinces Batman to use it as well. The two find they are unaffected by Kryptonite, and are finally able to defeat Luthor. Superman takes Batman and Supergirl to Smallville, where they find the body of Saturn Girl. He tells them the answer to the Parademon attacks lie in the future, and flies off to reach the 30th century.
- Century 19: History Lesson (Part 2)---Seconds after Superman breaks the time barrier, Supergirl hears a signal from underground. She digs up a box which contains Superman. He reveals that his attempt to reach the future was blocked, and he was hurled into the late 19th century. There he meets Mister Miracle (who is the sheriff of Smallville) and Metron, as well as a young Jonathan Kent. Kent has come to seek revenge against Jonah Hex, a bounty hunter who Kent claims killed fourteen innocent men. A young Martha Clark begs Kent not to face Hex, but Kent is determined. The two meet in a showdown, and Hex easily disarms Kent. He then breaks Kent's glasses instead of killing him. Just then the criminal that Hex was hunting appears and fires at Hex. Hex guns down the criminal, but the shot meant for Hex hits Martha instead. Superman forces Metron to bring a doctor to save Martha's life; however, her injuries mean she will never have children. A humbled Jonathan tells Martha they will get married as soon as she is well. Metron tells Superman he cannot reach the future under his own power, and places him in a suspended animation chamber underground. Meanwhile, Darkseid reveals his greatest weapon--Parademons with the power of independent thought.
- Century 27: A Soldier's Story---During an attack by the Parademons, one soldier is separated from his troop and lost on Earth. He finds shelter in a small house, where he meets the owner, an elderly blind woman. The Parademon tells her his history. Centuries ago, Apokalips was destroyed in the final battle between Orion and Darkseid. Darkseid's essence was preserved by special machinery hidden in the heart of the planet. Eventually, Darkseid was revived, and he developed new Parademons with the ability to think for themselves. Their mission is to travel back in time to defeat the heroes of Earth. The old woman reveals herself to be Supergirl Blue, who kills the Parademon so that no one will realize they are sentient. In the future, the time machine with Lois and Lana finally materializes.
- Century 28: Gods and Monsters---On Earth, Batman and Supergirl Blue bury their son Thomas. A dying Metron appears and gives Superman a device that will allow him one round trip to New Genesis. He activates the device, and is met by Lar-el and Vara, the children he had with Beautiful Dreamer. Parademons attack, followed by Darkseid. All the New Gods are killed, leaving only Superman and his children. Darkseid captures Beautiful Dreamer, and kills the two superchildren when they try to rescue her. Darkseid leaves, but not before breaking Beautiful Dreamer's neck. Superman returns to Earth to tell Batman what has happened.
- Century 29: Little Girls Lost---Lana Lang and Lois Lane find themselves in Smallville in the year 2825. In a museum dedicated to Superman they discover that Clark Kent is Superman (and that Lois will one day marry him). Leaving the museum, they stumble across Superman fighting a troop of Parademons. They are almost attacked by one, but are saved by Supergirl Blue. Batman realizes they can use the time bubble to travel to the final Parademon attack in 2925. The heroes first return the two girls to 1925 and rescue Saturn Girl. Superman has Saturn Girl wipe the memories of everyone for a thousand miles before taking the time machine to the future. They land in 2925 as energy beams strike the ground all around them.
- Century 30: Time and Time Again---With Darkseid's forces decimating the Earth, the heroes fan out. Supergirl Blue destroys a weapon called the Sky Scorcher, but is fatally injured in the subsequent blast. When Batman finds the dying Supergirl, she tells him the only way to defeat Darkseid is to destroy him just after his resurrection, changing the timeline. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern Jordan Kelley go back several centuries to Darkseid's space station. In the battle, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman are killed, but Batman causes Granny Goodness to overload the station's power supplies, starting a chain reaction. Superman bursts in on Darkseid, who fires his Omega Beams at the Man of Steel. Superman throws Desaad into the beams, killing him, and begins pummeling Darkseid. The space station explodes, and the resulting energy wave destroys the timeline. The new timeline is similar to that at the end of the first Generations, with no sign of Darkseid and the Earth at peace. Batman and Superman briefly remember Supergirl Blue, but the thought fades away.
[edit] Wayne/Kent family tree
Over the course of the third series, Generations III, an impressive dynasty is created that spans many centuries. Most of this is undone by the story's end.
For clarification:
- Mei Lei was originally called Mei-Lai.
- Lara Wayne was originally called Kara.
- The identity of Bruce Wayne's wife was never revealed, however she is clearly neither Talia al Ghul or Catwoman.
- Clark Wayne was adopted by Bruce Wayne Jr. after the death of both Joel and Kara Kent.
- Although a seemingly incestuous relationship, Bruce Wayne and Lara Wayne are not blood-related.
- Only the original Superman and Batman survive thanks to Kryptonian genes and immortality granted by the Lazarus Pit, respectively.
- Each of the children of the Wayne/Kent tree, and ultimately the original Batman as well, possess superpowers.
