In this review of Superman: Father of Tomorrow #3, Jor-El continues his quest to solve the world’s problems, but Lex Luthor and General Lane have other plans.
SUPERMAN: FATHER OF TOMORROW #3
Written by KENNY PORTER
Art and Main Cover: DANNY EARLS
Variant Covers: GABRIEL HARDMAN and LUCIO PARRILLO
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 7/22/26
This review contains spoilers
Superman: Father of Tomorrow #3 begins when Intergang criminals hijack a maglev train to steal the Kryptonian technology it uses, Jor-El has to save a mother and son from being killed. He struggles with the fact the world continues to twist his Kryptonian advancements to use for evil purposes. He remembers what happened on Krypton and vows to not have a repeat of that on Earth.
After having met with John Constantine in Superman: Father of Tomorrow #2, Lex visits Kent Nelson, a.k.a. Doctor Fate. Luthor has been traveling the world, learning from various magical beings how to perform spells and harness energies. He needs Fate to teach him how to put everything together to be the most effective magic user he can be.
While Jor-El is working on his energy solution in his lab, Captain Atom breaks in to steal a storage battery. He attacks Superman with Kryptonian-tech energy absorbing gauntlets. Atom mercilessly beats Jor-El to teach him a lesson before escaping.
In the aftermath of the fight, Superman realizes that the mother and son from the train were taking a bus home, but as a result of the battle, the mother is killed. Jor-El consoles the boy, but realizes this is another byproduct of his attempts to save the world.
After providing Lex with training, Doctor Fate speculates that Luthor is out for revenge and is now extremely dangerous. The sorcerer is caught sending a message of warning to his friends and Lex is seen sneaking up on him.
As Superman: Father of Tomorrow #3 concludes, it’s revealed that Captain Atom is actually General Lane. He’s recruited Jack Lee to help his covert action team, the WildC.A.T.s, stop the perceived threat that Superman represents.
Analysis
Kenny Porter continues to push forward with Jor-El’s turn as Superman by exploring the guilt he carries from not being able to save his family and planet. The Kryptonian constantly has feelings that he’s not doing enough to save Earth. He has to deal with a planet that uses his technology in twisted ways in order to survive and it puts added strain onto his already battered emotions.
Porter touches on the topics of health care system costs requiring people to work extra jobs to afford coverage and people breaking the law in order to get what they can just to live. These are real-life issues coming through and will likely be familiar to many readers. Even in an ideal world that Jor-El is trying to create, it’s not enough to eliminate these problems. I like that these social issues are included in this story, as they are relevant headlines in our everyday real lives.
In the last issue, I thought Lex was looking for a magic user who would directly attack Superman, but it’s so much more than that. His anger is such that he’s taking the time to learn magic so that he can attack Superman himself, as he wants revenge against the Man of Steel. This method is so much more personal than hiring someone and it is fitting for Luthor, even in an Elseworlds story.
Danny Earls and Nick Filardi continue with great artwork throughout Superman: Father of Tomorrow #3. Doctor Fate looks awesome as he prepares to train Lex while seething with magical energies. The final-page reveal of the WildC.A.T.s is also a standout. The six characters making up the team are arranged on the splash page with Grifter and Deathstroke front and center, while Zealot, G.I. Robot, Void, and Green Lantern fill in the background. I expect that the next issue will be filled by crazy fights between all of them and Jor-El. I have no doubt that Earls and Filardi will make the action look good.
Final Thoughts
Superman: Father of Tomorrow #3 has Jor-El dealing with both internal and external forces trying to stop him from making Earth a better place. Will his guilt, along with Lex Luthor and General Lane, be enough to bring down the Man of Steel? Have fun, comic lovers!
