In this review of Superman: Father of Tomorrow #4, Jor-El continues his attempt to give the planet free energy, while Lex continues his acquisition of magical powers. Who will succeed first?
SUPERMAN: FATHER OF TOMORROW #4
Written by KENNY PORTER
Art and Main Cover: DANNY EARLS
Variant Covers: GABRIEL HARDMAN, JERRY ORDWAY
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 8/26/26
This review contains spoilers
Superman: Father of Tomorrow #4 opens in Gotham City, where Batman and Robin are trying to stop Scarecrow from using Kryptonian-tech to poison the city. Superman arrives and takes out Scarecrow in short order.
Jor-El is there to get Batman to join him at the U.N. where he plans on sharing his energy reactor with the world. Batman declines, explaining how he thinks humanity isn’t ready for advanced technology.
Meanwhile, Constantine returns to the Oblivion Bar after getting paid by Lex for his magical map. Constantine learns that various magicians around the world, including Zatanna and Jason Blood, have died at the hands of Luthor.
At the same time, Lex and Doctor Fate are fighting for control of the Helmet of Fate. Luthor overpowers Fate, killing him and taking the helmet. It won’t bend to his will, though, so Lex uses his powers to transform the helmet into a sword.
When Superman arrives at the U.N. to share his plan for free energy, General Lane presents doctored footage showing what he purports is Superman’s plan to take over Earth. He uses this as justification to attack Jor-El, having the WildC.A.T.s join in on the assault. The Man of Tomorrow is barely able to escape, but he does make it back to the Kent farm.
As Superman: Father of Tomorrow #4 closes, Lex, now calling himself Hex Luthor, kills Green Lantern with golden hellfire. He then informs Lane of his intentions to rule the world.
Analysis
Writer Kenny Porter doesn’t hesitate to use the freedoms of the Elseworlds concept to provide a familiar, yet slightly shifted take on Superman. It allows him to tell an entertaining story without being completely tied down to previous lore.
The truth behind Jor-El’s desire to save Earth comes to light toward the end of this issue when he tells Martha that Kal-El and Lara died because of him. We won’t find out more on that until the next issue, but it explains why he’s pushing his technological advances so hard in an effort to save the world.
This Elseworlds version of Lex is even more frightening than we usually see. He’s still got the same hatred for Superman, but now he looks to be the most powerful magician in the world. That’s going to present all sorts of trouble for Jor-El.
General Lane’s actions are vile and disgusting, as his hatred for the man from another world are also on full display. He’s so against the idea of an alien being helpful that he’s blind to the reality of the situation. He even tells Lois he’s doing what’s best for the planet, but it’s only what he thinks is best. I’m glad to see she wholeheartedly disagrees.
I liked the message Porter delivers via Batman when the Caped Crusader talks to Jor-El about humanity getting tools they aren’t ready to handle. To me, it feels like he could be talking about the overreliance on AI. The leaps in this technology are happening at an astounding pace and I’m not quite sure it’s all for the betterment of humanity. Porter leaves it open to interpretation, though, never clearly tying the story to the real world.
Artist Danny Earls and colorist Nick Filardi continue to fill the book with beautiful artwork, giving us cool new looks for Scarecrow, Batman, and Robin early on and Hex Luthor on the final-page reveal. Luthor’s magical armor is inspired by his warsuit look, featuring the same colors and similar lines. I’m a fan of his warsuit and this armor.
Final Thoughts
Superman: Father of Tomorrow #4 has the dual-threat of General Lane and Lex Luthor bearing down on Jor-El. The artwork is detailed and colorful, perfectly complimenting the entertaining story. Have fun, comic lovers!
