Depictions of called the Eradicator, a being who would go on to a play a role in Superman’s death and rebirth.
In 1986, in the wake of Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC commissioned writer/artist John Byrne to retool Superman for the modern era. Byrne took Superman back to basics, stripping away much of the lore that had accumulated over the last 50 years. Byrne also radically altered Krypton—although still a place of unparalleled scientific achievement, it was much colder and much more sterile than before; the Kryptonians were as cold and callous as their world. In this world, Jor-El was a freethinker, a visionary who foresaw Krypton’s end and hatched a plan to send his only son to Earth, as Krypton’s last survivor. By 1988, Byrne had exited the Superman titles, but later creators continued to explore this new Krypton. In 1989’s Action Comics Annual #2, a new wrinkle was introduced: the mysterious Eradicator, a device linked to Krypton’s past; it also explained why the Kryptonians never took left their homeworld to colonize the galaxy.
While in a self-imposed exile into space, tried to leave Krypton with his followers—all of whom died because of the defect. The question then is: how was Superman able to escape? A few months later, Adventures of Superman 455 provided the answer: Jor-El accessed his son’s birthing matrix and eliminated the defect.
Superman would bring the Eradicator back to Earth with him, hoping it would provide a link to his heritage—and it did, in more ways than one. Several months after returning to Earth, the Eradicator tried to rewrite Superman’s personality, making him into a more proper Kryptonian. After Superman freed himself from the Eradicator’s control, it would return again as a separate entity, intent on restoring Krypton. After another defeat at Superman’s hands, the entity would return at the onset of the Reign of the Supermen storyline, helping revive Superman’s body, and filling in for the Man of Steel while he healed.
Given that Kryptonians are only powerless under a red sun, and that red suns only constitute a small portion of stars in the galaxy, readers are left wondering why they did not colonize the rest of the galaxy. Between their fantastic powers and advanced technology, no galactic army or Starfleet would be able to resist a Kryptonian army—yet they never did. The Eradicator was one such attempt at answering this question. It embodied the worst parts of Kryptonian culture, but in the end, it saved Superman’s life, ensuring that Krypton would go on—thus fulfilling its original mission.
Unfortunately, this particular incarnation of Krypton no longer exists, swept away by several continuity reboots over the years. Yet this version tackled head-first a major plot hole in Superman lore: why did Krypton never reach beyond the stars?
