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Hank Henshaw is putting together a new Superman Revenge Squad. So far he's recruited Metallo, Blanque and the Eradicator. Per his orders, the Eradicator searches Mongul. He finds the alien warlord trapped by the Black Mercy in a dream where he butchers Superman.


Quote1 I have work to do, Lois. Zod, Cyborg Superman and the Eradicator are free... and working together. Quote2
Superman src

Superman: Revenge is a 2017 storyline written by Dan Jurgens and published in Action Comics (Volume 1). It reintroduces the Superman Revenge Squad.

Synopsis

Hank Henshaw is putting together a new Superman Revenge Squad. So far he's recruited Metallo, Blanque and the Eradicator.[1] Per his orders, the Eradicator searches Mongul. He finds the alien warlord trapped by the Black Mercy in a dream where he butchers Superman.[2]

In Metropolis, Clark and Lois are apartment hunting. The Kent Family is moving back to the city.

Meanwhile, Eradicator and Blanque take Mongul to Superman's Himalayan Fortress in order to search for the Oblivion Stone, a gem that has the ability to alter any aspect of its possessor's life once (provided its twin pieces are combined). They find one half of the stone. They're supposed to bring it to their leader, but Mongul covets the Stone. Their argument is cut short when Klon and Dratania, two aliens staying at Superman's Fortress due to be stranded on Earth, come along to stop them.

Back on Metropolis, Clark hears his Himalayan refugee's intruder alarm. He hurries off, changes clothes and takes off for his backup Fortress. When he arrives, he finds his shelter leveled, his two alien guests murdered and the Oblivion Stone stolen. His Kelex android lays in pieces but it manages to warn him about Blanque, Eradicator and Mongul working together before turning off. Superman takes seconds to mourn his friends and blame himself for his failure to protect them, and swears his enemies will answer for their actions.

The three villains have teleported to Henshaw's headquarters, a Batman's Moon base he's taken over. Mongul doesn't recognize Henshaw -much to the latter's amusement- and wants to tear him in half. But Henshaw unites the two halves of the Oblivion Stone and turns himself back into Cyborg Superman. He beats down Mongul easily and demands the alien despot kisses his hand and swears servitude again.[3] Disgusted but cowed, Mongul obliges him.

Cyborg Superman rallies his troops. Eradicator wants to rebuild Krypton, Metallo wants a new and better cybernetic body, Mongul wants a new Warworld, and Blanque... only wants to kill people. But all of them want to pay Superman back for perceived wrongs. Cyborg Superman declares his Squad is nearly complete, but they need General Zod in order to kill Superman, crack his Fortress open and loot his Kryptonian technology.

Superman has headed back to Metropolis. He has to make sure that his family is safe before going after Blanque, Mongul and the Eradicator.

He finds his wife and son in their new apartment. He tells them about his backup Fortress being destroyed by three of his enemies. He tries to reassure Lois and Jon that he can handle them, at the same time stressing they must stay at the apartment and Jon has to watch over his mother. Then he flies off.

Using the Watchtower's systems, Superman tracks the Eradicator down. He finds Eradicator trying to break in Belle Reve Penitentiary which all of sudden has been surrounded by a strange black dome.[4] Superman is puzzled but decides to head out anyway. Batman offers to help, but Superman is confident that he can solve that problem without help.

As Superman flies back to Earth, Eradicator and Cyborg Superman have managed to break into the Black Vault space, a barrier imbued with energies of the Phantom Zone capable of rendering the strongest mind insane. Eradicator is impervious because of being an artificial being, but Cyborg Superman is vulnerable and suffers horrific visions of his past.

Superman has made it to Belle Reve and plows through the barrier. He gets disoriented and suffers a nightmare: he's standing in front of his parents' graves when they crawl from their graves and blame him for not saving them.

Cyborg Superman and Eradicator try to take advantage of his dizziness to attack him, but Superman fights back and drives them off. Cyborg Superman wants to take advantage of his chance to kill him, but Eradicator senses the Vault is driving him mad, so he grabs Cyborg Superman and gets them both out of the barrier.

As his enemies hasten to find Zod, Superman keeps trapped in the barrier; and the nightmarish visions are getting worse. He's now trapped in a hallucination where he's surrounded by an army of undead made up of his loved ones. Superman tries to appease them, but to no avail.

Somewhere else, Cyborg Superman talks Zod into joining his Revenge Squad, baiting with the procuring of a Phantom Zone Projector. Zod makes clear he will not take Henshaw's orders, but he agrees grudgingly to work with them.

Superman snaps out of his nightmare and finds out that Zod was prisoner in Belle Reve and now he's free. Superman calls Waller out on her actions, but she retorts she does what she will do to keep people safe. Knowing an argument would be pointless, Superman flies off.

Superman finds Zod, Cyborg Superman and the Eradicator and swoops down on them. The trio of villains fight back. Their battle is broadcast live by a news chopper and watched by several members of the Superman family: Kara, Lois, Jon, Kong Kenan... and even Lex Luthor.

Superman does his best although he appears to be handicapped somehow, and he's getting overwhelmed by the trio of villains. He has no choice but to make his escape. Zod wants to go after him, but Cyborg diplomatically suggests to marshal their forces and plan.

Superman heads back home and finds his wife and son. He tells Lois and Jon the Black Vault has blinded him.

Meanwhile, Cyborg Superman marshals his angry, impatient and rebellious troops. He debriefs them on the Fortress of Solitude and talks them into raiding the place.

Although blinded, Superman has taken his wife and son to the Fortress. As Kelex runs several tests on Superman, Lois and John walk around. They're shocked to see someone has knocked down Pa and Ma Kent's statues. John also comes upon Kryptonian battle armor. An unfamiliar voice talks to him, but he can't find its owner.

Kelex can't restore Superman's sight or determined the nature of his blindness. Since it was caused by the Black Vault, a barrier of Kryptonian nature that surrounded Belle Reve, Superman reckons it messed up his biology somehow.

Anyway, Superman decides he has no time for finding a cure. He has to find and defeat the group of villains. Scared, Lois suggests him to wear the Kryptonian battle armor, but Kelex warns it's unusable for the present time. Lois is talking Superman into calling the League, but it's too late. A quake signals the arrival of the Superman's Revenge Squad.

Superman commands Kelex to signal the Omnihedron he gave his cousin[5], tells Jon get himself and his mother to safety, and heads off.

On National City, Kelex's call gets through to Kara Danvers. Supergirl swiftly changes clothes and takes off for the Arctic.

Superman battles fiercely, using his still-working super-senses to locate and hit each villain, but they manage to overcome him. The six villains are pummeling him into the ground, Zod demanding Superman kneels before him, when Supergirl swiftly dives in and takes him away from them.

And she isn't alone. The rest of the Superman Family -Steel, Superwoman, Super-Man- and Lex Luthor have also arrived. Lex declares the Superman Revenge Squad will get Superman over their dead bodies.

Inside the Fortress of Solitude, Kelex decides to evacuate Lois and Jon per Superman's instructions, and leads them to a flier.

Outside, the Superman Family and the Superman Revenge Squad face off. Zod is miffed at the fact that Superman has brought help. Unimpressed, Supergirl replies Superman is her family, and family sticks together. Lex wonders aloud what is Superman storing inside his base that the group of villains wants to badly. Superman informs they want to get their hands on his Kryptonian technology.

As Superman and Cyborg Superman argue, Zod tells Blanque to link him with the Eradicator telepathically. Next he demands to be handed over the Phantom Zone Projector. Superman refuses and Zod gleefuly pounces, smashing both through the walls of the Fortress. As they battle, Zod at last realizes Superman is blind.

Supergirl is about to go inside to back her cousin up, when Hank Henshaw hits her from behind. Swiftly Kara turns around, says he'll have to get through her if he wants to hurt her cousin and she's already put a Cyborg Superman down,[6] and fires her heat vision. Kara and Henshaw duel.

Superwoman attempts to join Supergirl, but the Eradicator turns her own energies against her. Super-Man faces up to Blanque, but the villain distracts him long enough to drop a massive chunk of ice on his head.

Lois and Jon are about to board a Kryptonian flier. Lois hates to run away but she concedes that getting her son far from the battleground is imperative.

Steel and Lex fight off Metallo and Mongul, respectively.

Superman is giving his everything to defeat Zod, but Zod beats him down easily. Suddenly he senses two other persons inside the Fortress getting on a flier and deduces Superman has a family. Infuriated, Zod kicks a downed Superman. Seeing the flier to take off, Zod blows it up.

Supergirl goes utterly mad and attacks him, but Zod punches her into the ground. He tells the Revenge Squad to meet him up as he searches for the Projector.

Cyborg Superman thinks Zod intends to free his army so they can burn the world to cinders, but Zod smugly replies the Phantom Zone is a vast place and someone must go in there and find his troops. He sends the Superman Family minus Supergirl in the Zone. Then he turns around and sends Eradicator and Cyborg Superman in, too.

Blanque realizes Zod's mind is psi-shielded and can't read him properly. When he asks what Zod is up to, the General replies he'll know eventually, but for now everything is going as planned.

Lois is hidden in the Fortress of Solitude, guarded by Krypto. She and Jon launched an empty ship just in case Zod was watching for escapees. When Zod blew it up, she and Jon hid away. Jon was supposed to stick close to her, but he's disappeared.

Meanwhile, Metallo queries why Zod sent not only the Superman Family -minus Supergirl- but also Cyborg Superman and Eradicator to the Phantom Zone. Zod dodges the question and commands Blanque to maintain telepathic contact with them. Blanque doesn't believe he can maintain a mindlink across a dimension gulf, but Zod suggests him to do it and deal with the pain.

In the Zone, Superman realizes his blindness has been cured, possibly because in the Phantom Zone they lack physical bodies. Meanwhile, the Eradicator gets to carry Zod's instructions forward. Cyborg Superman's protests give away their position, and they're attacked by the Superman Family.

Out of the Zone, Zod decides he will not put up with his "allies" anymore. He smashes Metallo away and uppercuts Mongul out of the planet since he's so anxious to travel the galaxy. Then he focuses his attention on the remaining member of the House of El present, who is still half-dazed.

All of sudden, a Kryptonian battle suit comes to life and strikes Zod. Jon is driving it, guided by a mysterious voice who claims to be a friend. Infuriated, Zod blasts the suit, but Kara -now fully awake- smashes him, declaring Zod's done.

Back in the Zone, the Superman Family look after Cyborg Superman while Kal-El searches the Eradicator. Clark finds him as he's looking for someone Zod needs to be whole again. Superman is beating the Eradicator when he is attacked by Ursa and Lor-Zod. Astonished, Superman realizes Zod wasn't looking for his army. He intended to free his family. Eradicator takes advantage of his distraction to inform Blanque he's fulfilled his mission.

Meanwhile, Supergirl knocks Metallo down as Jon tries to fight Zod off. Zod rips his battle suit apart but Lois sets Krypto on him. Zod gets wounded but he blasts Krypto away and turns the Phantom Zone Projector on.

Superman, the Eradicator, Ursa and Lor re-emerge. Zod is happy to get his family back and talks about finishing his enemies off, but Ursa wants to fly off and treat his wounds. Zod gives in and the House of Zod heads out of the Fortress and Earth.

Superman, Supergirl, Lois, Jon and Krypto watch them go. Kara thinks they should go after the Phantom Zoners, but Clark thinks bringing his friends home is his priority. As Jon and Lois hide away again, Superman and his cousin bring the Superman Family back. However Superman switches the Projector off before Henshaw can get out.

Safe in another chamber, Jon tells his mother about a mysterious voice helping him. That voice belongs to Mr. Oz, who keeps monitoring Superman and his family.

Somewhere else, Zod and his family have come upon another world. Zod intends to conquer it and build a New Krypton.

Issues


Recommended Reading

Links and References


Superman Our Worlds at War Vol 1 TP
Superman Family Storyline
DC Rebirth Logo

This event or storyline is specifically related to Superman, or to members of the Superman Family. This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the Superman Storylines category.

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