WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Justice League Annual #2, by Robert Venditti, Aaron Lopresti, Matt Ryan, David Baron and Tom Napolitano, on sale now.
As one of the oldest, most enduring superheroes in mainstream comic books, Superman has plenty of more head-scratching moments in his extensive history, with some of the more amusingly questionable quietly brushed away from modern continuity.
However, as the Man of Steel finds himself and his teammates on the Justice League under attack inside of the Hall of Justice in Justice League Annual #2, one of the more bizarre elements of the Superman mythos has been reintroduced as part of DC Rebirth continuity: Superman's personal vehicle, the Supermobile.
While investigating an apparent murder committed in the Hall of Justice's subbasement, the Justice League discovers someone has hijacked the headquarters' defense systems and turned them against the team. After barley managing to escape the subbasement where Superman was exposed to red sun radiation robbing him of his powers, the team is attacked by the Hall's sentry bots, who've been reprogrammed with their safety protocols completely lifted. The team splits up, with Superman and the Flash diverting to the facility's garage where Barry Allen discovers the Supermobile stored inside. Incredulous of why the Man of Steel, who is capable of super-speed and flight, would need his own vehicle, Superman dismisses the mothballed machine as being from a simpler time.
Created in 1978's Action Comics #481 by Cary Bates and Curt Swan, the Supermobile was forged by Superman inside the Fortress of Solitude from the alloy Supermanium, a metal so strong that only Superman's heat vision could smelt it and his strength could fashion it into the one-man vehicle. The Man of Steel would serve as a conduit for the vehicle itself, channeling his powers to recreate them in full, through various devices outfitted in the flying craft, including a set of retractable, robotic arms if Superman ever needed to punch or grasp targets. The Supermobile was unveiled after red sun radiation temporarily rendered the Last Son of Krypton helpless, ad nSuperman used the vehicle to combat the villainous android Amazo until he regained his powers.
After its debut, the Supermobile was used sparingly moving forward, with one notable exception being Superman using it to battle Atomic Skull and Titano months after its introduction. Since then, the vehicle has been usually relegated to cameo appearances as a passing gag or background Easter Egg. Co-creator Cary Bates would later reveal that the vehicle was developed as part of DC Comics' partnership with Corgi Toys, with a die-cast replica of the vehicle, complete with extendable fists, released the following year; Bates dismissing the concept one as borne of commercialism rather than storytelling-driven creativity.
Regardless of the motives behind its creation, the inclusion of the Supermobile in the latest Justice League Annual is a fun nod to one of the more head-scratching elements of Superman's lengthy history. The Flash calling out the necessity for DC's flagship superhero to require his own vehicle echoes a lot of modern criticism of the concept in good-natured fun. And while the Justice League Annual only fleetingly showcases the Supermobile in action, its reintroduction certainly leaves open the possibility that Superman will take flight once again in the two-fisted car someday, even if he'll look ridiculous doing so.
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