WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Legion of Super-Heroes #5, by Brian Michael Bendis, Ryan Sook, Scott Godlewski, Wade Von Grawbadger, Jordie Bellaire and Dave Sharpe, on sale now.
Although Jon Kent has joined the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st century, the young Superboy is still in the dark about the history of the last 1,000 years. While Computo was available to give him a full history lesson about the Legion, Jon kept putting it off. But in Legion of Super-Heroes #5, the son of Superman finally sits down in the powerful artificial intelligence machine to learn how the team of teen cosmic superheroes first united.
Thanks to Computo, Jon is able to witness firsthand specific moments in time -- and one of them shows him how Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad, shortly after becoming the founding members of the Legion, first recruited Brainiac 5. Brainy is quick to accept the invitation because, thanks to his powerful intellect, he has deduced things about the future, and how it relates to the past. And as he does so, he reveals Clark Kent isn't the one true Superman -- someone else is.
When the original three Legionnaires first meet with Brainiac 5, he explains to them the importance of the past, 1,000 years ago. To us, this past is the present day of the DC Universe, and the adventures that are currently unfolding throughout the publisher's various comic book titles. Brainiac 5 stresses the vitality of the modern DC Universe time period and how their own future is intricately tied to it. According to him, the destruction of the Earth 1,000 years ago was the direct result of a crisis that resulted in the loss of much of the planet's history.
In his calculations, Brainiac sees the potential of something similar happening to the Legion in the 31st century. And to prevent that, he deduces that they need to add Jon Kent to their ranks, thus revealing the real reason the Legion first recruited the young Superboy in Superman #14.
"He is the one to teach us everything we need to know to inspire a proper new age of heroes," Brainiac explains. "We need to have him experience this future and all we have built. And we need to prepare him for his coming role as the one true Superman."
The revelation that Jon Kent is the one true Superman has massive implications. It suggests that though he may be Superboy now, Jon will eventually take the Superman mantle from his father and build a legacy that surpasses his dad's considerable achievement. That's is no small feat, especially considering how Superman has become a symbol of hope not just on Earth, but throughout the cosmos as well.
There's no telling when Superboy will take on his father's role, but it's likely connected to the new timeline DC has been teasing for months. The revised history of the DC Universe has slowly been revealed in Wonder Woman #750 and The Flash #750, and the publisher has already announced plans to chronicle the heroes of tomorrow with Generation Zero: Gods Among Us, perhaps as part of the 5G timeline that was teased in Doomsday Clock.
However, this also hints at a possible rift between Jon and Damian Wayne. Together, Superboy and Robin form the Super-Sons, and their friendship is one of the strongest in the DC Universe. However, in Legion of Super-Heroes #3, we learned there was a very dark future in store for Robin -- one that equates him to a mass murderer. If Robin is destined to become a monster and Jon Kent will one day become the one true Superman, the two Super-Sons may grow to become rivals -- if not complete enemies.