WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Superman #26 by Brian Michael Bendis, Ivan Reis, Danny Miki, Alex Sinclair & Dave Sharpe, on sale now
Superman has always feared for the safety of his loved ones, even before he revealed his identity to the world. He's sought to protect those close to him from any threats that may arise from his work as a superhero -- and that includes the people he works with at the Daily Planet, leading him to set up some safety precautions at the office.
It turns out that the Daily Planet might be one of the most secure locations in the DC Universe, including having its own specific gateway to the Phantom Zone to lure threats into.
When Clark arrives at the Daily Planet in Superman #26, he quickly finds himself in conversation with his old rival, Stevel Lombard. Things have changed at the Daily Planet since Superman revealed his identity to the world, and that includes how Clark's co-workers see him. Lombard is still processing that the guy he used to mess with all the time was secretly Superman, and he brings up how Clark working at the Daily Planet puts a massive target on the backs of everyone else who works there. Jimmy argues that "it's a big golden ball in the middle of the city where Lex Luthor lives" and that they've been a natural target all on their own -- which has been exasperated now that Jimmy has established himself as a Metropolis-level rival to Luthor.
But Clark explains that he's already thought about this too, which is why he set up certain defenses. When Synmar arrives at Earth and immediately attacks Superman, his defenses are ready. With their fight threatening to reach the Daily Planet, the Kryptonian robot Kelex creates a portal to the Phantom Zone and traps the threat (and in this case, Superman as well) within the other dimension. Because so many of his closest friends and family worked at the Daily Planet, Clark long ago had the defenses around the building to protect his co-workers from suffering the consequences of his work. It turns out he had the entire Justice League install defensive measures similar to the ones utilized at the Hall of Justice to keep the Daily Planet safe.
Clark even casually reveals that the tech has recently been upgraded, as the League had been concerned Leviathan would target media outlets like the Daily Planet. Superman explains that at the end of the day, the Daily Planet might actually be one of the safest locations in the world. Clark even compares its defenses to the Bat-Cave, admitting that might be the one location with more extreme defense measures -- which were even recently revealed to include a self-detonating Mother-Box. This should lend a bit of confidence to Clark's old work friends, as it ensures the Daily Planet might be able to survive major attacks that come in the future.
It's a potent protective layer for the building, and the Phantom Zone generator may not even be the only defense the Daily Planet has. This means that the staff of the Daily Planet should remember that in any future crisis scenarios, the Daily Planet might actually quietly be a very useful place to hunker down and try to stay hidden and safe during an attack. Superman hints that there are other locations around the DC Universe that are similarly protected, meaning there might be a handful of strongholds around in case of genuine emergency, which is good for the heroes -- and their closest friends and family -- to know about.
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