WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman #2, by Dan Watters, Leila del Duca, Nick Filardi and Tom Napolitano, on sale now.
As the flagship superhero of the DC Universe, there's a lot of responsibility that comes with being Superman. Beyond being the guardian of Metropolis, the Man of Steel is a presence on Earth who not only defends the planet but inspires those he protects through his superheroism and shining example. And for Jon Kent, Clark Kent and Lois Lane's son and the new Man of Tomorrow in the alternate timeline of Future State, that's a tall order to live up to.
As Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman #2 reveals, Jon Kent saves a world every morning before his day truly begins, as his constant vigilance is the only thing keeping one planet within the DCU remains on the brink of total annihilation, saved only by the constant vigilance of the Man of Steel.
Throughout Jon and Yara Flor's Future State adventure, the villainous living sun Solaris menaced the entire planet and nearly killed Superman, and the new Wonder Woman noticed that Jon was running himself ragged. Even before Solaris' arrival, Jon appeared stressed out and overworked, struggling to live up to his father's legacy as the original Superman. And with Jon emerging triumphant from a contest of champions between himself, Solaris and the Brazilian sun god Kuat, the Man of Steel quietly revealed to Yara one crucial aspect of his morning routine that he has kept from the general public: The Fortress of Solitude houses a portal directly to a small singularity that threatens to consume a planet in another dimension on a daily basis.
In the event that he is bested in the high stakes showdown between Solaris and Kuat, Jon gives Yara a private tour of the Fortress. Superman reveals that during his time serving with the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st century, he discovered a planet named Tsercalon that was constantly being drawn into a massive black hole. With the help of Professor Ryan Choi, Superman developed a black hole gun capable of generating a pure, amplified form of atomic energy to feed the singularity with enough energy that it pushes out objects within its accretion disk, including Tsercalon. While the device is capable of saving Tsercalon from total annihilation, it's not enough to push the planet from the black hole's reach, necessitating Superman using the black hole gun every morning before 10 AM to save the faraway world.
Having to constantly save an entire planet on top of his earthly responsibilities is clearly taking a toll on Superman, with Wonder Woman observing the Man of Steel never takes the day off with countless lives hanging in the balance thanks to his tireless efforts, but he is tired. And in the aftermath of Superman's challenge against Solaris and Kuat, Yara attempts to give Jon a break by saving Tsercalon one morning with the black hole gun herself, only for Jon to greet her with breakfast, unable to break free from old habits and responsibilities.
Superman is a character who does so much behind-the-scenes to keep the DCU safe on a regular basis that the universe owes him an unpayable debt. And while Jon has had his doubts if he was worthy enough to live up to his father's mantle as the new Superman, his constant saving of a faraway planet every morning alone is a prime example that Jonathan Kent is every inch as super as his famous father.