While Jon Kent serves as Superman on Earth in the modern DC Universe, his father has been bringing hope to the beaten-down planet of Warworld. What has followed has been a uniquely pulp-inspired adventure for the Man of Steel, forcing Clark Kent to take up a sword and shield in his struggle to lift up the peoples of Warworld in rebellion against Mongul. The story arc, which concludes with Superman: Warworld Apocalypse #1, has been building to a massive epic battle for the potential fate of more than just Warworld, and it does not disappoint.

Ahead of the storyline coming to a close, Superman: Warworld Apocalypse writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson sat down with CBR to discuss the arc. He explained how the Warworld epic has evolved across the course of the storyline, which characters from the expansive cast surprised him the most, and how the Warworld arc highlights the ultimate thematic importance of the Man of Steel.

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CBR: The Warworld arc has been rooted in a lot of fantasy/sci-fi -- stuff like John Carter from Mars and Flash Gordon, as opposed to the more traditional superhero tropes. What has excited you the most about bringing Superman to this sort of setting?

Phillip Kennedy Johnson: I LOVE seeing all the over-the-top pulp imagery of other beloved stories in the context of Superman. The John Carter and He-Man-inspired costumes, the Mad Max and Dune-inspired approach to the villains and monsters, and the joining of cosmic magic and Fourth World technology. We don’t often see Superman in this kind of pulpy context, but with his interplanetary origins and long history of fighting injustice on other worlds, there’s no reason we shouldn’t.

I think the time we’ve spent humanizing the character in Metropolis, exploring the cast and [the] inner workings of the Daily Planet, as well as Grant Morrison’s Superman and the Authority -- which saw a somewhat depowered Superman and the creation of a new team -- [all] set Superman up well for a larger-than-life cosmic pulp adventure. Something like "The Warworld Saga" made all the sense in the world for Superman’s next chapter.

Mongul works so well in this story, a true counter to the Man of Tomorrow's innate optimism with unyielding and single-minded brutality. Why was Mongul the right character for the story you wanted to tell?

As I perceive Superman, as the “Champion of the Oppressed,” I think Mongul is his most perfect antithesis. Redefining Warworld as a cage for the displaced populations of thousands of worlds and Mongul as their slaver makes him perfectly diametrically opposed to Superman. He’s the perfect endpoint of an entire culture and belief system built around the concept of dominance, while Superman is the perfect expression of compassion and humility. I was incredibly excited to show a more complicated Mongul in that light and to see him and Superman clash, not just physically but ideologically.

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It's not just Superman at the heart of this story, but the extended Superman family on Earth and the allies on Warworld -- which character would you say has surprised you the most across the course of the series?

I’d like to say Midnighter, except that wasn’t really a surprise. I’ve been dying to show Midnighter’s “shadow mission” since before the Authority even got to Warworld. I loved the idea of Superman going on a clear-eyed “Truth and Justice” mission to change hearts and minds by the millions, while Midnighter’s simultaneously bringing together the rebellion from the shadows, killing dudes left and right in alleyways without Superman’s immediate knowledge. I love that idea, and I LOVE writing Midnighter, maybe more than anyone else on the team.

I think the characters who have surprised me the most, though, are Orphan and Darling. I find their backstory really tragic and interesting, and although I had never planned on them becoming allies to Superman and the Authority, in the end, that’s what made sense. I got pretty attached to them. I really hope we get the chance to explore their future in Action Comics. I love the idea of them living in the Fortress of Solitude for a while, playing a role similar to Harold’s in ’90s Batman comics.

A big thread of the storyline has been that everyone is important-- from Superman and Mongul to obscure heroes and former villains to average citizens and slaves. Why was that so important to delve into these kinds of themes with this story?

The easy answer is because it’s Superman’s core belief and a theme that you’ll hopefully see expressed in every issue of Superman I ever write. I think it’s important to see that side of Superman in every issue. I even make it the unspoken subtext of most of his dialogue, anytime it makes sense to do so.

The reason it’s even more important in the Warworld Saga is that he’s trying to free people who were screaming for his head when he got there, people he never had to see face-to-face if he had just minded his own business. Warworld is one of the most difficult, most long-game tasks he’s ever undertaken, one that would never have been worth it if he didn’t feel down to his bones that people without families, without homes, without names, people who hate him, etc. matter just as much as the people he loves most.

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Superman just wanting to get home to his family is such a perfectly down-to-earth motivation for Clark in this arc. Why is it important to see Superman vulnerable, specifically in this sort of way?

With so many gigantic, epic science fiction concepts in play in the Warworld Saga, Superman having a family that he’s trying to get back to is probably the most relatable element of the story. It’s what anyone would be feeling in his situation. As focused as he is on the job he set out to do, the thing he can’t stop thinking about is keeping his promise to his wife and son, his promise that he’ll always come back.

His love for his family, and his underlying sense of loss at his lost years with Jon, is also what helps him connect with the Phaelosian kids Otho-Ra and Osul-Ra. When he first meets them, as he’s falling unconscious from the beating he’s just received, he’s forgotten that Jon is an adult now, and Osul-Ra reminds him of Jon.

Even after Superman’s fully conscious and recovering, having two almost-Kryptonian kids around who are roughly the age that Jon was supposed to be makes his parental side kick into overdrive, and they became uncommonly close over the course of the Warworld Saga. That all grows out of Superman’s longing to see his family again, and I look forward to seeing where those relationships go in Superman: Kal-El Returns and beyond.

Was this always the ending you had in mind for the series, or were there other paths this story might have ultimately gone down?

The broad strokes ended up exactly where I planned it to go, but there were a few surprises along the way. One character I wrote with the express intent of killing ended up surviving, and another character I intended to live is dead now. But for the most part, everything ended up exactly as it was supposed to, and the Warworld Saga sets us up well for our plans in 2023.

What do you hope readers take away from the conclusion of this run?

Since Superman represents the very best of humanity, writing him carries a kind of responsibility that I try to remember and respect. The Superman that I see in my mind’s eye is one who inspires me in a way that is difficult to express. I hope the Warworld Saga helps establish a clear and consistent voice for him, that it helps readers see the Superman that I see, and that he inspires others the same way.

Underneath the epic mythology and science fiction imagery, the Warworld Saga is a story about human trafficking and the dangers of hero worship, at least from my perspective. But I’ve been moved to hear from fans who have taken other positive messages from it, messages I didn’t necessarily intend but that are perfectly valid. What I’m trying to say is that I hope readers take something from it that is meaningful to them and that they find moving or inspirational.

Superman: Warworld Apocalypse #1 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Brandon Peterson, and Will Conrad is now available from DC Comics.