Superman is Nobody
Superman
Faster than any lightning bolt.
Stronger than a locomotive.
An invincible man.
He truly is perfect.
And...
He is also... a reporter.
"The prolonged war has forced the United States to deploy massive military resources, sophisticated weaponry, including weapons being tested for the first time. The amount of bombs and ammunition used so far is estimated to exceed that of World War II. On both sides, the war has hardened the resolve of military leaders and civilians alike. The U.S. seeks every means to subdue North Vietnam. In contrast, North Vietnam strives to thwart our strategic efforts.
Last year, we launched limited bombing campaigns, using aerial raids to gauge the reactions of North Vietnam, the Soviet Union, and China, but achieved no significant results.
Now, President Johnson has decided to escalate the war. An additional plan is being urgently drafted, which has sparked a wave of discontent among the public. All of America is burning with the flames of the Vietnam War.
A road spanning the country has been established to support the battlefield in the South—a path full of danger, crossing high mountains and deep rivers. I have learned that the North is pouring all its efforts into supporting the war, everything for the battlefield. Northern society could be called a society of guerrilla fighters.
According to unofficial sources from the White House, they are preparing for larger-scale bombings in North Vietnam, aiming to find a way out of the war. Meanwhile, if we truly care about the question: What can be done to end the war? Then what we need to do right now is to go to the negotiating table with the other side. Of course, there are other options, but they will only lead us to kill more civilians and earn the condemnation of history."
Clark sighed, put down his pen, and closed his notebook. He was sitting in a stifling room at a military base in Da Nang. The Daily Planet had sent him to Vietnam as a war correspondent two weeks ago. He had accompanied several "Search and Destroy" missions deep into the jungle, only to return without results. Clark was determined to write an article that could awaken the American media to end the unjust war in Vietnam and return the superheroes to their rightful place.
This is a strange moment in history; the world of superheroes has never been more fragmented. Humanity has turned its back on them. Gone are the days of standing united against fascism and evil. The world is now a race between two superpowers, between two ideologies, an unprecedented arms race in human history. The era when superheroes could decide the outcome of a war has passed; now, nuclear weapons and super spies reign supreme. Communist-minded superheroes who were expelled from the United States caused deep rifts within the superhero community. Masks and hidden identities made people fearful, associating them with Communist spies. Anti-fascist superhero groups of the past now had to operate in secrecy, monitored by the FBI.
In 1960, following the death of Gotham’s prosecutor Harvey Dent, Batman was officially hunted by the government, marking a significant and grim turning point in the world of heroes. That same year, several young superheroes were exposed as Soviet spies, stealing classified information about the United States’ space conquest programs.
In 1961, Green Lantern was revealed to be homosexual, sparking outrage among the American public. Thousands of Catholic devotees took to the streets to protest and boycott the image of Green Lantern. The 4K Party was formed to hunt him down. During the Bay of Pigs invasion, a group of Communist superheroes used a mysterious technology to defeat the U.S. invasion of Cuba led by the Flag of America team, further diminishing public faith in supposedly invincible superheroes.
In 1962, although the Justice League managed to prevent nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis, it did little to calm the situation.
True darkness descended when President Kennedy was assassinated by a superhero linked to the Soviet Union. Police forces across the United States went on strike, demanding the end of superhero activities. An unprecedented chaos unfolded nationwide. Johnson took office, and despite his special fondness for Superman, he succumbed to public pressure and enacted a law banning superhero activities nationwide. To divert American public attention from the current unrest and curb the spread of Communism, Johnson, following the advice of Westmoreland and Lex Luthor, escalated the Vietnam War.
Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The assembly siren interrupted Clark Kent's thoughts. Martin, the head of the Daily Planet's overseas bureau, popped his head in and yelled:
"Clark Kent! Get to the helicopter, there's about to be a skirmish up north."
Clark hurriedly stood up, grabbing his camera but accidentally knocked a pile of documents onto the floor. As he bent down to pick them up, he knocked over the entire table. Martin sighed deeply; how could they have sent him such a clumsy fool?
Clark joined the soldiers running along the runway toward the eight Chinooks preparing for takeoff. The noise of people shouting at each other and the choppers’ thumping blades filled the air. Heavy weapons were being loaded onto the helicopters, and Clark had a bad feeling about this mission. Lieutenant Storm roared:
"Hurry up, you bastards, let's go kill those VC! Hey, reporter, you coming or not?"
"Yes, yes, I’m coming."
Clark hurriedly bent down and ran to climb onto the helicopter. He took a few photos of the choppers taking off and asked for more details about the upcoming battle. The target was a hill suspected to be a Viet Cong stronghold, with intelligence reports indicating about 200 armed fighters holding the area. In reality, that number could be as high as 400. The plan was simple: artillery bombardment to clear the area, followed by a sweep of ground troops. This was Clark's first combat mission in Vietnam, but all he felt was a deep sadness. Unlike the one-on-one battles with supervillains, this war felt wrong. Superman didn’t know whom to support, as the ideal of American justice he symbolized was now being used to justify the destruction of human lives.
Below, barren rice fields stretched out, interspersed with rows of coconut trees and forest edges ravaged by bombs. Here and there, villages with naked children gathered to watch the roaring American helicopters carrying massive machinery, heading toward the hill like harbingers of death.
The helicopter shook slightly and began to circle. Storm glanced down and muttered:
"Damn it, this area is too narrow; it’ll take at least an hour to gather the troops. There goes the element of surprise."
It started to rain. The weather in Vietnam, capricious like a temperamental lady, was always a nightmare for American soldiers. It took more than four hours to gather the troops, and by then, the rain had stopped. However, the area was now flooded, turning into a muddy swamp.
Storm shouted through the intercom, ordering the Hueys to fire rockets, and the artillery began bombarding the hill. But within a minute, the hill responded. A green energy field appeared, enveloping the entire hill, extinguishing the flames and shells as soon as they made contact.
Clark was taken aback by this turn of events. At first, he thought it might be some new Soviet technology. But the flexibility of the protective barrier quickly confirmed to him that it was the work of an individual with superpowers.
This was a real nightmare for the Americans. From elevated positions, return fire rained down, outnumbering the U.S. forces’ assault. Suddenly, bullets whizzed past Clark’s ear. Looking around, he saw soldiers collapsing, scrambling for cover, firing wildly into the bushes. The Americans had lost their initiative, and the narrow clearing had turned into a shooting gallery for the Viet Cong. Clark dived into a thicket, cries of agony filling the air. Half of the helicopters circled back, unloading rounds into the forest’s edge.
A bright yellow energy beam shot directly into a hovering Huey. It exploded and crashed into the midst of the American soldiers who were desperately trying to find cover. Flaming debris scattered everywhere. Clark watched as more energy beams shot down every American aircraft in the combat zone. Some crew members jumped out just before their helicopters were hit.
With a flash of red, Superman gently lowered the pilots to the ground. He flew around the clearing, catching bullets with his cape, while directing the soldiers to regroup in a circle. The Americans, feeling reinvigorated, prepared to fight back. Superman soared into the sky, using his X-ray vision to scan the battlefield. His mind was a whirlwind of questions, self-doubt, and confusion about what was happening...
From the earliest days of the war, he had decided not to participate, despite direct requests from the president. His stance, along with his personal statements supporting Ho Chi Minh during the founding of the young Communist state, had given Washington politicians an excuse to suppress the superhero community.
Now, the North Vietnamese had fielded super-powered warriors, while the United States’ super-soldier program remained controversial due to its ethical issues, directly altering human genes with potentially dangerous side effects.
Deep down, he knew that the U.S. actions in Vietnam were, in truth, blatant acts of invasion. Yet, as the embodiment of American ideals, he found himself unable to directly oppose the war.
Suddenly, Superman felt a tremendous impact that made his insides churn. His body hit the ground, creating a deep crater. Struggling to get up, he saw his attacker hovering in the air.
"Superman! My hero, I have been waiting for this moment for a long time."
The attacker was American, wearing a tight green suit that blended easily with the forested surroundings.
"I thought you declared to the superhero community that you wouldn’t participate in the war in Vietnam?" the man in green continued, questioning Superman.
Superman lunged toward his attacker, but every punch was quickly countered. Although not as strong as Superman, his opponent relied on his skilled combat techniques to gain the upper hand.
"Since when did you become a tool for the U.S. government to wreak havoc on this small nation?"
Each word was like salt on Superman's wounded heart. He couldn't focus on the battle with the man in green anymore. The attacker was too fast and seemed to be weakening Superman with every move.
"You must be wondering why you can't overcome my strength or where I got these abilities? It all stems from the U.S. super-soldier program."
Superman shot laser beams from his eyes, blasting the man in green away, but he quickly created a protective shield around his body. Superman used his super speed to move around, firing lasers, blowing icy breath, and hurling logs and helicopter debris toward his enemy. Yet the man didn’t retaliate; he only dodged and blocked the attacks.
Suddenly, the man in green spread his arms, emitting a dazzling green light across the space. Superman felt as if a hammer weighing hundreds of thousands of tons struck him in the chest. He exhaled sharply and then collapsed, unconscious.
Superman opened his eyes and stood up; he was in the middle of a burning village. The "Man of Steel" was horrified to see the ground littered with the bodies of the elderly and children. Suddenly, the corpses sat up and lunged at him, pulling him down. With his strength completely gone, he couldn’t resist the weight of hundreds of bodies piling on top of him. Looking up at the crimson sky, he saw F-105 fighter jets spewing colored smoke, forming the shape of the American flag that covered the entire sky.
“You’re awake now.”
Superman jolted up, scanning the stone room that was imprisoning him. He wasn't tied up but felt utterly powerless.
“There’s no way out. These stones have been exposed to Kryptonite for thousands of years. They drain your strength without causing pain. We don’t want to harm you.”
“Who are you?”
“I am Sammy Welton, Regiment 115. As for the source of my power… you’ve probably heard about the government’s super-soldier program?”
Superman nodded slightly. It was the most famous experimental program of the United States during World War II and continued through the Cold War. However, according to official government statements, the program was never fully completed.
“This program was inspired by you. Actually, it started with the Kryptonite stones. Remember those mysterious incidents related to superpowers that began appearing in Smallville before you first arrived in Metropolis? When the government conducted experiments on these individuals, they identified strange changes within them due to Kryptonite exposure, in one way or another. And coincidentally, that same stone weakens you. Our presidents issued a series of secret orders allowing the testing of Kryptonite on human bodies. On one hand, it aimed to create the necessary mutations for the United States’ upcoming wars. On the other, it provided a means to counter you if you ever decided to turn against the government and ally with the Communists.”
Superman had never been more shocked. He had seen America betray Batman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and other superheroes. But he had never believed they had planned to eliminate him long ago, even before the rift between humanity and superheroes.
“I answered the nation’s call and joined the program, undergoing countless horrific experiments...”
In Sammy's eyes was a look of extreme fear as he recalled his experiences at the Arizona research center: being submerged in a solution for eight hours a day, undergoing constant surgeries to implant Kryptonite under his skin and into his marrow without anesthesia. During this process, thousands of young Americans were eliminated, and their bodies were collected in large vats to extract Kryptonite essence for future experiments. In the end, only 15 individuals survived all the trials, becoming secret warriors serving the U.S. military on the battlefield.
"They threw me into Ia Drang. People still call it the first victory of the United States in the Vietnam War. What a joke. It was a victory of propaganda, not military success. Because it was 15 bloodthirsty individuals, drunk on newfound power and freedom, who mercilessly killed both Americans and North Vietnamese alike. Those meat grinders nearly destroyed my true self. But during an attack on a poor village, I was changed by a young girl. She led me to meet the high-ranking leaders of the National Liberation Front. After a conversation with them, I decided to switch sides. I underwent some psychological treatments from the Soviets and gained better self-control. Now, I fight as a soldier of the Liberation Front..."
"There is no perfect war, but you abandoned your own country? You’re insane."
"Then you need to see what our country has done for us and what it has done to the world. Come, Man of Steel, and see the 'peace' that America is bringing to Vietnam."
The door slowly opened, flooding the room with blinding light. Superman walked toward it, horrified at what he saw unfolding before him. American soldiers were massacring civilians with flamethrowers, M-16s, and AR-15s. Women were being raped on the village roads, while the elderly and children were dragged into the village center, beaten, and forced to identify Viet Cong members. The cries of anguish, the piercing gunshots, and the roaring flames filled the air. Never before had Superman felt such shame for America.
"Look closely at what America brings, Man of Steel. I have to go and carry out my mission."
Sammy leaped out of the building, knocking out the American soldiers and bending their gun barrels.
"This has now become my war, too," Superman declared, flying like lightning to aid Sammy in taking down the brutal American soldiers.
The moonlight gently illuminated the glass room at the Da Nang military base. Lex Luthor swirled the wine in his glass, seemingly reluctant to take the final sip. The breeze from the electric fan did nothing to ease the strange stifling heat of the Vietnamese climate.
"I heard you were at the village... I thought you wouldn’t get involved in this war. Turns out, Superman is just a simple man after all."
"Tonight, I am forcing you to end this war."
Superman stepped out from the shadows. His red and blue cape still looked majestic, yet tonight it seemed shrouded in melancholy and despair.
"That is impossible, and you’re not the first to try to force me to do this. I don’t believe you’ll succeed where others have failed."
He gestured toward a corner of the room, where scattered, injured superheroes lay motionless, their bodies battered. Lex took a small lead box out of his pocket, gently opening the lid. A green glow filled the room. Superman collapsed in agony, the world before his eyes shattering into pieces. He had truly been defeated. His noble ideals of the American dream had been buried, and now they were about to be crushed by Kryptonite.
In his state of crisis, he looked up to see a plump, slow-moving woman, drenched in sweat, her facial features scrunched toward the center of her face, leaning down toward him. Her voice shrieked:
"This is a typical case, doctor, but it's not like the symptoms of Travis Bickle. This one often imagines himself as Superman from the comics, fighting Lex Luthor and all those other filthy criminals."
Her eyes widened before immediately narrowing into a thin line across her face. The man standing beside her was tall and thin, wearing a white lab coat, looking at him with pity.
"They brought me an entire building full of unimaginable lunatics from Vietnam. Miss Louise Lane, take good care of this poor fellow; I’m rather fond of his bizarre thoughts."
The woman administered a sedative to the young man. They stepped out of the room filled with dark tales from the distant days of America.
What is truth, and what is madness? No one could ever draw a clear line.
