As the videotape played on the Kent family's television, Jonathan, Martha, and Clark watched in stunned silence. The footage showed scene after scene of individuals with extraordinary abilities—people whose eyes could emit devastating laser beams, others who moved faster than speeding cars, someone who controlled lightning with casual gestures, and individuals casually lifting automobiles with one hand.
The power displayed by these so-called superheroes was genuinely terrifying. Every weapon that Jonathan was familiar with—hunting rifles, shotguns, even military-grade equipment—appeared completely useless against these individuals. They seemed to shrug off bullets like raindrops and treat explosions as minor inconveniences.
"This... is this really real?" Jonathan asked, his voice filled with disbelief. His worldview was being systematically dismantled by what he was seeing. "I mean, this kind of thing only exists in comic books and movies, right?"
"Of course it's real," Marcus confirmed, pausing the tape on a frame showing a blonde man in a star-spangled costume hovering in mid-air. "Clark's abilities are actually quite similar to this particular individual."
He pointed to the figure on screen—Homelander, though the Kents didn't know his name. "Although these people are relatively weak compared to Clark's potential, your son will eventually surpass all of them quite easily."
Following Marcus's explanation, everyone turned their attention back to the floating figure in the video. There was something unsettling about the man's smile, something that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Is he... is he part of Clark's family?" Martha asked hesitantly. "They seem to have similar abilities."
Marcus burst out laughing at the suggestion. "Family? No, no, these people are completely different from Clark. They're all ordinary humans who gained their abilities through artificial means—specifically, through injections of a special serum called Compound V."
The idea that superpowers could be created through chemical enhancement was almost as shocking as the powers themselves. It suggested a world where abilities like Clark's could be manufactured, distributed, controlled.
"But that raises an obvious question," Jonathan said, studying Marcus's face carefully. "How do you know all of this? Where did this footage come from, and why are you so well-informed about these... enhanced individuals?"
Under the scrutiny of the Kent family, Marcus settled back into his chair and looked thoughtfully at the paused video. "The reason I know all this is simple—I'm not exactly an ordinary person either."
As he spoke, thick fog began emanating from Marcus's body, rapidly filling the entire living room. Within seconds, the mist had become so dense that none of them could see their hands in front of their faces.
"Marcus, what's happening?" Martha called out, her voice tight with concern.
The fog swirled around them for what felt like an eternity but was probably only a few seconds. Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the mist vanished completely.
"Ah!" Martha's startled cry echoed through the air as she found herself standing not in their familiar living room, but in the middle of a forest clearing.
"Sorry if that was a bit dramatic," Marcus said with amusement in his voice. "I thought a demonstration would be more convincing than just talking about it."
As their eyes adjusted to the natural lighting, the Kent family realized exactly where they were.
"This is..." Jonathan began, looking around at the familiar trees.
"This is the woods west of the farm!" Clark exclaimed, his voice filled with wonder. "This is where I caught the wild boar!"
How could he forget this place? He'd been so proud of tracking and capturing that animal using the techniques Marcus had taught him.
With Clark's identification, Jonathan and Martha also recognized their surroundings. But the recognition brought with it a profound sense of shock. They had instantaneously traveled from their living room to a location nearly a mile away.
"Is this your superpower?" Jonathan asked, staring at Marcus with new respect and perhaps a touch of wariness.
Marcus nodded with a slight smile. While he'd actually used void energy and spatial manipulation rather than traditional teleportation, the effect was close enough to what they might consider a "superpower."
Having experienced Marcus's abilities firsthand, Jonathan and Martha found their understanding of the world fundamentally altered. If Marcus could teleport them across distances in an instant, then perhaps all the other impossible things they'd seen in that video were equally real.
"So your abilities—did you get them from that same serum you mentioned? The Compound V?" Martha asked. "And what about Clark? Why is he manifesting these powers now, after all these years?"
Marcus held up his hand to address their questions systematically. "First, my abilities have nothing to do with any artificial enhancement. My powers come from... different sources entirely."
He paused, looking at Clark with a gentle expression. "Second, Clark's superpowers are completely natural—they're an inherent trait of his species. The reason he hasn't shown them before now is that his body has been gradually adapting to Earth's environment. Now that the adaptation process is nearly complete, his abilities will begin manifesting one by one."
The explanation made sense to the Kent family, but it also raised new questions. What species was Clark part of? And how did Marcus know so much about alien biology?
"You keep talking about Clark's species," Jonathan said carefully. "What exactly are we dealing with here?"
Marcus's expression grew more serious. "Unfortunately, there aren't many of Clark's people left in the universe."
He looked directly at Clark, knowing this news would be difficult for the boy to hear. "Shortly after Clark was sent to Earth, his home planet was destroyed. The explosion scattered debris throughout space—what we call kryptonite. Almost everyone Clark might have called family is gone."
The weight of this revelation settled over the Kent family like a heavy blanket. Martha instinctively moved closer to Clark, her maternal instincts triggered by the thought of a child losing his entire world.
"There are a few survivors," Marcus continued. "I believe Clark has a cousin who escaped, and there's a Kryptonian general named Zod who managed to survive. But beyond that..." He shrugged sadly.
Jonathan and Martha exchanged glances, both struggling to process the magnitude of what they'd learned. The idea of an entire planet being destroyed, of billions of people simply ceasing to exist, was beyond their comprehension.
"Marcus," Martha said quietly, "how do you know all of this? You speak about these things as if you've witnessed them personally."
"Not personally, no," Marcus replied carefully. "But remember, I can travel to places beyond Earth. I've encountered other survivors, seen records of what happened. The story of Krypton's destruction isn't exactly a secret among those who know how to look for information."
This explanation seemed to satisfy Jonathan and Martha. If Marcus could teleport them across their own farm, then traveling to other worlds didn't seem completely impossible.
"In that case," Jonathan asked hopefully, "could you take us to find Clark's surviving family members? Maybe his cousin?"
Marcus shook his head regretfully. "I'm afraid that's not possible, at least not yet. The survivors I mentioned are scattered across the galaxy, and some of them... well, let's just say they might not have Clark's best interests at heart."
Clark had been listening to this entire conversation with growing confusion and sadness. The concept of his home planet being destroyed was difficult for a child to fully grasp, but he understood enough to realize he was truly alone in terms of his species.
"Clark comes from a planet called Krypton," Marcus explained gently, "and his people are called Kryptonians. On their home world, Kryptonians were just ordinary people, much like humans are on Earth. Clark's superpowers are the result of his Kryptonian physiology interacting with Earth's environment—particularly the radiation from our yellow sun."
He looked seriously at all three Kents. "Because of this unique interaction, the fragments of Krypton—kryptonite—have a very specific effect on Clark. If you ever encounter green stones that emit their own light, keep them far away from Clark. That material can weaken him, even turn him back into an ordinary person temporarily."
Jonathan and Martha nodded, filing away this crucial safety information. They were beginning to understand that raising Clark would involve challenges they'd never imagined.
"There's something else you should know," Marcus added, almost as an afterthought. "Kryptonians actually visited Earth long ago. There's a spacecraft left by Clark's father hidden in the Arctic ice. It contains advanced technology and records of Kryptonian civilization."
This final revelation was his true target. The Fortress of Solitude represented access to Kryptonian science and technology that could revolutionize human understanding of genetics, energy manipulation, and biological enhancement.
Marcus had plans for that technology—specifically, he wanted to use Kryptonian scientific knowledge to improve and stabilize Compound V. If he could make the enhancement serum both controllable and reliable, it would open up incredible possibilities for human advancement.
Even Lex Luthor, in his memories of future timelines, had relied heavily on Kryptonian technology in his conflicts with Superman. The scientific principles behind Kryptonian civilization were simply that advanced compared to current human capabilities.
And his purpose was the same as Luthor's. They both wanted to use Kryptonian technology to improve Compound V and make this serum a controllable and stable enhancement.
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