Superman’s Oldest Lost Story Was Actually Supposed to Be His Best (And It Would Have Changed Everything)

Superman first appeared almost ninety years ago, and from the very beginning, was an instant hit. Between a mixture of that popularity and good fortune, practically every Superman story has been painstakingly preserved for future generations to see, read, and listen to. Even things like early sketches from before the character debuted and the first ever painting of the Man of Steel have been preserved and catalogued. This is because people love Superman and his stories, which have evolved to match every generation while maintaining the original hope and heroism that drove him. What many people don’t know, however, is that Superman was one story away from changing permanently, way back at the beginning.

“The Secret of The K-Metal” is the unofficial name given to a fully drafted but unpublished Superman story written by Jerry Siegel all the way back in 1940, just two years after the Man of Steel’s introduction. The story, especially because of how early it is in Superman’s existence, would have fundamentally changed major aspects of the character, to the point that the entire superhero genre itself might have been altered. Superman, Lois Lane, Kryptonite, and the concept of superheroes’ secret identities would have been forever changed, and given how incredible this story is, it would have been awesome.

The Greatest Unpublished Story of All

“The Secret of The K-Metal” was rejected and was completely forgotten about for decades, until DC legend Mark Waid found the remnants of the story and popularized it in comic book circles. Eventually, the original script was recovered, letting us know exactly what this story would have entailed. It would have started with a comet from Krypton’s destruction passing by the Earth. Superman would be robbed of his powers for the first time, as Kryptonite was not yet introduced. His investigation would lead him to Professor Winton, who would tell Superman that this meteor was made of a substance he called K-Metal and came from the destroyed planet Krypton.

Winton would have his own chunk of K-Metal, a glowing green metal that had the same effects as Kryptonite on Superman. Interestingly, K-Metal would have affected humans, granting them superpowers like Superman’s. This revelation would have actually had Superman realize that he was from Krypton, as up until then, he had no idea where he came from or how he got his powers. The K-Metal chunk would only have power while the meteor was passing around Earth, leading Superman to realize that his powers came from the planet of Krypton itself. However, the planet’s explosion destroyed the connection between it and Superman, turning it negative and thus making it deadly to him. 

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Even with his powers temporarily negated by the meteor, Clark would try to save Lois from the gangster “Rocks” Gordon, who would be after a secret gold mine. Rocks’s accomplice, Bronson, would discover that Rocks attempted to betray him and trap everyone inside the mine. Just before everyone ran out of air, Superman’s powers would return. He would reveal his identity to Lois and the gangster to save their lives, though the gangsters would promptly die in a landslide. Knowing his identity and that Superman was in love with her, Lois would convince Clark to let her be his partner in solving crimes and saving the world. Even if she would still keep him at arm’s length to keep the will-they-won’t-they relationship going.

The Story That Would Have Changed Everything

No other single Superman story has ever changed as much as this one would have. Clark would have learned of his Kryptonian heritage nine years before he did in Superman #61. K-Metal would replace Kryptonite, which would not only sap Superman’s strength, but offer plenty of other heroes and villains superpowers, which would have massively altered its uses and the types of stories it could tell. Not only that, but it would have altered how Superman got his powers. Instead of being from the sun, this comic would have established that they came from Krypton itself.

And then there’s Lois knowing Superman’s identity from nearly the beginning of everything. Lois would have gone from damsel-in-distress to Superman’s equal and only confidant in the ‘40s, which would have been unprecedented for a female character and changed their relationship to something majorly different. Lois and Clark would have grown far closer as equals, and probably even have gotten together much sooner than they did. We might have seen a Superman and Lois marriage in the 1940s instead of 1996! 

There’s also the possible impact this might have had on the concept of secret identities. Plenty of other superheroes cropping up at this time had secret identities, and all were modeled after Superman at this stage in the genre’s development. While the secret identity would have definitely still stuck, the hero’s loved ones knowing might have been a regular occurrence. Imagine a world where Aunt May knows who Spider-Man is from nearly the very beginning. Decades of superhero lore with their loved ones might have changed with this one little reveal.

Heck, this would even have been the first Superman story with an unresolved mystery at the end, as someone, likely Lex Luthor, stole Professor Winton’s K-Metal at the close of the issue. Lex might have even gone from mad scientist to K-Metal-powered villain who could match Superman’s strength. There’s a universe where Lex is more known for his brute power than his genius, and that’s insane to imagine. “The Secret of the K-Metal” would have been an incredible story, and it genuinely could have changed everything about Superman. Personally, while I wouldn’t change anything about the Man of Tomorrow, I do desperately wish we could see what he would look like if this story had been published.

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