The DC Comics History of SUPERMAN and Pocket Universes

The Nerdist article explains that the "Pocket Universe" in DC Comics was created to solve a major continuity problem following the 1985 storyline Crisis on Infinite Earths. This event merged all of DC's parallel worlds into a single timeline, which erased Superman's history as the teen hero Superboy. This was a problem because the origin of the 30th-century team, the Legion of Super-Heroes, depended on them being inspired by Superboy.

To fix this, a story revealed that the Legion's villain, the Time Trapper, had created a "Pocket Universe" containing a replica of Earth where Superboy's adventures still took place. This allowed the Legion's history to remain intact.

The story took a tragic turn when that Pocket Universe's version of General Zod and two other Kryptonian criminals escaped the Phantom Zone and proceeded to destroy their entire Earth, killing everyone, including its Superboy. The mainstream Superman was called in to help but arrived too late.

After a brutal battle, Superman defeated the three villains. With no way to imprison them and facing their threat to do the same to his Earth, Superman made the shocking and controversial decision to execute them using Green Kryptonite. This act of killing, even to save his world, caused Superman immense psychological trauma, leading to a breakdown and a self-imposed exile in space. This dark event became a defining moment in Superman's character history, showcasing the immense weight of his responsibilities.

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