Superman in Marvel
Chapter 7: The Last Gift of Krypton
The Journey to Antarctica
Ethan Carter had never felt the cold.
Even in the harshest Montana winters, when the wind howled through the fields and ice coated the roads, he had barely noticed. His body was built differently.
Now, as he walked across the frozen wastelands of Antarctica, he felt nothing but the weight in his chest.
His real ship was here. He knew it.
For years, he had felt it calling to him. A whisper at the back of his mind. A pull that had never faded.
And now, he was finally here.
His boots crunched against the ice as he moved forward. The sun had long since disappeared behind thick clouds, and the wind howled across the empty landscape.
But he wasn't lost.
He knew exactly where to go.
Then—he saw it.
A jagged crack in the ice, deep and unnatural. Like something had crashed here long ago.
Ethan stepped to the edge and looked down.
Buried beneath layers of ice was a ship.
Larger than the pod he had arrived in. Sleek. Alien.
Kryptonian.
His pulse quickened.
This was it.
His true beginning.
Entering the Ship
Ethan leapt down into the icy chasm, landing effortlessly on the thick ice covering the ship. He reached out, pressing a hand against the frozen metal.
Instantly, the ship reacted.
The ice around it shattered as an unseen force pushed outward, clearing a path. Symbols along the hull glowed faintly, responding to his touch.
A soft hiss filled the air as a hidden door slid open.
Ethan stepped inside.
The ship was silent.
Dark, but not lifeless.
He moved forward, boots echoing against the metallic floor. Strange glyphs lined the walls, symbols of a language he didn't yet understand—but somehow recognized.
This wasn't just a ship.
This was a sanctuary.
Then, the lights flickered.
And a hologram appeared.
Meeting His Parents
Ethan froze.
Before him, two figures materialized in shimmering blue light.
A man. Tall, strong, with sharp features and eyes that held both wisdom and sorrow.
A woman. Graceful, beautiful, with a kind face that radiated warmth.
They were looking at him.
His breath caught in his throat. He had seen them before—in his dreams. In flashes of memory that weren't his own.
"Kal-El," the man spoke, his voice deep and steady.
Ethan fell to his knees.
His real parents.
His true parents.
Jor-El and Lara.
They were right in front of him.
And yet, they weren't.
Tears burned at his eyes. "I… I'm sorry." His voice cracked. "I'm the reason for your demise"
Lara smiled softly. "Oh, my son."
Jor-El's expression remained calm. "You carry the weight of a world's death on your shoulders. But hear me now, Kal-El—"
Ethan flinched at the name. "I'm not him."
Jor-El continued as if he hadn't spoken.
"You did not destroy Krypton."
Ethan clenched his fists. "But—"
Jor-El raised a hand. "No. Listen." His gaze was firm. "Krypton was doomed long before you were born. Our people refused to change, refused to listen. We sealed our own fate."
Lara stepped closer. "We sent you away so you would not share our fate." Her voice was gentle but unwavering. "So you could live."
Ethan's hands shook. The guilt he had carried for years—years of believing his wish had rewritten reality, had doomed an entire civilization—crashed against their words.
He wanted to believe them.
But some part of him still ached.
Jor-El seemed to sense this.
"The burden you carry," he said, "is not one you must bear alone."
With a wave of his hand, five glowing crystals appeared in the air before Ethan.
Each pulsed with energy, filled with something ancient and powerful.
"These are Kryptonian memory crystals," Jor-El explained. "They contain the knowledge of our civilization. With them, you can create sanctuaries of learning, of power—places where you will never be alone."
Ethan reached out, hesitating for only a moment before taking them.
The moment his fingers touched the first crystal, something clicked in his mind.
Understanding.
Not everything. Not yet. But pieces of his lost heritage, fragments of a language he hadn't known he knew.
Jor-El's hologram flickered slightly.
"This ship will not last forever, my son. It was damaged in the escape. But you—" his father's gaze softened, "—you will endure."
Lara smiled, tears in her holographic eyes. "We love you, Kal-El."
The ship trembled. The holograms began to fade.
Ethan reached forward. "Wait—"
But they were gone.
Silence.
The only thing left were the crystals in his hands.
And the weight of a lost world on his shoulders.
A New Purpose
Ethan stood in the empty Kryptonian ship, heart hammering in his chest.
He was Kryptonian.
Not by accident.
Not by mistake.
But because his parents had chosen for him to live.
For the first time in his life, the guilt wasn't so crushing.
He had lost a world.
But now, he had the means to build something new.
He looked down at the crystals in his palm, their glow reflecting in his eyes.
Five fortresses.
Five places where he could keep his heritage alive.
Where he could prepare for whatever was coming.
Because something was coming.
SHIELD had noticed him. The world would notice him soon enough.
And when that time came…
He would be ready.
With one last look at the remains of his past, Ethan turned and walked out of the ship.
The wind howled as he stepped onto the ice once more.
He tightened his grip on the crystals.
It was time to go home.but before that ,he thought of something