A cosmic storm passes through the planet Earth, bringing with it a mysterious plague which kills nearly the entire male population (an event later referred to as the Fall). The only two men who survive are
Superman and his archenemy
Lex Luthor. Superman was immune to the plague due to his
Kryptonian DNA, and Luthor had sealed himself away from the storm's radiation in his battle armor. Fifteen years later, Luthor manipulates the sons of Themyscira to rise up and establish a new
patriarchal society under his rule, and Superman must return to stop him, even if it means going against his own children. During his exile Superman had discovered a way to inoculate others from the plague he carried, with Luthor's attempt to kill Superman with Kryptonite allowing the cure to work on the Man of Steel; the cure was initially useless on Superman due to his super-immunity, but the kryptonite weakened his immune system. With Luthor dying of a stroke during the conflict, Superman confirms that Luthor intended to kill the Kryptonian children once the
Amazons had been defeated and replace them with Luthor's own children, which Superman and the other female heroes vow to raise properly. ==See also==