At Last, DC Has Given Superman's Brother the Perfect Job, But Can He Make It Last?

Almost everyone in Superman's life has an important job to do, and now, Superman's brother Mon-El has his own very important responsibility. The oft-forgotten sibling of the Man of Steel finally has the opportunity to make a tangible difference in the DC Universe, as the Warden of the Phantom Zone, though now the question is whether he is up to the task.

Action Comics #1081 – written by Mark Waid, with art by Clayton Henry – concludes the story of a major jailbreak from the Phantom Zone; once Superman and his Super-Family round up all the escaped supercriminals, they come together to decide on a better way to deal with them. Leaving criminals sealed in a prison for all eternity is especially cruel, regardless of what crime they've committed.

Ultimately, Mon-El, who is trapped in the Phantom Zone, is given the massively important task of rehabilitating the Phantom Zone's prisoner population, so that they can one day be released back into the real world.

Mon-El Finally Has A Chance To Make A Difference As The Phantom Zone's Warden

Action Comics #1081 – Written By Mark Waid; Art By Clayton Henry; Color By Matt Herms; Lettering By Dave Sharpe

Mon-El's appointment as the Warden of the Phantom Zone – and more importantly, the way this signifies Superman's trust in him – is the emotional pay-off to a long-simmering storyline, in which Mon-El has been feeling especially jealous of Superman, as Superman gets to be the hero of Earth, something that Mon-El never got a chance to do. Due to being poisoned by lead, Mon-El has been forced to stay in the Phantom Zone, and feels like he can't really do any good in the world because of it. However, Mon-El's new role as the Phantom Zone's Warden might change that.

Mon-El has all the powers of a Kryptonian, but with a major extra weakness. While Superman was elated to believe that he had a brother, someone who could finally understand how isolated he felt, he wasn't able to stay with Mon-El for long. Superman's brother is actually a Daxamite, aliens who function exactly the same as Kryptonians under a yellow sun, with the major exception being Daxamites aren't susceptible to Kryptonite, but rather to lead. When Mon-El ended up being poisoned by lead, he had no choice but to accept exile to the Phantom Zone to survive.

Mon-El Found A Way To Inspire Hope In DC's Most Hopeless Prison, Proving His Super-Family Credentials

Superman's Brother Deserves His New Role In DC Lore

After being sent to the Phantom Zone, Mon-El felt completely useless. He had all these desires to do good but was reduced to nothing more than a ghost. There was nothing he could do to help Superman or achieve any good in the world. But now, he has the perfect job. Prisoners inside the Phantom Zone are now eligible for parole if they've proven that they truly repent for their actions. Mon-El is now the one who gets to oversee this and decide who does or doesn't get to be set free. It's an incredible position that allows the Phantom Zone to be an actual place of redemption.

One of the greatest aspects of Superman is his ability to inspire hope. By following Superman's example, one day humanity might be able to be as kind and as helpful as him. Now, Mon-El gets to have a similar job. While he's still unable to leave the Phantom Zone, he can still achieve good from inside of it. Mon-El is now the one who gets to oversee all the prisoners and decide whose heart has truly changed for the better. Even in the darkest moment, Mon-El still found a way to inspire hope, which truly proves that he is Superman's brother.

Action Comics #1081 is available now from DC Comics!